I am the owner of an Ikelite housing for a Canon IXUS 130. It was a Christmas gift from my husband in December 2010. This is the third time it has flooded.
I will take the blame for the first flooding as the O ring might not have been re-greased after its last use that time. The first flooding occurred in August 2011. It was sad as it flooded on the first dive of a two week trip to the Red Sea. I had two weeks of no photos except for what I took with my Blackberry on shore.
When I returned home, I bought a new Canon IXUS 130 camera. I dried out the housing, regreased the O ring and checked it at our local swimming pool during diving training (I am an instructor). The tissues I put in survived the trial and I put the new camera in. Since the first flooding I have been overly vigilant about greasing the O ring and keeping all grit, hair and other bits away from the seal. I was surprised when during a shore dive, the housing began flooding a second time. I managed to see it flooding as I was walking in. I was able to stop the dive and get the camera out before salt water touched it. I dont know why that flood happened. But I took the housing home, cleaned all the old silicone grease out and reapplied fresh silicone grease. I tested the housing in the pool and all seemed to be fine.
I have just come back from a trip to Malta where the third flood occurred. Again it was a shore dive (no leaps from a boat). I know I did everything correctly. Nothing could have ever bumped the camera housing or contaminated the seal and O ring. I have only ever used silicone grease on camera housing O rings. Why is this happening and what can be done? Two cameras have been killed in this housing and I am quite reluctant to use it or any other Ikelite housing again.
Peggy
I will take the blame for the first flooding as the O ring might not have been re-greased after its last use that time. The first flooding occurred in August 2011. It was sad as it flooded on the first dive of a two week trip to the Red Sea. I had two weeks of no photos except for what I took with my Blackberry on shore.
When I returned home, I bought a new Canon IXUS 130 camera. I dried out the housing, regreased the O ring and checked it at our local swimming pool during diving training (I am an instructor). The tissues I put in survived the trial and I put the new camera in. Since the first flooding I have been overly vigilant about greasing the O ring and keeping all grit, hair and other bits away from the seal. I was surprised when during a shore dive, the housing began flooding a second time. I managed to see it flooding as I was walking in. I was able to stop the dive and get the camera out before salt water touched it. I dont know why that flood happened. But I took the housing home, cleaned all the old silicone grease out and reapplied fresh silicone grease. I tested the housing in the pool and all seemed to be fine.
I have just come back from a trip to Malta where the third flood occurred. Again it was a shore dive (no leaps from a boat). I know I did everything correctly. Nothing could have ever bumped the camera housing or contaminated the seal and O ring. I have only ever used silicone grease on camera housing O rings. Why is this happening and what can be done? Two cameras have been killed in this housing and I am quite reluctant to use it or any other Ikelite housing again.
Peggy