mike dziobak wrote: > How good is your dry suit gasket kharma? Mine seems to be not so good. > Latex on my skin just doesn't last very long and I've tried meticulous > cleaning followed by judicious 303 application and I still break gaskets > usually in the middle of a long trip out in the middle of nowhere. And it > appears the latex degrades while stored even in double layer black garbage > bags. I notice the local paddle shop has some dry tops with neo neck > gaskets which I have not tried yet but would like to. I've heard of other cases like this: meticulous treatment of a gasket, with mysterious and apparently premature failure. Couple things to consider: 1. How old was the gasket when installed? If they sit around in stock somewhere, their shelf life is elapsing whether on a garment or on a shelf. 2. Do you have an ozonator in your forced air system? Ozone kills latex fast. MTU in the email suggests Montana? Not likely you have an air quality problem there. But, in high-smog areas, might be a cause. 3. Do you "bomb" the house for fleas/chiggers/etc? A possible source of hydrocarbons in the propellant. Hydrocarbons (aka gasoline, diesel, propane, LPG, etc.) are also death on latex. 4. Do you have oily skin? 5. Do you use sunscreen on your neck or face? Leave it on your hands after application but before pulling the neck gasket over your head? 5. How about styling mousse in your hair? Contaminants such as the last three can also degrade the latex. Think over other possible sources. My experience may be a "best case." Not sure what is typical, but I would be unhappy if I had to replace seals every two years. Five years, no problem. And, a big __YMMV__! -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu May 24 2007 - 14:23:22 PDT
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