Nauticam Vacuum Check System

[Akimbo]

Here is some info on the new Nauticam Vacuum system. I have been waiting so see it before installing another model.

Nauticam USA - Innovation Underwater - Nauticam USA News - Nauticam Vacuum Check and Leak Detection System

Review: Nauticam Electronic Vacuum Check and Leak Detection System :: Wetpixel.com

I am not sure if ports on other brands of housing are compatible or if adapters are available. The vacuum port and pump is available in several models and is sold separately from the electronics package. They also offer versions that use a venturi connected to your BC inflator if you don’t like using the hand pump.

 

[James R]

I have the backscatter airlock (the basic one) on my Nauticam housing and really like it. I am going to have them add that new board etc to my housing to go with it.

 

[Akimbo]

I have been a believer in vacuum ports since I first saw one in the 1960s. This new batch of ports with pressure/vacuum sensing alarms is a significant improvement to a great concept.

I came close to buying Vivid's Leak Sentinel V3 earlier this year. I decided to hold off until Backscatter came out with their "smart" version and I heard a rumor that Nauticam was introducing one. I am still weighing the pros and cons but will get one of them soon.

Having dealt with all kinds of housings serviced by professional technicians in the commercial diving industry I know it is just a matter of time before a human error or undetectable flaw lets water in under pressure. I have never seen water enter a properly vacuum tested housing, camera housing or otherwise. The problem with simple vacuum ports is it is very difficult to tell if you have a vacuum leak unless you have a very long time before immersion. It basically has to leak to zero so you can see if the back comes open or a port rotates to know.

Sure you can put a vacuum gauge on it but you will always lose a little vacuum when making the connection. So has the vacuum dropped from a leak plus connecting the gauge or just connecting the gauge? The “smart” systems give you a much better shot at detecting the vacuum leak and the Nauticam’s pressure compensation capability should improve on that. I guess the ideal is a pressure compensated system that actually reads out the loss rather than using idiot lights.

 

[Akimbo]

It looks like Aquatica has a vacuum leak detection system for their housings now. I can't find any info on retrofits to theirs or other housings.

Aquatica vacuum leak detection system @DEMA 2013 on Vimeo

Here is Backscatter's:

Backscatter electronic airlock @DEMA 2013 on Vimeo

 

[James R]

Nauticam now has a new board w/leak & vacuum detection. It's compatible with the backscatter airlock. They have a similar housing vacuum now if you don't have one already.

I am going to send my housing to Reef to get those electronics added.

 

[Akimbo]

Nauticam now has a new board w/leak & vacuum detection. It's compatible with the backscatter airlock. They have a similar housing vacuum now if you don't have one already.

I am going to send my housing to Reef to get those electronics added.

Links to Nauticam's vacuum system with images are in the original post. Like the new one from Aquatica, Nauticam's sensor/electronics board is independent from the port where the vacuum is pulled through the housing. Backscatter's "smart" vacuum system and Vivid's Leak Sentinel have their electronics integrated in one unit. A number of "dumb" pump and port units are available without the electronics including Backscatter and Gates.

I asked Reef if they could install the Nauticam vacuum system electronics in other brand housings and they indicated that they couldn't. I don't know if that is a Nauticam restriction or that they just don't know enough about how everything fits at this point. I am a little disappointed that the Nauticam electronics requires them to install it rather than letting users install.

 

[Doubler]

Check out Underwater Camera Stuff website. They have a device called the Housing Sentry that can be installed in almost any housing. I have purchased their leak detector and port lock and it is all high quality. I will be getting the Housing Sentry Basic Unit installed before my next trip.

 

[Akimbo]

... They have a device called the Housing Sentry that can be installed in almost any housing...

Have you looked at the Vivid's Leak Sentinel V3? It looks like the least expensive of the "smart" solutions that I have been able to find. I have read good things about it. They list being able to buy the electronics and the penetrator separately but there isn't much detail on that option compared to the integrated unit.

 

[orenbvip]

I wanted to get the nauticam one for my e-pl3 housing but there is no port/room for it

 

[Akimbo]

I wanted to get the nauticam one for my e-pl3 housing but there is no port/room for it

Another option is to drill a hole and mount one of the vacuum valves alone or one of the integrated "smart" units with their electronics outside the housing. Devon at Pacific Housing Repair does this sort of modification.