Nauticam Housing Moisture Sensor Replacement

[cleomagic]

I have a Nauticam housing (NA-RX100) for my Sony RX-100 (original model), and the moisture sensor for my housing has failed. I contacted Backscatter to order a replacement moisture sensor. Imagine my surprise when they cancelled my order 2 weeks later because I wasn't going to send my housing to them for installation.

When I called to ask why they cancelled the order, Backscatter said that it is Nauticam's policy to not sell parts for end user installation and it must be professionally installed by an authorized Nauticam dealer. Installation is two screws and routing the wire to the bottom of the housing. Why is an authorized Nauticam dealer required for such a simple fix?

Has anyone else ever heard, or experienced this from Nauticam? Any suggestions for sourcing this from an alternative source? Having both visual and audio leak indication is important to us. We'd go to the vacuum seal indicator, but that's not available for our housing

Thanks in advance.

 

[bvanant]

You can buy the leak detector from Reef for $100 or so. The only thing that needs factory installation (as far as I know) is the vacuum system. Just the leak detector is easy to replace (I have one if you want to buy it).
Bill

 

[cleomagic]

I got the same response from Reef that I did from Backscatter.
"The moisture alarm for the Nauticam NA-RX100 housing is not something we can ship you on it's own - Nauticam requires us to install this here in our service center."

It seems ridiculous that Nauticam would disservice their customers this way.

 

[KeithG]

Try ebay. Or another housing manufacturer. There is nothing special about "water detectors". Any model will do. You just need to make sure they fit.

If you are really stuck (and annoyed) I have an old Sea & Sea moisture detector in a cupboard somewhere.

 

[Cali_diver]

Just curious about why you don't want to send it to them? Are you worried about the turnaround time?

 

[Stoo]

Aquatica will probably provide one. If the screw holes don't fit, stick some velco inside the housing and on the back of the board...

 

[Stoo]

Just curious about why you don't want to send it to them? Are you worried about the turnaround time?

Shipping cost, insurance, loss of use time... plus it's stupid paying someone else to put a screw in... Assuming it's similar to the Aquatica, my dog could do it.

 

[JackConnick]

The sensors are sort of an all size fits all and are custom fitted to the housing. Soldering can be involved. The sensors may also been updated from the RX100, so they may not fit right off the shelf.

If you haven't serviced the housing, it's probably due. Whey not have it serviced and the sensor replaced at the same time?

 

[cleomagic]

Shipping cost, insurance, loss of use time... plus it's stupid paying someone else to put a screw in... Assuming it's similar to the Aquatica, my dog could do it.

Stoo summed it up nicely. I'm also a DIYer at heart and prefer to take care of these simple tasks myself. Who knows when you'll be outside the normal supply chain and need to make your own quick fix.

 

[Stoo]

Stoo summed it up nicely. I'm also a DIYer at heart and prefer to take care of these simple tasks myself. Who knows when you'll be outside the normal supply chain and need to make your own quick fix.

Absolutely! The very nature of UW shooting takes us to remote places and having a working knowledge of how this gear works comes in handy. Last weekend, I took apart the zoom control on my Aquatica housing since it wasn't working properly. I discovered it was corroded (probably a drop of salt water from my head or something). A little soak in some CLR and a little lube, and I was back in business. As much as I love the folks at Aquatica, this would have taken probably a couple of weeks at least, and cost a few hundred bucks allowing for shipping.