Posted by Eric Frasco on February 06, 2002 at 11:45:59:
In Reply to: Re: Gear Cleaning posted by Max Bottomtime on February 05, 2002 at 19:48:30:
Max:
Make sure your wetsuit shampoo does not contain silicone.
Many manufacturer's of wet suit shampoo add silicone to the mix to "recondition" the neoprene, since the detergents remove oils and tend to dry out the neoprene.
The silicone will end up being deposited as a thin coating on all items that soak in it, including the first and second stages, BCD inflator valves, exhaust valves, etc.
The thin layer of silicone tends to be sticky and will attract silt, sand, and dust. This will end up interfereing with the valve seats at these points, causing leaks where you do not want them.
Check the formula of your wetsuit shampoo for silicone before you soak items other than wetsuits in it.
-Eric-