Hey guys, got a quick question. I've hung my wetsuits in my closet, but I've noticed they impart a rather dank smell on my other clothes hanging up in there. Not exactly the most attractive smell to have on your clothes. So I'm thinking about hanging them up in my garage, but just wanted to double check and make sure that wouldn't cause any premature aging to the suits. My thought was that maybe the temperature fluctuating in the garage (hotter in the day, cooling off at night) would have some negative effect on the neoprene? My guess is that it wouldn't, but I don't know for sure and didn't want to take the risk without knowing. Anybody know the answer?
I just started storing my suits in my garage, only because, I finally have a garage to make it possible. I will say that when I hang my suits up and they are wet, then they essentially never dry out completely. They are always slightly damp, which is not so good. I'd say, if you can get your suit dry, before storing in the garage, that would be ideal...
I keep mine in the garage year round. The temperature does fluctuate some, but our garage doors are insulated so it's never freezing or burning hot. my wetsuit does show signs of wear but its probably because its 6 years old
Yeah it never really "dries" in the winter. Can be cold in the mornings, I store mine indoors for the seasons i'm not using them though.
Make sure there's not a lot of VOCs floating around... some vapors can accelerate the deterioration of neoprene rubber. Gasoline, acetone, etc... all kinds of solvents... are all bad for neoprene, so keep those caps on tight.
this is actually a good thing. Wetsuits last the longest when kept damp. They might stink, but they won't dry rot The worst is dry heat
Actually that's not the case. Neoprene is very resistent to VOCs including gasoline. It's actually used as seals in gasoline and chemical piping sometimes. That nice neoprene smell we all love is pure VOCs actually.
Depends on the kind of neoprene, I guess. But according to this chemical resistance chart, it says highly degradable in gasoline and other solvents like xylene and mek, common in garages and board shops... http://www.ansellpro.com/download/Ansell_7thEditionChemicalResistanceGuide.pdf Just google "wetsuit gasoline" and you'll see lots of references and recommendations.
Well thanks guys, sounds like as a whole it should be safe to store it out there. And whether VOC's are harmful or not shouldn't matter as there are none or very few in this garage.
If the gasoline vapors in your garage are concentrated enough to break down neoprene, you have a lot bigger issue than wetsuit storage. Consider what that is doing to your body as you inhale it.
Absolutely... Just making sure you store your chemicals, including gasoline, in appropriate containers with lids on tight, is good advice no matter what. I bring this up because where I store my fuel is right under where I store my gear. One day I put on my suit and it smelled like gasoline. Turned out my kid never put the cap back on the gas can. That ain't good...
Nope, not good at all. Carcinogens like benzene are never good to inhale, especially in an enclosed space. http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/eh/chemfs/fs/gasoline.htm
