| You have just invested in one of the finest diving suit available today.
In order to fully realize the benefits of your suit, we have prepared a
few notes on use and care. This information is not intended to replace
a Drysuit Techniques Course which should be available at your local dive
shop.
In order to learn to dive safely, you spent approximately forty hours
in a scuba class which taught you the safe use of a tank, regulator and
buoyancy control device. You should now spend a few more hours to properly
learn the use of a variable volume drysuit.
Take your time ... learn your suit... perform the recommended cleaning
and maintenance of the system... and your OS Systems drysuit will
provide you with years of dry diving pleasure.
ENJOY!
It is important to remember that your suit is designed for environmental
protection only and is not to be used for buoyancy control.
It is also very important that you properly weight yourself for neutral
buoyancy so that when you expel all the excess air from the suit you do
not sink.
If you are an experienced drysuit diver, make a few training dives to
familiarize yourself with the system and to learn how much air and weight
you need for a comfortable dive. If this is your first drysuit or are new
to a shell style suit, take a drysuit class from your local training facility
or make at least 10 to 12 training dives with a competent, trained drysuit
instructor to become completely comfortable with your drysuit diving skills.
DO NOT attempt to make normal "Fun" dives until you are totally
familiar with your new suit and confident in your new diving skills.
Shell Care
Your shell is primarily nylon with a waterproofing layer physically bonded
to the inside. After use, the material should be rinsed in clean, fresh
water. The dirt or grime can be washed off with a mild soap and a soft
brush. The inside of the suit should be cleaned also, to remove perspiration
and body oils. DO NOT hang your suit in the sun to dry as this damages
the material and causes leaks. Allow the shell to air dry, perform seal
and zipper maintenance and roll the suit for storage.
To roll the suit, lay it with the zipper open and facing the floor.
Begin rolling from the feet towards the neck. When your suit is rolled
up to the neck, fold the arms/zipper over the roll and the suit is ready
to be stored in the suit bag (optional).
Seal Care
OS Systems seals are made to exacting specifications of the finest
materials available, but are still subject to deterioration if not cared
for as follows:
|
Wash the rubber with a mild soap and water solution to remove all contamination
from body oil, pollution, lotions, etc. |
 |
Apply silicone to the cleaned rubber. Insure that you are using a food
grade silicone grease, oil or spray
NOTE: Applying silicone to a contaminated seal will only trap
the contaminants and accelerate the deterioration.
|
|
Store the suit rolled up, in a bag to minimize the air flow around
the seals. This allows the silicone to protect the rubber longer.
|
New neck or wrist seals may feel tight or a little restrictive at first
but will relax with use. It is possible to pre stretch your seals by inserting
a soda bottle into the neck and/or wrists while soaking the rubber with
liquid silicone. This should make the seals feel more comfortable. Contact
your dealer if you still need any additional sizing or trimming.
Zipper Care
While operating the zipper, care should be taken to insure that no dirt
or foreign material is trapped at the sealing surface that could cause
a leak or dislodge a tooth. Zipper teeth are to be cleaned regularly using
a soft bristle brush and mild soap.
 |
Lubricate the outside of the teeth using OS Systems Zipper Ease
(not paraffin or a MAX WAX type of product). Do not use silicone
spray, grease or oil on the zipper teeth as it will attract and hold dirt
and accelerate wear damage at the rubber's edge.
|
 |
Apply OS Systems Zipper Ease to the inside of the teeth in the
same manner as the outside.
|
 |
Firmly grasp the zipper teeth between two fingers and squeeze while
drawing your hand the length of the zipper. This does two things ...it
forces the lubricant between the teeth where it does the most good it and
removes the excess lubricant .
|
 |
Apply a small amount of silicone grease or oil on the zipper fabric
between the teeth and the seam. This helps protect the rubber of the fabric
and keeps it from discoloring the surrounding material.
|
Store the zipper completely open and do not close it until the suit
is on and ready to use. Sliders should operate smoothly and easily.
If binding does occur STOP! DO NOT FORCE THE SLIDER!! Reopen
the zipper; inspect; clean and lubricate as necessary.
Undergarments
The right undergarment with a proper fit is the key to warm diving and
buoyancy control. If your Undies are too large, you should consider having
them tailored to remove excess material. Don't use cotton (T-shirt, sweats,
shorts, etc.) under your garment. The cotton material does not wick the
moisture away from your skin and you will feel a chill as you perspire.
Your undergarments will need periodic cleaning to remove perspiration
and body oils. You can machine wash with regular laundry soap (no bleach)
and hang or tumble dry on low/cool setting. Air drying is the preferred
method since the dryer causes the fleece material to "Pill" faster, plus
the warmth of the machine tends to tighten the weave of the fabric temporarily
making the undergarment tighter fitting. |