Wish I hadn't ignored that old timer about my drysuit zipper

Last month this diver at a job in Port Angeles told me to stop using silicone spray on my Si-Tech zipper. Said it attracts grit and will wreck the slider. I figured he was just stuck in his ways, so I kept spraying. Now my zipper is grinding and skipping teeth on every zip. The repair shop quoted me $220 for a new zipper install. Anyone else had a zipper fail from using lube the wrong way?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan5611mo ago

emeryj66 has a point though, maybe the water conditions make all the difference.

sethfoster1mo ago

Dude I literally had this exact thing happen on my DUI drysuit about two years ago. That old timer was totally right, silicone spray turns into a gritty paste when it mixes with salt water and sand. I ended up having to replace the whole zipper and it cost me like $190 and three weeks of downtime. Now I just use zipper wax or this specific teflon based lube from Si-Tech, and I rinse the zipper with fresh water after every dive. Sucks to learn the hard way but at least you caught it before the zipper fully seized up lol.

emeryj661mo ago

Hold on now, is it really that serious? I've been using silicone spray on my own drysuit zipper for going on four years and haven't had any trouble. Maybe it depends on the water conditions where you dive. I mostly dive in quarries and freshwater lakes, not much sand or salt to deal with. A good rinse with fresh water after every dive seems to handle whatever grit does get in there. I'd be more worried about spending $190 on a new zipper because of a little paste build up that probably washes off anyway.