using silica gel

[wackodacko]

woohoo I just got my new pt-015 housing! its great...except i dont have the camera to test it on yet! I purchased my c5050z on www.buydigitaldirect.com and everyone be warned.. they're cheap but slow as hell!! i ordered on saturday and they will ship it "today or tomorrow (weds or thurs)".. ugh.. anyways, the housing comes with 5 packs of silica gel to dehumidify the housing.. but the manual says once the packet is placed inside the housing, it is "used up" and shouldnt be used again. do you camedia users put a pack in every time you bring your camera down on a dive? why or why not? i never had to use this silica stuff on my old sony marine pack so i havent got a clue.. if i dont use it , will it negatively affect my camera.. ? the manual doesn't explain much..

thanks for any info

 

[Dee]

The silica gel packets are to absorb any moisture that may form inside your housing. If enough of it collects, it's the same as flooding yout camera! Well, that's a slight exageration but it can cause all kinds of trouble with your camers.

This condensation is formed when there is a temperature difference between inside and outside your housing. For instance, if you leave your housing sitting on the camera table or on a bench in full sun before getting in the water, then jump in the cooler water condensation will form. One way to avoid this is to keep your camera in the rinse bucket or wrapped in a wet towel until you are ready to enter the water. Some of the smaller camera and housing combos have condensation problems if the camera is left on for the whole dive. The heat from the camera builds up and reacts to the cooler water outside the housing. To prevent it, you'll just have to turn your camera off periodically.

The silica packs will absorb that moisture as it forms. Some types/brands let you rejuvinate it by baking in an oven or microwave. They change colors to let you know when to bake. Sealife makes some called Moisture Munchers™ that come in small and large packets. There is also a place to order online, Silica Gel Dessicant. I'll be placing an order soon. They have some that although you can't rejuvinate them, they do indicate when to throw them away. Plus they are cheap enough I can do that if I get full use of them. As is it now, I'm guessing if they are still working or not!

 

[wackodacko]

thanks for the link!

last question.. if ur gonna be diving for 4-5 days , with dive 4-5 dives in per day.. do you keep ur cam inside the housing the whole day, then take it out a nite? (therefore using 1 silica pack per day) ORRR....wait.. you have to change batteries!! so scratch that.. for example.. you need to change bats on your camera.. u open the housing.. will you microwave your silica gel (throw a new one in if theres no microwave on the boat) or will you use the same one cuz its still kinda the same day.. ?
i usually change bats after 1 dive.. meaning i will be changing bats and silica gel packs after every dive? errr... i might buy the 50 pack then!!

thanks!

 

[Dee]

wackodacko once bubbled...
thanks for the link!

last question.. if ur gonna be diving for 4-5 days , with dive 4-5 dives in per day.. do you keep ur cam inside the housing the whole day, then take it out a nite? (therefore using 1 silica pack per day) ORRR....wait.. you have to change batteries!! so scratch that.. for example.. you need to change bats on your camera.. u open the housing.. will you microwave your silica gel (throw a new one in if theres no microwave on the boat) or will you use the same one cuz its still kinda the same day.. ?
i usually change bats after 1 dive.. meaning i will be changing bats and silica gel packs after every dive? errr... i might buy the 50 pack then!!

thanks!

It depends on the humidity of the location I'm at. You see, another use for those silica gel packs is to keep the humidity out of packages. I know you've seen them in shoes, some foods, etc. So if it's pretty humid where I'm at...let's say Roatan...then I re-use them during the day and change the packs at night. (I generally change the batteries and memory cards every 2nd dive.) I know that's probably not necessary but the packs I have now don't have any indicators on them. The packs on the site I gave you will change colors as they get used up, making it easy to tell when you need to change. I keep them in an air tight ziplock bag until I need them.

At 30¢ each, I'll get the 50 pack and share it with friends!

 

[sparky30]

Well.. On my last trip I took great care to seal the camera in the housing... You can't spend too much time checking o-rings..
I didn't open it up after every dive.. only when absolutely necessary.. To cahnge batteries.. I travel with two big memory cards that live in C5050 (384MB CF and 128MB xD)... The only time I open the housing is to change batteries..
The lasted surprisingly long.. Usually more than one dive.. (I guess it depends how long the dives are ..)
In between dives, the camera lived in the rinsa tank on the boat.. only two of us brought cams, so there was lots of room in the rinse tank and no worries about damaging anything.. I also bought a cheap plastic lens cap that I clip on before I put the cam in the rinse tank.. I don't mind if the housing gets a small scratch but I want to spare the lens..