Tzip issues On Bare Drysuits

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H20doctor
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Tzip issues On Bare Drysuits

Post by H20doctor »

So , i wanted to share my issues with North west dive club so that If you have an Issue with a Tzip you can get it fixed and Help is there for you and your drysuit.... This board is about sharing and learning about diving , the gear we use , the places we go , and growing and gaining exp in the diving world. I have benefitted GREATLY here on NWDC from friends and divers.. and this Board is always a good place for reference . So with that said , lets begin

I own and purchased a Bare Tech Trilam .. custom fit to the Tune of $1250 .. purchased in 2015 .. I have 2 yrs on this suit and a Ton of dives.. I keep excellent care of my gear because it needs to last , and dive gear is EXPENSIVE.. What i have been experiencing the last few months is a slow weeping leak on my chest after diving. I thought it was my chest Inflator , but after i performed a pressure test , i found it was the zipper teeth..
my Zipper condition
DSC02955.JPG
0418171952.jpg

Now i know its the Zipper .. So what do i do next , i did research on the net and read and looked at other forums and saw a Pattern .. Many other divers having Tzip Issues .. Not only with Bare but other brands.. these issues are 4 to 6 yrs ago.. Next step ..call Bare.. I spoke with a Rep from Bare he said zipper warranty is 2 yrs .. He did admit to me that they have had big issues with Tzips and that they dont USE them any more , They now Use YKK plastic drysuit zippers... the other Issues with BAre tzips are the glue seams coming apart and seam leaks.. Next call my local dive shop .. OUT of warranty.. they could Press the issue with Bare but no guarantees..
Next step for me ... I sent Out 3 emails ... 2 to Tzip .. and 1 to Bare ... I knew i had a slim chance to hear from Bare.. WHY ? because Bare isnt going to admit to us that they Have an Issue , that would mean a recall and that they Had a problem.. Bare wont admit it and own up to it .. BUT , Tzip replied to me and here is what the rep Said ..

Hi Chris,

I am sorry to hear about the trouble that you are having with the zipper in your dry suit.

As I am not a representative for BARE, I cannot speak on their behalf.

I will try and answer some of your questions regarding your experience with our MasterSeal10 zipper.

why is this zipper leaking and failing?

-without seeing your zipper first hand and having it evaluated by our R&D department its hard to pinpoint exactly what is the cause of the leaking. The most likely cause would be hydrolysis of the polyurethane compound that coats the zipper tape on either side of the zipper chain. Hydrolysis is a natural reaction of between the polymers within the coating and the oxygen and moisture present in the air. Essentially it is a form of oxidation. The most common symptoms of hydrolysis are splitting, cracking or peeling of the PU coating on the zipper tape. This could be the cause of the leaking but I cannot be positive.

was there a Bad batch of production zippers sent out and not caught by
quality control in the production assembly line ?

No. Every single TIZIP zipper is pressure tested before it is cleared for shipment. Every zipper is placed in a testing frame, face side down. The zipper is then pressurized on the face side and water is poured over the back side. If no bubbles are detected after 30 seconds then the zipper is cleared for shipment, dried and packaged.


what should the life expectancy be for a Tzip zipper , what is the
average time of use expected to get out of the zipper ? 2 yrs , 4 yrs
, 6 yrs , ?

The life expectancy of our zippers is hard to judge because there are so many outside factors that can play a role in their longevity. But with proper care and storage they should last for many years. High humidity and warm climates can accelerate the occurrence of hydrolysis. One more thing that I would recommend you add to your care regiment would be allowing your suit to dry completly between uses, both inside and out. Trapped moisture either inside the suit or underneath a protective zipper flap could also accelerate hydrolysis. Being that Seattle is a high humidity climate I also recommend that you allow your suit to dry/store in a room with a dehumidifier. This will ensure that your suit is kept as dry as possible in between uses.

my zipper looks brand new and i Have taken excellent care of it , and
done all the steps to Lube, clean and maintain it after every dive.
This is unfortunate that your zipper has failed after you have given it such good care. If you could measure the length of the zipper chain, from the top edge of the horseshoe shaped docking stop to the bottom edge of the square shaped bottom stop, in millimeters. Let me know what that length is and I will see if I have a sample length available here at my office in Reno. If I have something that will work I will send it to you as a replacement, free of charge.

TIZIP recently released a new model of the same zipper but with a hydrolysis resistant PU coating on the zipper tapes. If I have a length of this zipper available I would be glad to send it to you as well to try out in your suit if you like. I hope that you can get your suit fixed and continue to enjoy diving in your local waters.

Regards,

Bradford LaRiviere

TIZIP USA
Reno, NV
P: 775-376-8108
blr@Tizip.com
b.lariv@icloud.com
Skype: bradford.lariviere

So Tzip will fix their zippers and any Issues with them ... I am sending my drysuit Off to Mike at Dive rite in Scuba .. He is going to instal a new zipper for me Free Of charge...
https://www.diverightinscuba.com

the Other thing i want to share with you is How to take care of your Tzip and Proper Lubing it ... I did not know this at all

http://www.tizip.com/s-reinigung.php?lang=en&pos=2|2

I hope this help in the future if you Have a Tzip Issue and that there is Help for you
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Gdog
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Re: Tzip issues On Bare Drysuits

Post by Gdog »

Great info, Doc. Thanks for sharing, we all gain from this. Thanks again.
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mpenders
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Re: Tzip issues On Bare Drysuits

Post by mpenders »

I had a tizip installed in a DUI TLS suit awhile back, and had also water coming thru the teeth:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20797&p=237603&hilit=tizip#p237603

You did a much better job pursuing a resolution. I ended up putting the suit in my dive locker and moved on to a different one.
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Re: Tzip issues On Bare Drysuits

Post by H20doctor »

I remember that post penders ...
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Re: Tzip issues On Bare Drysuits

Post by GearHead »

I replaced the TIZIP in my Bare XCS last year after 300+ dives on that suit. At the time I didn't think it was out of the ordinary to replace a zipper after 3 1/2 years of frequent (weekly) use. The zipper kept me dry right up until it didn't anymore. Over the course of three dives I went from being dry to fairly soaked at the end of a dive.

Unfortunately the timing of the repair coincided with the changeover of zipper types at Bare, and it took a few months to get my suit back with the new YKK Aquaseal in place. The new zip has about 75 dives on it already with no issues so far.


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Re: Tzip issues On Bare Drysuits

Post by nwscubamom »

I had problems with my BARE YKK metal HD zipper, that was already replaced once, and when in the factory in November getting leak tested for something else, they said I needed another (3rd) zipper. The suit is only a few years old. I take super good care of it. I happened to be at DEMA when my suit was at the factory. (Repairs for BARE are now done in SLC Utah). I asked at DEMA about putting in a plastic zipper of any brand, and the BARE reps told me that wasn't a good idea. That there are still issues with plastic zippers and they recommend the HD metal zipper.
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Re: Tzip issues On Bare Drysuits

Post by Tangfish »

Very thorough post, doc. I think I'll stick to the metal zippers for the time being.
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Re: Tzip issues On Bare Drysuits

Post by pogiguy05 »

Late to the party, but I also own a Bare dry suit and had recently took it into the LDS and they sent it to bare to have the zipper replaced.Last year 2016 sadly I only had about 20 dives locally. However, shortly after getting the suit back I was having issues with a small leak somewhere. Then after one dive as I tried to unzip it somewhat caught and after looking closer I seen that what I could figure out was that one of the teeth was not properly seated. The zipper finally got by that spot and after that when i zipped up I made sure to run the zipper up and down a couple times in that spot and also visually check that area to see if the teeth were locked in right. Since then I have not had an issue with leakage. sadly once again this year I have a handful of dives here in the great PNW. I guess I should also note that not every time I dive in the suit i apply the lubricant they supplied to the end of zipper where instructed to do so. I am trying to change that, but I am a work in progress. ;-)
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