Grajan Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I think there is a 'lesson learned' here once I am sure of the cause. A couple of weeks ago our drysuit seals - Kokatat latex type - were looking a bit gray and dry, although there was no sign of perishing, so I decided to treat them with Aquaseal Seal Saver. Yesterday I look at them and in two weeks they have aged ten years. They all have patchy perished areas and surface roughness and one has already torn - on a drysuit that is only one year old. I'm pretty sure it is associated with the use of the Seal Saver and it may be due to inappopriate application. The directions very clearly requre you to buff off excess liquid after application. I got distracted by another job and did not do this immediately and then thought leaving a film on would not do any harm. What I now hypothesize is that the SealSaver is actually a solvent that seals up micro-tears in the surface of the rubber to prevent perishing. By leaving the thicker film on I allowed it to just eat away at the seals. Does this make ANY sense? Or is the product high risk (interestingly it no longer appears on the Aquaseal website)? Or am I barking up the completely wrong tree? Input welcome (as well as somewhere to get all our Kokatat drysuit seals replaced near Portsmouth....). Thanks Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob budd Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 All I can say is that you are unlikely to have bad results with 303, which many use and we have used for quite some time. I've never left excess on for an extended period of time so I can't say the same sort of thing wouldn't happen. Fortunately, you have several months to repair your gaskets. If my friend Bill can do it, anyone can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spuglisi Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 All I can say is that you are unlikely to have bad results with 303, which many use and we have used for quite some time. I've never left excess on for an extended period of time so I can't say the same sort of thing wouldn't happen. Fortunately, you have several months to repair your gaskets. If my friend Bill can do it, anyone can. Graham, I don't know anything about the aquaseal product but my drysuit is going on 5 years and I use 303 regularly. I agree with Bob, the seals are not likely to react badly to 303. Mine are still in good shape. If the suit is only a year old you might want to check with kokotat before you go any further. If they've been having gasket problems ( a bad batch possibly) they may repair them for you. My understanding is that they have good customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grajan Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 That is a good idea. I will drop them a line. Thanks Graham Graham, I don't know anything about the aquaseal product but my drysuit is going on 5 years and I use 303 regularly. I agree with Bob, the seals are not likely to react badly to 303. Mine are still in good shape. If the suit is only a year old you might want to check with kokotat before you go any further. If they've been having gasket problems ( a bad batch possibly) they may repair them for you. My understanding is that they have good customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 That is a good idea. I will drop them a line. Thanks Graham Graham, You should be using 303 on the gaskets regularly, you may also look at how your storing your dry suit. Properly treated and stored your gaskets should last years. Exposure to heat, sunlight or being near a comustion source (stove, furnace etc) and they may last weeks. -Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Graham, I don't know anything about the aquaseal product but my drysuit is going on 5 years and I use 303 regularly. I agree with Bob, the seals are not likely to react badly to 303. Mine are still in good shape. If the suit is only a year old you might want to check with kokotat before you go any further. If they've been having gasket problems ( a bad batch possibly) they may repair them for you. My understanding is that they have good customer service. Kokatat does not warranty gaskets and this pretty clearly had something to do with the product that you put on it as they were fine prior and then not fine after the "extended" treatment. I use only 303 on the gaskets of the suits that I own, both personal and about 20 demo suits. I don't do them enough as it is time consuming to apply 303 on many but no excuse not to use a bit of 303 every 6 weeks to lengthen the gasket life on a couple of suits. When I read this I was reminded of a good friend's drysuit whose 1 year old gaskets are shredded, particularly the neck. Just last week, he asked me to take a look and I knew from looking that it is from his excess sunscreen that he uses at the beach once he is dressed. The sunscreen doesn't have time to soak into his skin and he leaves it a bit slick, the water sprays his face and runs down the gaskets on wrists and particularly the neck. My recommendation was to put the sunscreen on at HOME prior to leaving as that allows it to soak in and dry on your skin - also keeps it from running down into your eyes. As for who might change gaskets in Portsmouth - you could check around with dive shops but there are no authorized repair shops in Portsmouth. Not hard to do though and directions are on the Kokatat website. Alternatively, you could send it back to Kokatat for the repair - directions on their website. Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grajan Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Thanks Suz, We are VERY careful with our suits and only use water based sunscreen when paddling so I'm pretty sure it was incorrect application of Aquaseal Seal Saver. Graham Kokatat does not warranty gaskets and this pretty clearly had something to do with the product that you put on it as they were fine prior and then not fine after the "extended" treatment. I use only 303 on the gaskets of the suits that I own, both personal and about 20 demo suits. I don't do them enough as it is time consuming to apply 303 on many but no excuse not to use a bit of 303 every 6 weeks to lengthen the gasket life on a couple of suits. When I read this I was reminded of a good friend's drysuit whose 1 year old gaskets are shredded, particularly the neck. Just last week, he asked me to take a look and I knew from looking that it is from his excess sunscreen that he uses at the beach once he is dressed. The sunscreen doesn't have time to soak into his skin and he leaves it a bit slick, the water sprays his face and runs down the gaskets on wrists and particularly the neck. My recommendation was to put the sunscreen on at HOME prior to leaving as that allows it to soak in and dry on your skin - also keeps it from running down into your eyes. As for who might change gaskets in Portsmouth - you could check around with dive shops but there are no authorized repair shops in Portsmouth. Not hard to do though and directions are on the Kokatat website. Alternatively, you could send it back to Kokatat for the repair - directions on their website. Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingsn Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Thanks Suz, We are VERY careful with our suits and only use water based sunscreen when paddling so I'm pretty sure it was incorrect application of Aquaseal Seal Saver. Graham Suz, So is it really necessary to 303 every 6 weeks? I have a dry suit & a semi dry top that are about 18 mo. old. I have probably 303ed them 3 times, they look like new. Should I still be doing them more often? Thanks for the advice, Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NPSheehan Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Hi Graham, WOW!! I was thinking of using Aquaseal myself and will now refrain after hearing your experience. Portsmouth Scuba may be able to do the work for you if you don't want to try replacing the gaskets yourself. Portsmouth Scuba Located on Rt. 1A next to the Sagamore River Bridge 915 Sagamore Ave (Rt 1A) On the north side of the Sagamore River. Phone 603 436-4887 Open 9 to 5. Eastern time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob budd Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Mileage due to frequency of application of 303 will vary. Our first suits were "303'd" when put away in the spring and when taken out in the fall and we never lost a gasket. Though I'd do it more often if I were a better parent. You can tell by touch, etc. when the gaskets need treatment and 303 is alot cheaper and easier to apply than a new gasket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grajan Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Neil, My guess is the Aquaseal is pretty much the same stuff as 303 but I left too much of it on for too long. That being said there are plenty of references for 303 so it might be a good investment. I've been meaning to talk to Portsmouth Scuba about my diving gear anyway so I will ask them. Thanks Graham Hi Graham, WOW!! I was thinking of using Aquaseal myself and will now refrain after hearing your experience. Portsmouth Scuba may be able to do the work for you if you don't want to try replacing the gaskets yourself. Portsmouth Scuba Located on Rt. 1A next to the Sagamore River Bridge 915 Sagamore Ave (Rt 1A) On the north side of the Sagamore River. Phone 603 436-4887 Open 9 to 5. Eastern time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerry s Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Hi Graham Bumma about the seals. FWIW I've had my drysuit about 7 years and used nothing but 303 on the seals. Granted, I did rinse the suit almost every time it saw salt water and 303'd the seals afterwards. I'm probably tempting fate if I don't change them this off-season but they still appear to be in good shape. So maybe 303 is the ticket, or I've been very lucky, or the latex gods are just shining on me. Good luck with the repair. Gerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Suz, So is it really necessary to 303 every 6 weeks? I have a dry suit & a semi dry top that are about 18 mo. old. I have probably 303ed them 3 times, they look like new. Should I still be doing them more often? Thanks for the advice, Chuck Chuck, Truth is I don't do it that often either but wish I could as it is a PITA to change gaskets and I firmly believe that the more I 303, the less I change gaskets. Some of my demo suits have 10+ year old gaskets and they are still going strong. And really, how long does it take if you keep the stuff handy? My belief is that people have different chemical make ups depending on the food we eat, the water we drink and the PHARMACEUTICALS we put in our body. I believe that this comes out in our perspiration and this affects the gaskets. I think that Gerry has the right idea in rinsing his off after use - that includes the gaskets. That would get rid of any film that "we" leave behind on the gasket. Suz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingsn Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Chuck, Truth is I don't do it that often either but wish I could as it is a PITA to change gaskets and I firmly believe that the more I 303, the less I change gaskets. Some of my demo suits have 10+ year old gaskets and they are still going strong. And really, how long does it take if you keep the stuff handy? My belief is that people have different chemical make ups depending on the food we eat, the water we drink and the PHARMACEUTICALS we put in our body. I believe that this comes out in our perspiration and this affects the gaskets. I think that Gerry has the right idea in rinsing his off after use - that includes the gaskets. That would get rid of any film that "we" leave behind on the gasket. Suz Suz, Thanks for the reply. I am very conciseness about rinsing, though I have the suit on w/ I do it. I'm a stickler about taking care of my kit. Hmmm, based on your comment about food, etc I wonder of a little drink of 303 before a paddle would be a good idea...OK, may be not. Thanks for the help, Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted June 10, 2009 Share Posted June 10, 2009 Suz, Thanks for the reply. I am very conciseness about rinsing, though I have the suit on w/ I do it. I'm a stickler about taking care of my kit. Hmmm, based on your comment about food, etc I wonder of a little drink of 303 before a paddle would be a good idea...OK, may be not. Thanks for the help, Chuck Well, that would be one way to apply it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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