Soaking Camera housings?

[oly5050user]

Try soaking with warm water and some vinegar. Vinegar dissolves salt crystals and won't harm the housing, warm water helps. Doesn't have to be a super strong solution, but enough that you can smell it. Then, yes Ikelite grease sparingly on the inside of the controls.

We have a Free Maintenance Handbook and Article available in our Resource Center on the store site.

View attachment 192298

thats what ​ I do.

 

[supergaijin]

i change the water about twice a day.

For the real rinse I take it from the tank to warm fresh water ASAP, and cycle the water out regularly so that it is always fresh water that's doing the rinsing. Let it soak for 5 minutes, run the controls, swap the water, 5 minutes, run the controls, swap the water, 5 minutes, swap the water. I generally do it for 15 or 20 minutes.

After putting the housing under running water to get the worst off, you shouldn't have to swap the water out- the salt is negligible in that amount of water. If you want the water to stay warm, leave it in the sun.

Housings have small dynamic parts involving springs and small O-rings which run along the button shaft. When buttons eventually stick (some housings never seem to have a problem) you can try to get a little grease down on the shaft or remove the offending buttons and clean properly. This requires some jewelry tools and patience.

 

[NautilusCairns]

Anecdotally, plastic housings seem to have more problems than aluminium housings.

 

[Searcaigh]

I like to immerse my housing in fresh water for at least an hour, and with the camera switched OFF, I work each button few times to make sure I have no sticky buttons, seems to work for me.

If I am unable to do this for some reason such as traveling and no rinse tank available, then I rinse under running water pressing the buttons and once back at the hotel I repeat in the shower using the shower head close up to the housing.

Locally the ambient temperature of fresh water here varies from around 20C in winter to 45C+ in summer