Creative or stupid?

[gt3073b]

Since the manufacturer knows that the housing will only have to sustain external pressure (not internal) they would have it sealed so the outside pressure compresses the o-rings.

Here is where the speculation occurs....

If you send it up quickly (on your dsmb) the housing should now be pressurized (you now have the air you started with plus some volume of water). The pressure should separate the dome from the o-ring VERY slightly, causing the air to blow the water out much faster than it got in. So my guess is that if you notice the leak before you have a fishbowl, you could possibly give your housing a rocket-ride to get rid of the water before too much of it makes its way into the camera.

Seems like putting a non-locking inflator valve and an overpressure valve on the housing (like on the halcyon closed circuit lift bags) would be a great way to avoid this all together. Just hook up your inflator hose for a second and blow the water out the bottom of the housing.

I don't own a camera, but I don't think it would be a good diea to tie up the boat crew to chase down a camera. ​

Good point. Some places have an Orange = Non-emergency, Yellow = Emergency policy on DSMBs. Perhaps some color code worked out with the boat captain before hand would be a big help. Green = Goodies?

 

[Cacia]

That would work if they could tell the difference between a camera and a drifting diver. Even if you used a different colored bag for the camera, there could be confusion on the boat or below the surface. Keep in mind that these are worst case scenarios, but these are things that keep me up at night.

well, if I keep practicing with that bag, i aim to be able to hit the swim step from deco position! Hey, I have a new GOAL!

 

[Cacia]

Since the manufacturer knows that the housing will only have to sustain external pressure (not internal) they would have it sealed so the outside pressure compresses the o-rings.

Here is where the speculation occurs....

If you send it up quickly (on your dsmb) the housing should now be pressurized (you now have the air you started with plus some volume of water). The pressure should separate the dome from the o-ring VERY slightly, causing the air to blow the water out much faster than it got in. So my guess is that if you notice the leak before you have a fishbowl, you could possibly give your housing a rocket-ride to get rid of the water before too much of it makes its way into the camera.

Seems like putting a non-locking inflator valve and an overpressure valve on the housing (like on the halcyon closed circuit lift bags) would be a great way to avoid this all together. Just hook up your inflator hose for a second and blow the water out the bottom of the housing.

I don't own a camera, but I don't think it would be a good diea to tie up the boat crew to chase down a camera. ​

Good point. Some places have an Orange = Non-emergency, Yellow = Emergency policy on DSMBs. Perhaps some color code worked out with the boat captain before hand would be a big help. Green = Goodies?

holy crap, you're smart. I may have to reread yours. Oh and good point guys, but the boat crews here never chase divers. If you float off, you are the last to get picked up!

 

[Charlie99]

My PT-016 Oly housing looks like it is designed such that increased depth just forces the housing tighter against he O-ring, so unless it is catastrophic failure such as the O-ring extruding, that the camera will be better sealed at depth than near the surface.

That's one reason I do a leak check at 15', at the same time I do a gross bubble check and check that my computer is reading depth correctly.

If it's something like an o-ring failing or extruding, sending the camera to the surface isn't going to help much.

I'd just write off the camera and keep the housing.

 

[do it easy]

Seems like putting a non-locking inflator valve and an overpressure valve on the housing (like on the halcyon closed circuit lift bags) would be a great way to avoid this all together. Just hook up your inflator hose for a second and blow the water out the bottom of the housing.

I think that they did something like this with the IMAX cameras used in Coral Reef Adventure, except they kept the pressure equal to ambient to prevent leaks. The camera eventually bombed, but it was because the gas inside was so dense that the motors were having a hard time pushing the film!!

 

[Diver Dennis]

I think that they did something like this with the IMAX cameras used in Coral Reef Adventure, except they kept the pressure equal to ambient to prevent leaks. The camera eventually bombed, but it was because the gas inside was so dense that the motors were having a hard time pushing the film!!

That may also cause the O-ring to blow out...good point.

 

[D_B]

Somewhere I saw something about using a diaper, or something with crystalizing water absorber. You may have an issue with gasses given off during the process though

DB

 

[Chris Bangs]

Regarding floods, on SLR housings which are made of metal or thick plastic, most floods will start at a shallow depth and get worse as you descend. IF this happens you should turn the housing so that the water collects in an area that away from the camera, usually the port. Normally if the oring seal is good it will only get better as the pressure increases. The exception is the thinner housing used for consumer cameras. these can distort under pressure and compromise the seal between the oring and the sealing surface.

 

[alcina]

...but the boat crews here never chase divers. If you float off, you are the last to get picked up!

That may be true, but the crew still has to keep an eye on the float/surfaced diver...so if they end up watching a camera instead of a diver...boy, I think I'd be a little upset as it would mean that I couldn't concentrate on the really important things.

Get insurance. If it floods, it floods.

 

[Charlie99]

Somewhere I saw something about using a diaper, ...... You may have an issue with gasses given off during the process though

Perhaps the gasses wouldn't be a problem with an unused diaper.