| Drysuit
Pressure Testing
All drysuits
leaving the DUI factory in San Diego go through a rigorous testing
process. This ensures that the next time you SCUBA dive in your
DUI drysuit you'll be dry - whether or not this is the first
or the hundredth dive. If you send us a drysuit manufactured
by another company it will be tested under these same conditions
before being returned. |
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First
we begin by turning the drysuit inside out. Is this because we like
to see the superior quality of our inner seam construction? No.
If you have ever turned a drysuit inside out you know it's a lot
of extra work. This step is crucial when pressure testing any drysuit.
If you do not turn the drysuit inside out, the material/coating
that is used to seal the seams can be pressed up against a leak.
If this occurs, the leak will not show during the testing phase.
After the suit
is turned inside out, an inflation
hose is inserted through the neck. The neck and wrist seals are
closed off.
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then lay a see-through grid over the top of the drysuit. This is done
in two parts. The first grid is lowered and the drysuit is slightly
inflated. The drysuit is adjusted to remove any folds in the material.
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The second grid
is lowered and the drysuit is inflated. Depending on the material
of the drysuit it will be inflated to between .67 and 1 psi. The
suit is carefully inspected from the neck seal to the end of the
toes. The grids
are then lifted (slowly as the suit is under pressure and it wants
to "pop out") and the suit is turned over. The suit is
again completely submerged and the other side is inspected.
The tester will
record the make, model and serial number of the drysuit. This information
is kept in a log by DUI and is also placed on a test sheet. A copy
of the test sheet is returned with any drysuit sent in for repair. |
After
testing, the drysuit is hung up to dry. If a leak was detected,
the suit goes to either the production department or the repair
department where it is fixed and retested.
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