Testing a new housing

[Kriterian]

I'm about to take the "plunge" into underwater photography when my housing arrives in a few days. I don't diddily squat about taking pictures, and I know even less when it comes to the underwater realm. My question is this:

How do you test a housing? I'm guessing the best option is to test the housing by itself before risking my camera inside it, but I don't know what to look for exactly. Do you put something inside it, like a piece of paper or toilet tissue, so you can tell if there is a small leak? Is depth a factor, by which I mean is dunking it in the tub going to show me anything or do I need to take it down on a dive?

Thanks a bunch for any help.

Oh yeah, I'm not sure if it matters but the camera is a Canon A95 and the housing is the Canon one, WC something other.

 

[ssra30]

Yes, it is advisable to do your first dive with the housing empty. Some people recommend putting tissue etc in there to help detecting a leak but usually if the housing leak, you will see it anyhow. Dont forget to put something in there for weight as well.

When I get new camera/housing, I like to try it out in a pool to get familiar with controls etc first as you will be busy enough when diving that you don't want to try to learn how to use the camera at the same as well.

Dunking housing in a tub or use it in a pool is not the same as testing it at depth when you dive as the housing will undergo variable pressure change as well so your housing might still leak when you dive eventhough it is ok in a pool.

 

[Hoosier]

That's what I did in a various depth.

Yes, it is advisable to do your first dive with the housing empty. Some people recommend putting tissue etc in there to help detecting a leak but usually if the housing leak, you will see it anyhow. Dont forget to put something in there for weight as well.

 

[alcina]

Or you could just take the chance.

I've not taken my housings down without the camera. It's insured - if it leaks, it leaks. I don't want to be under there and not be able to take photos.

I do however inspect the housing very carefully before each and every dive. Look for cracks, debris in the oring, buttons that don't feel right when you push them. Spend a few minutes.

When you hit the water, have your camera handed to you - don't jump with it - and keep an eye on it as you go down.

The only thing the test will do is show up a major manufacturer defect - which you might be able to detect on close inspection anyway. User error can be avoided, most of the time, by taking your time and really closely inspecting things before you get anywhere near the water. And remember, the more times you do something, the closer you are to a bad thing happening

One time I had a suspected leak at depth (turned out to be condensation) I came up, took everything apart, inspected it, put it back together with a soft, covered weight inside, put it over the side, sunk it to 20m on a rope for 20 minutes, brought it back up, checked it all again and popped the camera in for the second dive. Thank goodness for SIs!

 

[Kriterian]

Or you could just take the chance.

I've not taken my housings down without the camera. It's insured - if it leaks, it leaks. I don't want to be under there and not be able to take photos.

I don't have insurance yet, so I don't think I would risk my only camera. I appreciate all the tips, I figured it would be something simple but I wanted to make sure there wasn't some tried and true "official" test, hehe.

Thanks again

 

[Bill51]

I’m fortunate that I’ve always had fairly ready access to 150-200’ water so I’ve taken every new housing or my old housing if I’ve done any major work on it out and put a weight in it wrapped in Bounty paper towels, clipped it to a spare anchor line, and dropped it down a ways past the depth it was rated for. I leave it down for about 5 minutes, pull it up, dry off the outside very thoroughly, and check for any water streaks or moisture in the paper towel. Unfortunately the most common leaks are the ones caused by operator error when you don’t get the O ring properly seated so check it 3 times when you close the housing up before a dive.

 

[ssra30]

Or you could just take the chance.

I've not taken my housings down without the camera. It's insured - if it leaks, it leaks. I don't want to be under there and not be able to take photos.

I have a little confession to make. My first dive with my Subal housing for my D2X, the housing was not empty either.

The site we went had occasional whale shark sighting so I decided to take the camera down on the first dive just in case a whale shark might want to stop by to christen my new toy Unfortunately no whale shark came but my housing did not flood either.

I agree that most flooding was more likely from user error rather than housing defect so I checked and checked and made sure that DEPP charged my credit card before I left on the dive\trip!

 

[herman]

Chris,

Take it to Al at Airtech and have him pressure pot it for you. Have him take it down to it's rated limits and hold it there for a while. Bruce can also help. They checked mine before it's first dive.

I keep a magnafying glass in my camera case and CLOSELY inspect both the O-ring and the mating surfaces before closing the camera. While not always practical, I try to never open a housing except in controlled conditions like my room. Sandy beaches and rocking boats are no place to open housings if you can avoid it.

 

[peterbkk]

If a housing is going to leak, it wil leak in the first couple of meters. After the first couple of meters, the pressure differential will be jamming the o-rings tightly into the grooves. Testing it to 10, 20 or 30 meters is not going to make any difference.

If you have a 3 meter deep swimming pool close by, you can test your new housing without wasting a dive. Wrap a weight in tissue, put it into the housing, lower it slowly to the bottom of the pool, looking for bubbles (after the initial external air bubbles have floated off) on the way down. Leave it on the bottom for a few minutes then haul it out. Rinse it in a bucket of fresh water to remove the pool chemicals. Dry the outside thoroughly. Then open and look for droplets and / or dampness in the tissues. If OK, put the camera in the housing, carefully check the o-rings, seal it and go diving.

IMO, you are better off doing your first camera loading in a controlled environment with plenty of time to do it carefully than doing an empty housing test out on a dive boat, loading the camera between dives and then taking your camera upderwater.

Regards
Peter

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I agree with Bill and Hermon on this one that the most common problem is operator error. Clean the o-ring and groove, properly lubricate it, and check it about 3 times before you close the housing and do it consitently as it makes no difference if the housing passes a test dive if you get sloppy somewhere down the road.