leak in Oly housing

[Ardy]

Hi guys, had a small leak in my PT-EP08 (em5 mk 1).
How do you ID where the leak is coming from? I checked on the 2 occasions it leaked (luckily at end of dive trip to Bali) seemed to be leaking from different areas.
Only a few drops and no camera damage.
regards
Ardy

 

[PedroP]

Hi,
I suggest you carefully check both o-rings (main on access door and other one on port side). Remove and clean them (and the grooves where they sit), if they are ok re-lubricated. Main objective is to get rid of any foreign substance or fibers in and around the o-rings and check o-rings integrity. If they appear damage, with any kind of nicks or bends please replace them.
After all this cleaning close the housing with out the camera inside and use a bucket of water to test it (or even take it to test dive). If there is still water coming in take it to Olympus assistance, probably the issue is in the buttons small o-rings which can not be clean by the user.
This kind of issues will eventually
Hope it helps.

 

[jlyle]

I've heard grape Kool Aid can be used to locate a leak. Sprinkle the powder inside the housing and take it for a dive. Grape Kool Aid powder is white and turns purple when mixed with water. It might work. Don't forget to rinse out the inside of the housing after testing. WYMMV.

 

[stepfen]

When the leak is small like in your case it is very difficult to locate. I'd suggest you check the main o-ring(s) for deformations and in case you can't find any, as a precaution, just replace them with new ones. Then bring the housing only (filled with dry tissue) to a test dive.
That's how I got rid of a small leak I had in my housing recently. The problematic o-ring still looks and feels fine, but with it the housing is leaking. With new o-ring housing is fine...
Good luck.

 

[Ardy]

Hi,
I suggest you carefully check both o-rings (main on access door and other one on port side). Remove and clean them (and the grooves where they sit), if they are ok re-lubricated. Main objective is to get rid of any foreign substance or fibers in and around the o-rings and check o-rings integrity. If they appear damage, with any kind of nicks or bends please replace them.
After all this cleaning close the housing with out the camera inside and use a bucket of water to test it (or even take it to test dive). If there is still water coming in take it to Olympus assistance, probably the issue is in the buttons small o-rings which can not be clean by the user.
This kind of issues will eventually
Hope it helps.

Hi Pedro: thanks for the helpful advice. I contacted Olympus and the cost in Australia is $385 + shipping + parts guessing average around $450.

I have taken a radical approach and bought a EM5 Mk 2 housing with only 4 dives and looking for a 2nd hand Mk 2 to go into it. Total cost around $950. I will sell both EM5's I have plus other cameras I have accumulated and hopefully a net cost around $400 and I have upgraded my gear. I didn't want to do this as I am not sure how many more years a 72 year old diver has in him but it made sense to me.

Must be getting old and vulnerable to a retail experience!!!!!

 

[Ardy]

Thanks all, any other ideas you have are very welcome as they might be useful to others here.
I would still like to get the housing water tight and give it to a mate of mine with all the appropriate warnings....

 

[Ardy]

I've heard grape Kool Aid can be used to locate a leak. Sprinkle the powder inside the housing and take it for a dive. Grape Kool Aid powder is white and turns purple when mixed with water. It might work. Don't forget to rinse out the inside of the housing after testing. WYMMV.

Thanks a lot mate, sounds like a possible solution as there are many places it could be leaking from.

I have been doing most of my diving in Bali over the last 6 years and there is very fine silt in the water on most dives, I suspect this is the issue.

 

[Chris Ross]

Assume you know the EM-5 II and EM-5 Olympus housings use different ports.

You should be able to get the leak to replicate in a bucket o-rings are generally most likely to leak at the surface.

 

[Ardy]

Thanks Chris, I didn't know that but the new one comes with a standard port.

Will use Jims powder test and then see if it is fixable and test it in a bucket.

 

[Ardy]

. WYMMV.

Jim ??? did a google and found I could get a cheap wedding - What the!!!