problems with drysuit dump valve

In the end I tapped it with my torch, and out the air came!

I will be diving again tomorow night and will see how it goes, but I guess I need a new valve.

Dave,

In that case, have you tried thoroughly cleaning both valve and seats, talcing the rubber before the dive - as well as then tapping relatively sharply on the valve?

IIRC, it is only the first air-dump of the first diving day that then needs the prompt of tapping the valve.

Mike

Good canyon dive last night, great vis, scenery, bat rays and octopus!

I taped down the undersuit suit, and made a vent hole, but the cuff valve still refused to dump as I started my ascent.

Some tapping the valve with my fingers later, I unscrewed the valve a little (but chickened out - 40m+ and with deco to do I really didn't want to play around).

In the end I tapped it with my torch, and out the air came!

I will be diving again tomorow night and will see how it goes, but I guess I need a new valve.

Thanks very much to all for the useful advice.
Dave

Looking at my undersuit there's a band of what I can only exlain as mesh, between the cuff & material of the undersuit itself. Could be that the hole you've made isn't in the right place. Try cutting a strip off the undersuit & replacing it with mesh (did this to a friends where the shouder auto dump was & he didn't complain!).

Good Luck!