the risks of housing leaks?

[Prepare]

how realiable are housings? I guess it would depend on the make but I cringe at the thought of buying a $1500 housing then having it leak on my just as expensive DV camera.

in addition to using it when diving I would like to use it to film some surfing.

I dont know the first thing about housings but what im mainly wanting to know is

1) how often do leaks occur?

2) does even a small leak spell the end for your camera?

3) can you repair housings after they leak?

4) would a housing for surfing and a housing for diving need to be different? I would imagine in the surf the camera would get tossed around a fair bit.


thanks

 

[crazyc]

Prepare,

You can get a housing that has all manual controls and if it floods or leaks, you can rinse it out, dry it, inspect for problem areas and if necessary replace the camera and press on with filming. If the housing has electronic controls and you fry any of the electronics, unless you carry all spare boards and harnesses, you are out of luck for picking up the pieces and filming right away.

If you take good care of the housing, inspect it and prep it meticulously before every dive, (sound of knocking on wood) you really shouldn't have a leak problem.

CrazyC

 

[digitaldiver]

It is not "if" your housing will flood, but "when". The successful ones approach each dive with this thought in mind and postpone the inevitable as long as possible, and insure their gear so the financial disaster doesn't compound the loss of images. 99.9 per cent of all floods are not failures of the mechanism, but of the operator.

That said, you will never catch me with either my still or video camera anywhere near a surf zone. That is just begging for something to get busted.

 

[Dee]

A leak doesn't necessarily indicate that the housing is broken or needs repairing. The majority of the time a leak/flood is caused by negligence on your part. The O-ring wasn't cleaned of sand and fibers properly, too much grease used that will just collect sand and stuff, not properly closing the housing, etc.

Take your time in preparing your housing for use, follow the same set routine, and just be careful with what you're doing. And above all, take out some insurance! D.E.P.P. is an exceellent choice for that, IMHO.

And as Jeff said..it isn't IF you have a flood, it's WHEN!

 

[UWTimes]

I flooded my Nexus housing when I was in hurry to get in the water to photograph a sargussum frog fish. That non-shot cost about $700. Call it tuition.

Important lessons...

take your time

test everything before you get into the water

rinse everything when you get out of the water

never borrow someone else's equipment

bring plenty of q-tips

 

[Dee]

UWTimes once bubbled...
....bring plenty of q-tips

I must stringly disagree with 'tip'. The cotton fibers that can be left by Q-tips have been the cause of more than one flood.

The foam tipped make-up applicators do the same job and don't leave any surprises for later.

Microfiber cloths are also excellent for cleaning o-ring channels.

 

[digitaldiver]

Buy insurance!

PS: Dee's right about the Q-tips and I love microfiber clothes.

 

[Dr. Jay]

Microfiber Cloths? Foam-tipped make-up applicators?

Got any other knick-knack suggestions for housing cleaning and maintenance supplies?

BTW - Where's a good source for those microfiber cloths?

And how about DAN equipment insurance? - anyone got it?

:question:

Thanks

 

[Prepare]

thanks for the advice guys

That said, you will never catch me with either my still or video camera anywhere near a surf zone. That is just begging for something to get busted.

I know this isnt the best place to ask, but obviously there are housings that can withstand the surf...can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[blacknet]

Hello,

Drop the q-tips, not only do they cause problems they are small and not that effective. Get that old tooth brush and throw in your camera bag, then throw in that white t-shirt your not using.

The shirt is awsome to remove damn near anything. The toothbrush will do a good job on just about anything.

As for leaks it's not IF but WHEN. I had a recent flood and it's not a memorable experience to go thru. I watched delta airlines drops my bag on the runway and it didn't act quite right, the last dive of the last day the housing flooded and i spent an easy $2k in repairs.

insurance is good, if your a member of DAN then get the h2oinsurance that your DAN membership provides. it's cheap and easy.

Change those o-rings religiously. Repair shops accuse me of changing them to often. Also don't store units with the o-rings! I also never ship my gear with the o-rings in place due to pressure changes.

Ed
Ed