Cleaning and care
0 of 4 hands-on
01 Introduction
Salt, sand and sun are hard on equipment. A few minutes of care after each dive extends the life of your kit and helps it work when you need it. This lesson sets out a simple routine, and explains what needs a professional.
Objectives
- Describe the routine for rinsing and drying each main piece of equipment
- Explain what servicing is, why it is needed and how often it is done
- Recognise signs of wear and damage that need attention
02 Watch
After the dive
4 min · Video in production
- 1
A rinse tank with kit soaking in fresh water, and a diver gently moving a regulator in the water.
- 2
A BCD being filled with fresh water through the inflator, and then drained.
- 3
Wetsuits hanging in the shade to dry, and the zip being rinsed.
- 4
A technician inspecting a regulator and recording the service in a logbook.
03 Learn
Rinse everything
Salt crystals corrode metal, wear seals and make rubber stiff. After diving in the sea, rinse all your equipment in fresh water, ideally in a tank rather than a running tap, and soak it if you can. Rinse after fresh water dives as well, because sand and algae can build up.
| Item | Care routine |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Keep the dust cap on and dry. Rinse the exterior and second stage in fresh water. Do not press the purge while it is soaking, because it lets water in |
| BCD | Rinse the outside. Fill it with fresh water through the inflator and the oral valve, swirl it, and drain it. Dry it partly inflated, hung in the shade |
| Wetsuit | Rinse inside and out, including the zip. Hang it on a wide hanger in the shade. A wetsuit shampoo can be used occasionally |
| Mask and snorkel | Rinse in fresh water and dry. Keep in a case |
| Fins and boots | Rinse and dry out of the sun |
| Computer and gauges | Soak in fresh water, with buttons pressed gently. Dry with a soft cloth |
| Cylinder | Rinse the outside, but keep water from entering the valve. Close the valve and store with a little pressure |
Drying and storing
Drying out of direct sunlight is important, because sun makes rubber and neoprene brittle and fades colour. Dry things thoroughly before storing them in a bag, so that there is no mould or smell.
Predict first
After a boat dive, you can only rinse one item properly. Which is the most important to keep clean and dry because of its precision parts?
Servicing
Servicing is the work done by a qualified technician. For a regulator, this means taking it apart, cleaning, replacing worn seals and parts, and checking the pressures. A BCD service includes testing the inflator and valves, and a computer service replaces the battery and checks the seals. Servicing is not a task for the owner.
| Equipment | Typical service interval |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Annually, or as the manufacturer states |
| BCD | Annually, or as the manufacturer states |
| Cylinder | Visual inspection yearly and periodic pressure test as local rules require |
| Dive computer | Battery and seal checks as the manufacturer states |
| Drysuit seals and valves | Checked every year, with seals replaced when worn |
Keep a record of services with dates, so that you know when the next is due. Follow the manufacturer's guidance, because it varies by model.
Signs of wear
- Cracks, splits or stiffness in hoses and rubber parts.
- Corrosion or white crust on metal parts and connectors.
- Free-flowing, hard breathing or leaks in a regulator.
- A BCD that slowly loses gas, or a stuck valve.
- Torn neoprene, failing zips or worn seals.
- Frayed straps, damaged buckles or fading, brittle plastic.
Simple repairs you can do
- Replace a mask or fin strap.
- Lubricate a wetsuit zip with a suitable product, and a drysuit zip as the manufacturer advises.
- Replace a worn O-ring on a yoke connection with the correct size, and lubricate it only with a product the manufacturer recommends.
- Glue a small neoprene tear with a wetsuit adhesive.
Take a guess first
A regulator is serviced every 12 months. A diver wants to know how many services it will have had in six years of use. How many?
04 Explore
Try it yourself
Match each item with its main care step.
Match each item with its main care step.
- Regulator
- BCD
- Wetsuit
- Cylinder
- Computer
05 Apply
Scenario
You pick up your regulator after a winter of storage and find a little white crust around one connector. It breathes fine on the surface. A friend says, "It is only salt, wipe it off and go diving."
What is the best approach?
06 Check
07 Summary
Key points
- Rinse everything in fresh water after diving, and dry it in the shade.
- Keep dust caps on and dry, and keep water out of valves.
- Have regulators, BCDs and other life-support equipment serviced by a qualified technician, and keep records.
- If something looks or feels wrong, do not dive with it.
Before you apply this in the water
- Have I been trained by a qualified instructor for this?
- Am I medically fit to dive?
- Do I have a buddy and a plan?
- Am I diving within my training and limits?
Answer every question in the Check section to mark this lesson complete.