Hi all
I have a RecSea Housing for my S95 and murphy's law applied with no mercy: a flood only happens with your camera inside.
It got turned into a fish tank 2 times !!! :furious:
I' m very paranoiac when it comes to cleaning and maintaining
my gear so I simply couldn't understand why this was happening.
Until one of my dive buddies observed that I started having these
problems since I bought a tray.
There are 2 issues: warpage, door displacement
warpage!Yes, housings DO WARP, which is a real issue for Ikelite owners, but
also aluminum housings warp to a certain extent.
Attention must be payed to how much torque you apply when you
screw the tray on your housing, specially if the tray flexes too....
However I don't think this is what happened to me....
door displacement!
This can be tested:
Remove the o-ring, close and lock the door. Now try to move the door in all
directions.
Mine does move which is the proof that the door is not kept in place by
mecanical means, i.e. hinge and lock, but with the o-ring!!!
Huh???? Hinge and lock do not keep the door from moving?
you wouldn't build a submarine like that, would you ?
THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW!
An o-ring should be used for tighteness only NOT for mecanical stability!!!!
What are the consequences?
Some trays have a backing to which you can push the camera
to keep it parallel to the tray. While you screw it to the housing
you may inadvertantly apply a pressure on the lower part of the door
and you will squeeze the o-ring but relief it on the upper side!
1/10 of a mm is enough and bye bye camera, mine flooded at 6 m (18 ft)! :redhot:
Conclusion:
KEEP THE DOOR OFF ANYTHING!
If the tray has a backing, use a washer to keep the housing above the hight of the
backing such that the door is not touching ANYTHING!
I will make some test dives to proof my door theory.I know , I know. nothing will happen until I
have a new camera...
SUGGESTED DESIGN CHANGE:
I'm not a mecanical engineer, but I could imagine some pins on the door that
fit some holes in the housing to prevent the door from moving no matter what!
I already addressed this to bluewaterphoto.com , where I bought the housing.
I'd rather have a thiker housing, but tranquility of mind.
Miguel