how often do you guys lube your washers with silicone grease?

[Spoon]

purchased my GF a canon wpd case and was wondering how often do you have to lube the water seal and oring? thanks in advance

 

[Spoon]

anyone?

 

[TeddyDiver]

anyone?

Every time (allmost) . Cleaning and a tiny bit of lube. Sony P73 with MPK-PEA and PD170 with Ikelite.

 

[Spoon]

Every time (allmost) . Cleaning and a tiny bit of lube. Sony P73 with MPK-PEA and PD170 with Ikelite.

is there special silicone grease? my pack came with a small tube. if that runs out can i use the silicone grease i use for my dive gear?

 

[Charlie99]

is there special silicone grease? my pack came with a small tube. if that runs out can i use the silicone grease i use for my dive gear?

What works for my Olympus housing is to put a few dabs of grease into a ziplock bag and smear it around. Then I put in the o-ring and smear it around. As long as you don't introduce any grit or hairs into the ziplock bag, you can keep using it time after time. The tiny tube Olympus supplied has lasted hundreds of dives. You may or may not need the special silicone grease. Use the ziplock bag trick and you'll probably never have to figure it out.

The purpose of the grease is simply to let the o-ring slide a bit to get into the proper place. The grease doesn't make the seal and excessive grease is actually a bad thing. Just a very light shiny film is the general rule for any type of o-ring lube.

Many times, I'll just pop out the o-ring, clean the groove and face of the housing, run my fingers around the o-ring several times to make sure there are no hairs, sand grains, or salt crystals, and then put the o-ring back in without regreasing. In most cases, it still has the very light film of grease that's needed.

 

[Grajan]

I would be a very uncomfortable with any approach that does not use your fingers to apply the grease. With the bag approach it is too easy to pick up contaminants keeping the grease in an open bag. You only need the tiniest amount of lube and the biggest threat to the camera is contaminated grease as it attracts dirt. The sole purpose of the lube is to help the 'O' ring lie evenly in the groove. The real value of applying a VERY small quantity every time is that your fingertips are remarkably sensitive and will detect a hair or grit very quickly. My procedure is as follows:

1. Clean the 'O' ring and place it on a clean surface.
2. Clean the 'O' ring groove and mating surface, first with an ordinary cloth or paper towel or similar, then finally with a clean lint free cloth (like a glasses cleaning cloth).
3. Feel the groove and face with a clean fingertip to detect and remove any remaining contaminants
4. Clean the neck and cap of the grease tube before opening it to prevent picking up contaminants
4. Place a small daub of silicone grease (direct from the cleaned tube) on a fingertip and run the 'O' ring through the grease feeling the full length of the 'O' ring. If you detect anything - clean it again.
5. Place the 'O' ring carefully in the groove and run a finger over the full length to make sure it is correctly seated.
6. Close the housing as soon as posssible, making sure nothing gets trapped in the closure like the corner of a dessicant bag or a strap thread.
7. Close and reclean the grease tube and pace it in a small ziplock bag

This procedure has served me well for many years closing ROV pressure vessels rated for 10,000' where the consequences of an error can be in the millions of dollars so it will definitely work for your camera!

This looks like a hassle written down but it is a really easy routine to get into.

 

[Rocha]

I use my fingers to apply the grease to the clean o-ring, usually only before each dive trip. If I'm doing shore dives or if the water is murky there is a tendendcy for sand and small particles to reach the o-ring, so I repeat the procedure everytime I open the housing and notice any sand close to the o-ring.

 

[Cacia]

Very helpful post! I have a question about the seals behind all the buttons on my Ikelite housing for my Nikon D-100: Someone told me to press all the buttons in the rinse bucket to flush these. Do I ever lube these? What should I know about servicing a housing? Does this come into play in any way on the insurance if I flood my set-up? Thanks to anyone who can give me advice. I am really winging it now for about a year and have been really lucky.

 

[Spoon]

Another question, are you supossed to wash the insides of the housings? or does that stay permanently dry?

 

[gert7to3]

Catherine, unless the button mechanisms are made to be taken apart and serviced you probably don't have to lube them. Introducting a sticky lubricant around the mechanism could actually attract grit and make it harder to flush salt out. That's why it is suggested that you operate the buttons while rinsing the housing. Check your manufacturer for their recommendation.

Spoon, you probably don't want to fill the housing up with water and get a lot moisture into the button mechanisms. Drying it out could take a long time. Cleaning the inside with a cloth dampened with widow cleaner would be ok, but be sure to dry it out thoroughly before use. Ammonia won't hurt plastic, but some alcohols will.