FYI Canon housing O-Rings in the US

[hdtran]

Run on the order of $6.00 or so. Call 1-800-828-4040 (Canon USA customer service).

Of course, when you add shipping, you'll pay more for the shipping than for the O-ring :11:

 

[ChillyWaters]

Run on the order of $6.00 or so. Call 1-800-828-4040 (Canon USA customer service).

Of course, when you add shipping, you'll pay more for the shipping than for the O-ring :11:

How long do they last in their original packaging? Perhaps it would be more worthwhile to buy a couple, for the long run.

(I just got my housing in the mail today ---- yeah!)

- ChillyWaters

 

[hdtran]

How long do they last in their original packaging? Perhaps it would be more worthwhile to buy a couple, for the long run.

(I just got my housing in the mail today ---- yeah!)

- ChillyWaters

Speculating...

The thing that kills O-rings (besides compression set) is chemical & photodamage. So, in the original packaging (assuming the distributor did not open & contaminate the O-ring), it ought to last easily 1 year, and quite probably more. Chemical damage is insidious, depending on the O-ring material. Some O-rings use plasticizers in addition to the elastomer. These won't last very long, because the material is unstable to start with. Other O-rings will be degraded by exposure to UV (e.g. sunlight; actually, most O-rings will suffer from UV). Ozone (arcing electric motors), combustion byproducts are other gases which will degrade an O-ring. Typically, they will induce further cross-linking of the polymer, which will make the O-ring harder.

That said, I think (opinion & speculation) that if you take the new O-ring as shipped, put it inside another sealed ziplock (or vacuum seal it with a food vacuum packager) (without removing from the original package), and store it in a cool dark place, it ought to be good after 3-4 years.

I'm interested in seeing what you decide