Seafrog salted line a6xxx

[Pyndle]

Interesting to know for the pistol port, I was about to leave it untouched but maybe I'll maintain it from time to time too now.

I always dive with the vacuum system attached. If you look at the official promo shots, so do their marketing guys.

But I think I read a message from you saying that they told you it weakens the case and that the max depth is changed. I don't always dive very deep but I sometimes do (and I'm about to on my next holiday) so I don't want to risk anything...

@mi000ke but waiting 2-3 hours just doesn't work for me. Not sure how you do your dives but for me, it's 3 dives per day, sometimes 4. Often 1 or 2 hours between dives, where I have to open the case, change the battery, close the case again. Sometimes even swap the dome for the macro port. I can't test for leaks for 3 hours between each dive. Also, like I said, once you test it, and it is fine, you will unscrew your valve and put the original screw back on - what guarantees you that there's no leak here? Unless you do like Barmaglot and leave it on, but it doesn't work for deep dives.

Also, what is wrong with yours? If it holds pressure for 2 - 3 hours, then it should be fine for a 1hour dive no ?

 

[Barmaglot]

But I think I read a message from you saying that they told you it weakens the case and that the max depth is changed.

Right, which is nonsense - the housing is rated to 60m, and they showcase how they test every housing to something like 8 bar of pressure, so the idea that a little bit of vacuum (equivalent to maybe a half a meter of depth - it really doesn't take much pressure to make that valve go green; one time I forgot the pump at home and was easily able to pull a vacuum on the housing by just sucking the air out) will be that margin that will have me exceed the housing's structural limits and make it implode is fanciful at best.

 

[mi000ke]

Also, what is wrong with yours? If it holds pressure for 2 - 3 hours, then it should be fine for a 1hour dive no ?

Don't know. I checked all the seals - all clean and lubed as best as I can tell. Customer service said they couldn't figure it out. I discovered the 2-3 hour interval by prepping the camera and housing the morning of the dive - almost 3 hours to the minute when I started my descent of my first dive that day. That's when it decided to fail. After giving the housing a good going over I pressurized it at home and got the same result. Hoping the new back helps. We'll see.

 

[SuperSeaMonkey]

I've only used the vacuum pump once. I just got back from a trip to NC, which is all deep diving (30m/100ftsw+). No problems with the gap in between both halves. I've also done some tech diving with the housing down to 51m/175fsw and had no issues as well.

 

[DougTwyford]

Enjoying this thread...some things I've discovered...I too hate that handle port....ugh...the housing with the dome port is not rated to 60m but back to 40m...only the flat port has the 60m rating. I have the Gen3 housing.
Question....and views/ opinions...
1.What is the thought about diving with the vacuum test device still attached? It appears so counter intuitive to do the test and then 'break' the very seal being tested !

 

[DougTwyford]

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Here’s mine… I can definitely get a finger nail into it. After a little cleaning and assembly this morning I used my vacuum tester… held no problem.

You’re right about the number of failure points, I’ve had leak problems before. For me it was the pistol grip port at the bottom.

New a6xxx housing from Meikon

You have the Gen3 with two O-rings - this is completely normal.

 

[Barmaglot]

1.What is the thought about diving with the vacuum test device still attached? It appears so counter intuitive to do the test and then 'break' the very seal being tested !

I always dive with it on.

 

[mi000ke]

As a follow-up to my post above, I finally got the replacement (gen 3) front piece and installed it today. The housing held pressure for only 30 seconds. I installed the flat port, which had never been used, recleaned the main gasket, and still had the same leak. The original housing was used only on four dives, and the back is, of course, new so should not be a problem with the grip port. Any ideas? (Seafrogs had no suggestions other than to send me the gen 3 back, but would not replace the entire unit as I had purchased it long before its first use and was out of warranty).

 

[Barmaglot]

What port are you using, and do you have any other ports? I got a short macro port with my replacement Gen3 housing, and it wasn't holding vacuum, but other ports were fine. I took off the front of the port, and found some tiny debris stuck in the rubber gasket that is supposed to seal it. After cleaning that out, the housing held vacuum fine overnight. You could try swapping the port and seeing if the problem persists.

You can also stuff a towel into the empty housing and submerge it in a bucket of water or a bathtub. Wait some time, take it out, open it, and see if the towel is wet anywhere - that can help narrow down the source of the leak.

By the way, my VPS-100 leaked during a dive last week. Only a few drops of water made it into the housing, and the camera is fine, but the vacuum valve itself is pretty much gone. I suppose the half a dozen or so battery changes I've done to it over the years have finally done in the o-rings. I wanted to get a Vivid Leak Sentinel to replace it, but the contact form I filled out on the website along with an email to info@vividhousings.com went unanswered, so I ended up ordering another VPS-100, which should arrive in a few days.