Compass with bubbles? bad

[mkaug]

I have someone that has a compass I want to buy. It a small bubble in the liquid. Like about 5mm across. Is that something to worry about? Or is it indicitive of a leak. The body of it does not feel oily.

 

[ItsBruce]

I've got a bubble in my compass. I kind of like it. It helps me keep the thing dead level ... when the bubble is in the middle, the compass is level. I've never seen any ill effects.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

I have a compass or two and they all have bubbles. I think they are made that way.

Jeff

 

[Don Wray]

No worries Mate!

 

[mkaug]

thanks all.
And in regards to ItBruce's post, the bubble just may be there to act as a level.

 

[Jason Ooi]

Mine as well compass with bubble..no worry!

 

[bperrybap]

Mine didn't have a bubble when I bought it a year ago.
After a week in Bonaire back in January it had a bubble in it
when I got back home.

After diving a week in Roatan back in June, there was no
bubble in it when I got home and still no bubble it.

Seems odd that it comes and goes but it does.
Anybody else ever seen this?

Doesn't seem to hurt anything.

--- bill

 

[herman]

Never had one come and go but a small bubble is no problem. I would bet it's almost more common to have a small bubble in a compass than not. They seem to form after some age but unless they get big it's not a problem.

 

[Charlie99]

Mine didn't have a bubble when I bought it a year ago.
After a week in Bonaire back in January it had a bubble in it
when I got back home.

After diving a week in Roatan back in June, there was no
bubble in it when I got home and still no bubble it.

Seems odd that it comes and goes but it does.
Anybody else ever seen this?

That bubble is probably just playing hide-and-seek with you.

Seriously, if you hold the compass upside down, or at a 90 degree angle, and then flip it upright the bubble may reappear from underneath the rotating compass card.

Bubbles in compasses are a problem only when the get big enough that they start tilting the compass card so much that is starts sticking.

I've had one compass module where the bubble got so big that it would always stick unless I went to great lengths to move the huge bubble to the top. The replacement compass module was well on its way to the same problem when I replaced it a couple weeks ago. I don't know if it is hundreds of dives, dozens of flights, faulty modules, or some combo of those that caused the bubbles to grow.

 

[The Horn]

Had compass with bubble and it was trouble as the bubble grew and it was due to a crack. easy way to tell. The compass is filled with light oil so when at depth mine got a bit of water in it as well as the bubble and you could see the water/oil interface. Being a thrifty guy I removed the compass from the rubber case and noticed that there was a small rubber buffer around a sealed hole where the liquid had been injected and there was a small crack. Applying pressure to the casing allowed me to sqeeze the water/oil out of the casing. I immersed the casing in varsol and squeezed gradually working the air out and the varsol in. sealed the crack with the rubber buffer and some epoxy finally a smear of aqua seal. its been working great ever since (50 dives) and yes, a wee bubble remains.

The bubble was not there after I initially filled the casing but I think came out when the fliud was allowed to settle and any entrained air was freed