Defective PT-015?

[brycew]

I just received my PT-015 that I ordered for an upcoming trip. I've noticed a discoloration on the column for the shutter lever. This discoloration looks similar to the way plastic sometimes looks when its been damaged/cracked. I've attached a pic of what I see... Can other PT-015 owners verify whether this "whiteness" is supposed to be there? Just wondering if I'm being paranoid, or if I should send my housing back for a replacements.

Thanks!
Bryce

 

[Dee]

Mine doesn't show that but that doesn't necessarily mean yours is defective. Let's see what others have to say.....

 

[Gilligan]

Not sure if this helps you but I have a white mark on one of the back panel controls of my PT-010. My housing is still wet from today's dive but the mark indicated by the red arrow is not water.

 

[herman]

Just checked my PT-015, I saw no similar marking.. Mine is new and has not been wet yet. I would at least do a test dive on it before putting the camera in. While I am on the subject, I have found a great way to "test dive" a new or repaired housing. My LSD reg shop has a pressure chamber for testing dive computers that can take comps or housing down to max depth of 230 ft ( I know the limit on the 15 is 130)

 

[DivemasterSteve]

i checked mine and it looks fine, no discoloration on anything. mine hasnt been wet yet either. looking forward to spring time getting here though.

steve

 

[brycew]

Thanks for the info all...

I'm thinking I'll take the housing to my LDS and see if they can do a pressure test and take it down to 100' or so. Its safe to do this on the housing w/o the camera actually in it.... correct?

 

[Dee]

Thanks for the info all...

I'm thinking I'll take the housing to my LDS and see if they can do a pressure test and take it down to 100' or so. Its safe to do this on the housing w/o the camera actually in it.... correct?

Yes, it's safe. You may also want to put a colored paper towel in there. I'm thinking about something like those blue shop paper towels. That way if it does leak, you'll see it better as the paper towel will get darker in the wet spots.

 

[brycew]

Great... thanks for the tips

 

[rad21]

Yes, it's safe. You may also want to put a colored paper towel in there. I'm thinking about something like those blue shop paper towels. That way if it does leak, you'll see it better as the paper towel will get darker in the wet spots.

Or try Gilligans suggestion from his website:
If you suspect leakage at any of the controls this process should reveal it.

Dust the inside of the housing near any controls that penetrate it with dry unsweetened grape Kool-Aid, then take it down to depth void of camera. Place a soft weight (two pounds) inside the housing in a sock (to prevent any scratching if you are concerned about that) for some positive buoyancy. The Kool-Aid is white when dry. ANY moisture will immediately and permanently turn it purple. Even if the moisture evaporates or is absorbed by your desiccant pack the leak evidence is preserved.

Rinse and dry the housing well before inserting the camera. A clear housing makes it easy to detect any leaks as you can see any purple stains even before opening the housing.

 

[Dee]

haha...that's a FredT tip that works great! I'm glad Gilligan included it on his website. Grape, Cherry and Lime all make good flavors to use for the test.