Help- Leaking waders

[Mark Knapp 0]

25 minutes ago, chugbug27 said:

Simms agrees, too. Free repairs within first year after purchase, thereafter $60. You pay shipping only to them. Pricey product but I've enjoyed their warranty.

https://www.simmsfishing.com/discover/service/returns-repairs

 

That's a great warranty, I have some Simms now, that I haven't put a hole in yet (I'm pretty sure). They were given to me as a tip from a guy I guided. I like them, Simms will be my next purchase.

[skeet3t 0]

7 hours ago, DFoster said:

I do fish in cold weather on occasion but not often enough to purchase a pair of neoprene waders.  Generally speaking the fish in these parts is really slow and they will only take very small flies (#20 - #32) December through February.  It's not easy to tie with cold fingers.  I have a pair of fleece pants also that combined with thermals keep me warm enough.  Personally for me I prefer to spend my free time in January and February tying to fill the holes in my fly boxes.

I fish #12-18 flies in the winter. Never go below #18 for any fly. I fish a local tailwater and some mountain streams.

[Sandan 0]

Aqua seal from the inside.  Fill w/water works.  Isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol works too.  What are you wearing under your waders?  Jeans are really tough on waders.  Pinhole leaks are tough, you most likely need a "thicker" wader. As chugbug27 said Simms has a great warrantee. I ended up getting a free warranteed pair from them and the ones I sent 'em were about 2-3 years old.  Pro-tip don't put wet or washed waders in the dryer.  I'm on the water 60+ days a year usually, for my $ Simms G3's are the way to go, a pair lasts years, 5 years out of my last pair.  I did have to do some seam sealing but mostly it was abrasion leaks from wearing jeans under them.  Now I wear either light cotton pants in the summer or fleece when it's cold. As I said pinholes from thorns are another story. I got a brand new pair this season around February? and so far no leaks no nothing. My buddy who can make a penny bleed just got a pair of Frog Toggs I think they are. So far so good after about 10 days on the water.   Finally, "there are two kinds of waders, those that leak and those that don't leak...yet"

[cphubert 0]

2 hours ago, Sandan said:

"there are two kinds of waders, those that leak and those that don't leak...yet"

The truest statement about waders

[Jacks Grampa 0]

On 9/28/2020 at 2:02 PM, SilverCreek said:

Fill a bathtub with water.

Turn the waders inside out.

Use your breath to blow air into the waders. Twist to trap the air, and submerge and find the bubbles leaking out. Mark leaks with a wax marker. 

Now use Aquaseal or Shoe goo to seal the hole on the INSIDE of the waders so the patches do not show on the outside.

I use my Cpap to inflate them and spray with soapy water. Mark the leaks and seal with what you find works best. Patches on the outside just mean they've been out in the stream. Kind of like honorable scars on dogs.

[mikechell 0]

Just from a structural view point: Water pressure (high pressure) is pushing INTO the waders (lower, air pressure).  The patch should be on the outside so that water pressure pushes the patch INTO the repair, rather than AWAY from it.  I'm not arguing with those who put them on the inside ... it just makes more sense to me this way.

[SilverCreek 0]

13 hours ago, mikechell said:

Just from a structural view point: Water pressure (high pressure) is pushing INTO the waders (lower, air pressure).  The patch should be on the outside so that water pressure pushes the patch INTO the repair, rather than AWAY from it.  I'm not arguing with those who put them on the inside ... it just makes more sense to me this way.

Let's do the math.

https://sciencing.com/calculate-elevated-water-storage-tanks-5858171.html

Each foot of water adds .433 lbs of pressure so a 4 feet of depth the water adds less than 2 lbs of pressure on the patch. No problem.

[Mark Knapp 0]

1 hour ago, SilverCreek said:

Let's do the math.

https://sciencing.com/calculate-elevated-water-storage-tanks-5858171.html

Each foot of water adds .433 lbs of pressure so a 4 feet of depth the water adds less than 2 lbs of pressure on the patch. No problem.

In pounds per square inch, the pressure from the outside would be minuscule. Here's a couple of other things to consider. On the outside, patches might be more vulnerable to things peeling them off like brush and stuff while you are on the way to your secret hole, or barbed wire fences 😄and stuff. Also, patches on the inside, generally, have a better surface to bind to, as apposed to the sheer rubber on the outside.

[mikechell 0]

4 hours ago, SilverCreek said:

Each foot of water adds .433 lbs of pressure

As with my students when we talk about pressure differences within a running engines air/fuel system.  Find a 1/2 pound weight.  Tie a string to it and hold it up with your pinky finger.  THEN we'll talk about how little a pressure difference we need to move fuel through a carburetor.  OR to lift an aircraft off the ground.

The inside of my waders has a softer surface than the outside.  If you don't get the sealant infused into every pore of that softer material, .433 lbs. WILL push the patch away and water through that patch job.  If the patch in on the outside, .433 lbs. of pressure will be pushing the patch tighter.

Again, I am not changing anyone's mind, nor trying to.  Put the patch where you think it should go, I don't care. 

[SilverCreek 0]

The .433 is PSI (lbs per square inch).

Since the leaking "hole" is not a one square inch hole but a pin hole, the pressure on the outside of the pink hole which is transmitted to the patch is miniscule and compared to the area of the inside patch. So the patch will hold. I've never had an aqualseal patch pull off.

[mikechell 0]

3 hours ago, mikechell said:

Put the patch where you think it should go, I don't care. 

 

[Mark Knapp 0]

1 hour ago, mikechell said:

 

Yeah, we heard you say that already, They say it's a sign of dementia when old people start repeating themselves. 😋

[Dave G. 0]

My experience with breathable waders isn't good, it's usually not a pin hole but something in the material itself lets go and water wicks through until the day it pours through. Yet I buy breathables. They last however long they last and that's that. Hodgeman replaced two for me from a single purchase ,upgrading to the next level wader the second time and the upgrade lasted several years. Right now I have Bass Pro's I guess White River or something, they've been doing ok .  But an email to the company customer service might do more than you expect. My Hodgeman were months out of warranty and the lady I got honored it. I told her on my initial email I didn't expect new waders but needed an address to send mine to so they could check out their defective product. That I never saw a wader leak like this and they probably would want to analyze the material. The rest is history. That second replacement was about $300 waders, when the finally did leak I went to replace them and they were no longer made.

[SilverCreek 0]

From other fishing BB's, if you are buying high end waders, Patagonia seems to have the fastest and easiest replacement/repair policy.

I know from experience since I have two identical Patagonia fishing vest from the late 70's and I alternate them. When one needs repair I send it to Patagonia and they repair it and return it. When the one I am using develops a wear hole or a tear, I use the "backup" vest and send the one I was using to Patagonia. These vest are over 40 years old and have been to Patagonia several times a piece and Patagonia honors the lifetime warranty without question.

[DFoster 0]

I'm sorry for the late reply but thank you all for the responses.  My wife and I are in the middle of a substantial home renovation project which is right at the limits of my abilities and therefore somewhat terrifying.  Silver the bathtub tip worked to a point.  I was able to detect and seal about 70% of the leaks that way so thank you for that.  Fortunately my wife actually found a couple of bottles of rubbing alcohol on a supermarket shelf yesterday and I should be able to locate the last of the pinholes with it tonight. 

Mark this thread is the main reason I come to the site- to obtain the knowledge, thoughts and opinions of people who actually fly fish and tie flies.  As opposed to the counter help at the Orvis store who had a total "deer in the headlights" look when I asked about fixing leaking waders.