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Help, every time I wear my wetsuit I stink for the next several days, and no amount of showering seems to help. I never pee in my suit, and always use sink the stink.
Does this happen to anyone else? Any ideas or suggestions?
Thank you, my coworkers will thank you as well!
My instructor always dived a wetsuit. He would put a half cup of Scope in about ten gallons of water and soak the wetsuit for several hours.
I throw my wetsuit in the bathtub with some mouthwash as well. It still smells, just not as bad.
My problem is that both ME and the wetsuit stink. I am more worried about me at this point than the wet suit! Sludge, are you serious about the mouth wash? Sounds like that could burn??
Ive had the same issue...cant seem to beat it in the suit...i get a shower and im good but the suit has a musky smell....
A half cup in ten gallons of water is pretty well diluted. He did it after every trip. (I don't know if he peed in the suit - I don't want to know.)
I would recommend a highly effective disinfectant to kill whatever is causing that smell, most likely some form of bacteria. Here in Europe we have DES EW80.
Wash hair with shampoo, scrub body with soap and wash cloth, rinse, lather body with one of those fufu body wash teen things like axe soap, follow with cologne
For some reason, I don't really experience this. I refuse to pee in my wetsuit and was diving exclusively wet until about a month ago. Wayne @ Amigos turned me on to Odoban while trying to convince me to pee in my wetsuit (don't ask but I wish I recorded this conversation!)
Anyhow, I've used it (though still not peeing in wetsuit) and the wetsuit actually smells pretty good! I use it in a tub of water with a small amount of Odoban but if you have the space (I live in an apt building), hang it up and use a sprayer (like for your lawn) that will create the mix automatically. This is what he does. The stuff is about $11/gallon at Home Depot.
Mdax, your on the right trail, although currently, I lather repeat, lather repeat, lather repeat,..........you get the idea, maybe I need more AXE.
Try Dr. Bronners peppermint soap. Just don't get it into eyes or other orifices. At health food stores.
http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/PEP.htm
Umm . . . guys, I'm not a medico, but if the OP stinks as well . . . It suggests some kind of reaction to the neoprene.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackchains
First, Call DAN.
<li style="margin-left: 25px;"> Nonemergency medical questions 1-800-446-2671 or +1-919-684-2948, Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET)
They may know about it.
Second, call your doctor and ask about seeing an allergy specialist or dermatologist. If you are reacting to the neoprene, it may be an allergy.
Do you have *any* other issues that make you stink? Shoes, perhaps? If it is only the wetsuit, that will make it easier to track down.
Nothing but wetsuits, but most have the same affect on me.
I either shower as I remove my wetsuit, or flush it with a few gallons of spring water, at the end of a trip. I don't smell afterwards, and my suit only does if I stays wet too long. I picked up a boot dryer from Harbor Freight ($20?), and the extensions are perfect for blowing warm air up the legs while the suit hangs from the shower curtain.
Do you have a link to that? It might make a good drysuit dryer as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenwood_60
I have the harbor freight boot dryer also that I use for my booties, works great.
http://www.harborfreight.com/four-po...yer-67326.html
Only downside is the 3 hour timer... it's not long enough to dry neoprene. 2 cycles will usually do it though.
I pee on my wetsuit all the time. All it takes for me is a good flush before I get out of the water, and then a rinse when I get home.Quote:
Originally Posted by whodunit68
What I do make sure is to dry it out soon after, if you let it sit in a wet pile overnight it will stink like when you leave a load in the washer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jax
This is what I was thinking as well. If only wearing the wetsuit, not the peeing in them, is making the blackchains's body smell for days.
Blackchain, have you tried maybe wearing a lycra skin under the wetsuit? or maybe the pinnacles with a merino liner?
I'm wondering if it would be relatively easy to build a PVC tree (two pipes to hold a drysuit upside-down by going up the legs) and hook it up to this boot dryer...Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackchains
Like this :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Slüdge
http://www.inkbox.net/undersea/do-it...drysuit-dryer/
Here is an archive of the dead link in the article.
http://web.archive.org/web/201003222...ysuitdryer.htm
DAN's medical line is free, and they may be able to give you more information. You don't have to be a member or have their insurance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackchains
(But if you don't, it's like skydiving without a parachute.)
I'm still trying to get my brain wrapped around how some of ya'll can dive without peeing... anytime I jump in a spring wearing a wetsuit, I'd have just about as much success trying not to pee as I would if I tried to jump off a roof and not hit the ground.
First thing my OW instructor taught us about scuba diving was there were two kinds of divers... those that pee in their suit, and those that lie. He also taught us that the difference between and OW diver, and an Advanced OW diver was being able to continue finning while peeing.Quote:
Originally Posted by kotik
If he had a rash or was itching associated with it that would make sense, but smell alone would not be an indicator of reaction to a product.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jax
right before the dive, empty bladder. it doesn't fill up that fast....so far longest dive was 3:32. Add dress time, swim down the run at Ginnie, etc, it was only about 4 hours. We go all the time for that long without doing so. The only difference is that just about is my limit due to extra hydration in prep for diving.Quote:
Originally Posted by kotik
agree with Richard.....odor is caused by bacteria so....
...plus osmosis and immersion diuresis...Quote:
Originally Posted by whodunit68
I think it still worth exploring. A smell "for the next several days, and no amount of showering seems to help" suggests to me some sort of chemical reaction.Quote:
Originally Posted by rddvet
Blackchains later mentions that it happens with several different wetsuits. A bacterial issue should resolve with showering.
yeah yeah everyone's heard that. your instructor is welcome to inspect my wet suits.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greenwood_60
I travel a lot and for anyone who has traveled with peed-in wetsuits knows....it is horrendous to open a suitcase with a peed-in wetsuit. When I bought my new wetsuits about 2 years ago, I vowed I wouldn't....and I haven't.
Wat Steve is not telling you is he uses a giant bouncy balloon like a drysuit cath...so he does pee it just stays in the balloon...
lol Brandon where do you come up with this stuff?
Dude, your guess is good as mine...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Angry Turtle
I hear what yall are saying but all I'll ask is for someone to record the call for me so I can hear how long the doctor held out before giving out a little chuckle.
As for you guys that hold it, I don't get it. As soon as I'm in the water my bladder likes to flow. From a science standpoint, there's a reason why so many of us can't hold it. THe increased blood pressure and flow from the activity of setting up and gearing up, as well as the change in pressure as you dive, and temperature fluctuations, you're glomerular filtration rate goes up, making more pee. Tons of little things affect how your kidneys make pee.
That is just replacing one stink with another!Quote:
Originally Posted by mdax
If it is a bacterial issue, is the OP showering with anti-bacterial body soap? Not all soaps are anti-bacterial.
When I need to kill a bacterial funk white vinegar is my weapon of choice. Bacteria stand no chance. Then wash with whatever the remove the vinegar smell.
ForrestQuote:
Originally Posted by FW
I won this in a raffle and it works great. I am too cheap to buy another but good enough of a craftsman to build my own.
http://www.divebooty.com/item/10851/...ng_system.html
How about turning the suit inside out to let it dry, and drying it in the sun? UV sterilizes.
My dives are almost always under two hours. I go three hours without a restroom break every school day.Quote:
Originally Posted by rddvet
I go right before putting my drysuit on. I go after taking my drysuit off.
I've read/heard way too many stories of UTI's from P-valves. Scary stories. I've never known of a guy that got one from "holding it" for two hours.
As shared earlier, there's really no holding involved. It's not a big deal for me to go 2-3 hours without peeing. I'm sure most would have no issue if they were dry without a pee valve....Quote:
Originally Posted by rddvet
I plan to bathe in chlorohexadane tonight and wash the suit in anti bacterial dish soap, I will also give DAN a call.
Frankly I think this is very weird!!!
Thinking back I have noticed the odor is far less in salt water. hhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm???
Sounds bacterial.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackchains
Ok, I called DAN, no real definite suggestions, other than to try a dive skin, do see if possibly it is a reaction.
So anybody got a cheap dive skin, large medium, or a small large? Oh yeah clean and never peed in!!!!
never peed in?
you need new :-)
http://www.leisurepro.com/Catalog.as...erm=SKIN&Hit=1
Steve, try doing that when you get 66 years old.Quote:
Originally Posted by whodunit68
Henderson, purchased!! Thanks for the link,either that or I just gave you my cc number!!!
Throw your suit in the washer with a strong detergent
For you, buy some Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whodunit68
There's some mental component to it as well I suspect. I go right before a dive, but I still have to go anyway even on a 45 minute dive. I've had some pvalve issues that I've been trying to work out and everytime I want to test it the opposite holds trure; I suddenly can't go. I must be nuts
Dial soap is anti-bacterial.....recommended by many docs for different skin bacterial issues (boils). Make sure you get the right bar.....read the label. No need to get something too invasive if Dial does the trick.
This stuff is awesome. I love using it in the summer. Funny story. Several years ago we were on a family beach vacation with my sister and BIL. I suggested he use my soap in the shower. About 5 minutes into the shower we heard screaming coming from the bathroom. He did exactly what I was hoping he would...and it wasn't his eyes he was screaming about! LOL!Quote:
Originally Posted by OFG-1
BTW, it doesn't necessarily need to get into any orifices. There are certain body areas that are sensitive to the effects of the peppermint.
Just pee in your suit, its bound to kill whatever it is thats causing the stink! :P
Thanks Matt, I knew I could count on you to help!
ditto! & take it off in the head spring, rinse completely, turn inside out & hang by the legs to dry. Then jump back in yourself, flush well, & exit the spring to dry off. No amount of kidney filtered fluids is going to hurt your wet suit, unless you do not rinse it off first & let dry ! Been there, done it many, many times....it never stank !Quote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
You have got to be kidding me ! This thread should be given 5 stars for humor. Just too funny. thanks
Here is my drysuit rack that I built out PVC.
Attachment 7818
The hole at the bottom I can put compress air into and exits at the top to keep air flowing.
Huh? What rack? (Nice car!)Quote:
Originally Posted by cwswine
It there a cross bar, maybe hidden inside the suit?Quote:
Originally Posted by cwswine
There is another cross piece about where the crotch of the drysuit is. I also put a T fitting at the top with short piece of pipe to spread the load out over the entire foot area.Quote:
Originally Posted by FW
Thanks. Is that 2" pipe?Quote:
Originally Posted by cwswine
Mine is made out of 1 1/2 but if I was going build one again it would be out 2", 1 1/2 pipe on the feet will let tilt with wetsuit hung on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by FW
This is just what I do - never had any problems. I don't know whether it's excessive predive hydration, immersion diuresis, or Pavlovian conditioning, but I pee within 20 minutes of getting into the water on every dive. At work I often go 4 hours without getting a bathroom break, no problem, but when I dive, I pee!Quote:
Originally Posted by JE
Give it another couple of years your are right on the edge of that still young guy almost old guy age.... when you need the reading glasses all the time to see your gauges and computer. Getting old sucks but at least we made it.Quote:
Originally Posted by whodunit68
Blackchains, ain't you a skydiver? Go for a jump - that ought to blow the stink off you! Of course for it to work you'd have to jump nekkid... :)
how much you take for the Vette ? :)
Bull frogs work best ! Preferrably 'Bama' Bull frogs ! put wet suit in plastic container & the dump a few bulls in with it..cover & let sit over nite ! pre dive the next mornng rinse & let hang dry. Save the frogs for later....you never know when you may neesd them again ! :smt031
A word of warning about PVC Drying Racks:
I've been told to avoid having PVC pipe come into contact with latex seals for an extended period of time. There is a reaction between the materials that can weaken and eventually melt the latex over a long period of time.
A year ago a buddy of mine got bent pretty badly on a cave dive at ginnie. Lots of potential causes but he did the exact same dive and exact same deco on the exact same gases as I did. We cleared our computers and then ten minutes. Type 2 hit. Collapsed on the park benches. (He eventually recovered fully)Quote:
Originally Posted by Slüdge
I blame the problem on a couple of things but one was that he was pretty cold on deco. Another was that he had to pee pretty badly and rushed his surface deco to carry his doubles out of the water.
Any time I see one of my buddies rushing out of the water to pee or because they're cold now I think about that incident and wonder if it would have been a less severe problem if he was warmer (drysuit) and waited in the water on surface deco longer (p valve, or just get over the pee in your wetsuit issue).
Just m2c. I'll take stinky wetsuit over that piece of awesome. Clearly based on the folks diving here it works for some - just another view on the matter. That day changed a lot of my diving practices.
For the suit stink:
Go to one of the big pet stores like petsmart and pick up a jug of the stuff for cat urine stains. It's an enzymatic cleaner and will rid the suit of the stink from more than just urine. Every time you use it you leave a bunch of dead skin cells on the inside of the suit. It may take a few treatments to completely get rid of the smell, but it should work. I used to use about a half cup in 10 gallons for my wetsuit and boots, and still use a little of it for my drysuit hood.
I wash mine in the washing machine on delicate. Hang to dry.
Drink more water?Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackchains