Just as an astronaut’s space suit is his life support system when he is outside the spacecraft, your scuba equipment is your life support equipment when you are underwater. These life support systems must be maintained regularly so they perform as they were intended to by the manufacturer.
What should I do to help maintain my equipment?
Every part of your scuba diving system needs to be cleaned and maintained. After each use, you should rinse the equipment with clean fresh water. At the end of every trip, you should do a more thorough cleaning, using the appropriate cleaning agents. What are the appropriate cleaning agents? Here is a partial list:
- Buoyancy Control Devices – The inside of the bladder as well as the outside should be cleaned with fresh water and BCD cleaner. It is important not to forget the inside of the bladder because salt crystals may be left inside which can cause damage over time.
- Wetsuit – Before leaving the destination, rinse the suit in Myrazine® or Sink-the-Stink® to remove the odor-causing agents from the suit. When you get home, clean your suit with Wetsuit Shampoo being careful to scrub away any accumulated dirt or other debris.
- Air Delivery System – Flush the first stage and the second stage with fresh water, making sure to rinse the inside of the second stage. Be sure not to depress the purge button while the unit is soaking underwater because this will allow water to enter the hose and possibly the first stage. Remove any salt deposits using hot water or by adding some Salt-Away to the rinse bath.
- Computers – Rinse with fresh water. Check your battery voltage and replace the batteries if necessary. Remember, when you open the battery compartment, it is important to lightly lubricate the o-rings after making sure there is no debris on the o-rings or the sealing surfaces.
- Lights – Rinse and clean the lights. Remove the batteries and clean and lubricate the o-rings and cleaning surfaces. Store your lights without the batteries in place.
- Bags – Rinse and clean your mesh bag paying special attention to the zipper. If your travel bag got wet on the boat, make sure to rinse it with fresh water to remove all of the salt from the fabric. Like your mesh bag, pay special attention to the zipper.
- Spare parts – Make a not of what spare parts you need to replace before your next trip. When you return from a trip is a better time to remember these things.
- Cameras – Clean the housings with fresh water. Remove any encrusted soap with water or with a solution of Salt-Away. Remove all o-rings, carefully inspecting and cleaning them. If they are worn or flat, they should be replaced. Put all o-rings in a Ziploc® bag and store the housing without the o-rings. This keeps them from going flat while in storage. Make sure your housing and ports are clean and dry before storing them.
What else needs to be done with my scuba equipment?
At least annually, your air delivery system (regulator), buoyancy control system (BCD), and computer system should be brought into the facility for maintenance. If you scuba dive a lot, you may need to bring your equipment in sooner.
Oceanic Ventures maintains a full-service repair facility with factory-trained technicians, using factory-authorized parts to maintain your scuba equipment. Our large stock of repair parts means that your unit needing routine maintenance will be serviced quickly and efficiently. You can rest comfortably that your scuba life support systems will be serviced and adjusted so you can depend on it.
Some of the services we provide are:
- Certified Inhalation Protection for your air delivery systems (regulators)
- Certified Buoyancy Control Protection for your buoyancy control device
- Visual Inspection Protection for your cylinders including annual inspections, hydrostatic testing, thread testing, and valve maintenance and repair
- Dry Suit Valve Protection for your dry suit valves
- Dry suit seal changes on all models
- Annual Inspection & Re-certification for your instrumentation
- Computer battery changes
- Rebreather system maintenance
- Camera housing repairs
- Oxygen cleaning for air delivery systems (regulators), cylinders (bottles or tanks) and valves
- Twinset maintenance
- Light repairs
