Remove O-Rings for Storage??

[SixtyFeetUnder]

After getting back from my first SCUBA vacation with my very own gear and then looking around the basement saying to myself, what am I gonna do with all this stuff, I happened across the below article on what NOT to do when you store your SCUBA gear.

It states, among other things, don't leave O-Rings in specialty gear like flashlights, video and photo equipment. The reason stated is they could get warped by heat or dry out.

Now, I'm no mechanical engineer, but I do know that creep is a thing for materials under long-term compression. I might have assumed that O-Rings in a typical application would be designed with the right interference fit to avoid creeping and causing a leak over normal usable life. It also seems to me that every time I futz with an O-Ring putting it on or taking it off, I run the risk of damaging it. On balance I'm not sure I buy this guidance.

Have any of you ever heard of taking out your o-rings for storage? Do you do it?

How NOT to Store Your Dive Gear - Underseas Scuba Center Blog

 

[Marie13]

That sounds bizarre. I dive local, though, so usually no more than a month between dives in the winter. At least weekly from the early spring to late fall.

 

[Diver With Altitude]

The article states that the O-rings in lights could be damaged by heat. If that’s the case, the lights aren’t being stored properly. I don’t intend to remove mine, as I can’t imagine a better storage situation for them. Just keep them clean and lubricated. With regard to the batteries, I have kept the little disks that interrupt the electrical circuit during shipping and I will use those and store the batteries inside the lights, as well.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Either take them off or don't leave them under compression. I never leave my main camera o-ring on or keep my lights closed up. Especially with alkaline batteries. Duracells are the worst. They leak and I had a light head shoot across the room after some leaked in a closed light. I thought it was corroded. Nope, just that much pressure.
Batteries don't need to be making a connection to leak.
Some o-rings can take being stored under compression. It depends on the composition of them and the duro or hardness.
The softer they are, the less tolerant of it they are.

 

[SixtyFeetUnder]

Either take them off or don't leave them under compression. I never leave my main camera o-ring on or keep my lights closed up. Especially with alkaline batteries. Duracells are the worst. They leak and I had a light head shoot across the room after some leaked in a closed light. I thought it was corroded. Nope, just that much pressure.
Batteries don't need to be making a connection to leak.
Some o-rings can take being stored under compression. It depends on the composition of them and the duro or hardness.
The softer they are, the less tolerant of it they are.

I 100% agree with the recommendation on the batteries due to leakage. I actually avoid Duracell now because those are so prone to leak, but would do that regardless with alkalines. The lights we have use one of those USB rechargeable lithiums, so taking it out makes sense. I guess as long as we're doing that I could leave it unscrewed so the o-rings aren't engaged. Maybe I'll do one like that and the others fully closed and see whether it makes a difference long term.

 

[BRT]

Make sure you take them out of your tank necks too.

 

[bmorescuba]

I remove all o-rings from photo gear (housings, ports, lights, strobes), grease them with the manufacturer's grease, and then store them in sealed ziplocs. Necessary? Maybe not, but it doesn't take much time and the photo gear is expensive.

 

[BoltSnap]

I remove all o-rings from photo gear (housings, ports, lights, strobes), grease them with the manufacturer's grease, and then store them in sealed ziplocs. Necessary? Maybe not, but it doesn't take much time and the photo gear is expensive.

This ^^^^ but make sure VERY little grease (the grease supplied/recommended by the photo gear mfg.). The grease is to make the o'ring shinny NOT greasy!! Too much grease leads to collection of dirt, hair, etc. on the o'ring that will be most difficult to get rid of and will cause a catastrophe to the photo equipment/flooding.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Make sure you take them out of your tank necks too.

I suppose there's no "I'm being facetious" emoji. Maybe suggest we disassemble our regulators and take the o-rings out of them for storage, too. There.

This is the Basic Scuba forum after all, and the humor may not be obvious to new divers.

Tank neck o-rings and such are not required to be compressed repeatedly and seal every time like o-rings in camera housings and some types of lights.

 

[Damselfish]

I always take batteries out of lights, but not the orings.

I’ve always heard you should take them out of camera housings, but my husband never does that. (Though he did have a vacuum port installed so he can check for leaks, so not totally living on the edge.)