Reefmaster Redux: Cleaning?

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terrydarc

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One thing I was hoping to learn and should have emphasized in that other Reefmaster thread was how to clean and care for the camera on the boat, on shore, etc. Here's what I plan to do to start.

1. Load the camera with a fresh load of film before going down in search of pictures.

2. Not unload the camera on the boat except in dire emergencies: like a whale shark going by and the film is all shot up. UFO's flying by and the like would also qualify.

3. Rinsing the whole thing (the case on the outside of course) in clean water once we get back to shore.

4. Let that dry for a while and open up, reload, etc. with clean dry hands.

5. Clean the O-ring and, put in a silica gel and let everything sit. This done with water or damp cloth, I expect.

6. Next morning, remove silica gel bag, load up the camera into the case and restart.

7. Have a beer. Relax.

Comments welcome on care and feeding of Reefmaster RC in hands of scuba-bunny dad.
Terry
 
Terry,

Normally a boat will have a fresh water rinse tank for you to put your camera in when you come out of the water. I normally will put the camera in the tank for a little while then take it out and dry it with a soft cloth.

If you take the camera apart while you are near the water be careful of the moisture. I have the gel packs that I put in the camera everytime I open it. It absorbs most of the moisture.

You also made the comment about the O Ring. Be careful that you don't do something the operating manual says you can't do. If you mess with the O Ring you could void your warranty. It happened to me, oops.

Just my thoughts.
 
The O-ring on the Reefmaster is NOT to be taken out! (I thought that too...but it is glued in). It can be replaced by someone who knows what he is doing...but trying to force it out and clean it will ruin the o-ring and therefore the seal. Everything else sounds fine to me.

But, if you have an external stobe, be careful how you screw it on. Only finger tight. If you try to screw it on too tightly, you can crack the plastic screwy thingy (don't you love the technical terms!) on the bottom of the housing which will cause it to flood. Luckily, a replacement inner camera is pretty cheap!
 
If it has been a "rough" dive, and you are afraid that sand might have gotten wedged inside the housing, around the o-ring, rinse the housing by hand and work the sand or salt off the o-ring (gently). Do not use any silicon lube, and let the inside of the housing air-dry, or use a hair dryer on LOW setting.
 
Are you my daddy???? *grins*
 
Scubabunny,
No, I don't *think* I'm your dadddy. :eek:

Good idea about using water that's on the boat, but it's got to be bigger than the boat we had on Roatan - I'll make use of cleaning as soon as possible in any event. I did read that the Reefmaster O-ring was not to be tampered with - think cleaning it with cloth is about all you can do.

The idea of sand getting in there sends shivers up me spine. I will be extra careful! I imagine at 35' that a grain of sand would be enough to allow water in and this is no Nikonos IV to be washed out with pure water. Small Chinese made cheapo camera inside. Nicely made, but not submersible. Not at all. End of pictures. If I did see a leak, I'd go up as quickly as safe, but I'm not sure I could see anything quick enough to prevent damage. Maybe I'll take a nice dry cloth though...hmmm. Good idea!
Terry
 
We sell these cameras in our shop, and have had people bring them back because they think they flooded. There is a layer of plastic inside the housing..and if you find "bubbles" inside the plastic, it is normal. First time mine did that, I thought it was finished! But it is just normal condensation. Especially in hot, humid climates. Just thought I would warn you about that.

It may not be a bad idea to buy a backup inner camera, just in case. Especially if you are going on a dive vacation. The inner camera actually takes good pics topside, but in dim lighting the coral flash sometimes gives a orange tint to everything. But, they are cheap (compared to a new Nikonos!) around $75.00. So, if you are going someplace where a camera is VERY important, it might be something to think about.
 
...Scubabunny. Layer of plastic, eh? It's definitely going to be hot and humid. You saved me some sweating the moisture problems for sure. =-) !!!!

I'm a teeny bit worried about tropical storm Chantal. So far just a storm and not a hurricane. Have no desire to see a hurricane up close, nor to have 6' waves just from being on the side of a storm, either. Pray for good weather, please.
Terry
 
Hello,

Using freshwater on a dive boat IS a good idea. Using the community rince tank is NOT a good idea. Why? Cause you have all sorts of crap that goes in there and everyone else wont' care what they put in it. You'll wind up with nasty chemicals, oil, gas, dead fish, gum, trash, spit, tobacco, cigarettes, alcohol, get the point?

What I do is cary about 2 plain white t-shirts with me and have my own rince tank. This is *MY* rince tank and used for me exclusively. *NO ONE* puts anything in my tank or i'll throw it overboard (dead serious).

Ed
 
Well, "plastic" may not be exactly right..but it worked for me. Don't know what it is really made of..probably some "pheloneuralgluxistimate" or some other unpronouncable thing!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you about the Hurricane thing. Know what you mean about not wanting to see one up-close and personal! I'm the only "Typhoon-Virgin" at work, and I'm terrified of them! We haven't had one come through since SuperTyphoon Paka (name alone scares me!) in 1997, so we are about due. We had a Typhoon form about 400miles north of us this week. Just the rain and winds we got from the "feeder bands" were enough to make me want to move back to the moutains!

Right now we have 10-12ft waves (normally 2-4ft) and have cancelled all our boats for the next few days. But, even in the middle of the downpours and high winds, there were still some tourist dive operations on the water! Sometimes I really wonder if people have any sense!

Where is Chantel heading?
 

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