When a housing floods, what is the internal pressure?

[Peter Guy]

Perhaps not artfully worded, but, when a housing floods, what will be the pressure inside the housing? Does it matter how big the "hole" is? (I would think so but....)

One of the reasons I'm asking is that there are more and more "splash proof" and "good to 10 feet" cameras out there with housings available and if there was a partial flood, would they be able to resist the disaster?

Just curious.

 

[louisianadiver]

Unless you load the camera into the housing at altitude, the pressure inside is 1 atmosphere. When the flood occurs, assuming that the housing completely fills with water, the pressure inside will be equal to the outside. Of course, that pressure depends on your depth. Most floods are not complete but are merely a leak. I would think that a "splash-proof" camera inside would stand a good chance of surviving a leak, but not a complete flood. -Clay

 

[Hank49]

Perhaps not artfully worded, but, when a housing floods, what will be the pressure inside the housing? Does it matter how big the "hole" is? (I would think so but....)

One of the reasons I'm asking is that there are more and more "splash proof" and "good to 10 feet" cameras out there with housings available and if there was a partial flood, would they be able to resist the disaster?

Just curious.

I doubt any camera will resist the damage of salt water unless you're skilled enough and have tools on hand to take it apart, wash with fresh water and dry on the spot. I had a housing flood at the Blue Hole here in Belize on a not so cheap camera and by the time I got home there was major corrosion on the aluminum parts. It was a video camera and that was its last day.
I've taken those disposable underwaters deep enough to see them pretty compressed though and they didn't leak. But if I'd gone deeper.....

 

[fdog]

Clay is exactly correct. Floods to completion assume the same pressure as the depth of the flood, and partial floods are somewhere in between.

It's worth noting that most floods happen in the rinse tank.

All the best, James

 

[Mo2vation]

Interesting thread.

Has anyone really had a flood to completion?

I've had three leaks in my DSLR housing.

#1 - Pretty significant, but I caught it early. Maybe 3/4" of an inch. Tipped the housing so the water was in end of the lens port away from the electronics, but it was too late.

#2 - Just a trickle, really. Total water in housing maybe 1/8" inch

#3 - I didn't even notice this one until about 40 minutes into the dive... a couple of drips, really. I think this is the only "late flood" I've had - one that didn't at the beginning of the dive.

But I dive a clear housing.

Number one damaged the electronics in the Housing. Number 2 freaked everything out, but when I dried the housing, it was OK. Number 3 did no damage. In each case, my Cam was fine.

Maybe complete floods can happen in Aluminum housings, but I can't see a diver with a clear housing ever experiencing a total flood - unless it happens on a deco stop or something... GAWD! And you just gotta hang out and watch your cam drown.

Has anyone really had a complete flood?

Scary.

---
Ken

 

[AUTiger]

The floods that I have seen have occurred at or very near the surface. They were due to user error, such as catching a dessicant pack in the seal. These type of floods can occur in the rinse tanking or at the surface and do not require any kind of water pressure.

David

 

[TSandM]

I had a complete flood. A fruit fly was caught in the o-ring when the housing was closed, and as I am not much of a photographer, I didn't do a leak check when I got in the water. By the time I went to take my first picture, the housing was completely full of water, and I didn't realize a flood was the reason the camera wouldn't work (thought the battery hadn't gotten charged). When I got out and opened the house, it all became disappointingly clear.

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

If I understand the OP correctly, I think I have been wondering the same thing.

By 'splashproof,' I assume he means something like the Olympus Stylus 720 SW.

Seems to me if you are going to get a point and shoot for diving, it would make sense to get one that's rated for 10' all by itself, then put it in a propoer housing.

That way if you have a partial flood, the camera itself has some built-in protection.

Makes sense to me, but I know very little about that photog stuff.

 

[aquanuts...]

The incoming water will compress the air to a point where it matches the outside pressure. At this point the "flood" stops. The only way to get a complete flood would be to vent this trapped air and replace it with water. ie turning the camera upside down or something of that nature.

Example: say you have a tiny hole in the bottom of your camera housing. You go down to 33', the water will come in and fill the housing half way thus equalizing the it to outside pressure (2atm=1/2 volume). The only way you could get this camera housing to fully flood is to turn it so the hole is at the top. This will allow the air to escape and water to take its place.

Think of an open bottom lift bag...

The size of the hole only determains the speed at which the flood occures.

 

[Mo2vation]

I had a complete flood. A fruit fly was caught in the o-ring when the housing was closed, and as I am not much of a photographer, I didn't do a leak check when I got in the water. By the time I went to take my first picture, the housing was completely full of water, and I didn't realize a flood was the reason the camera wouldn't work (thought the battery hadn't gotten charged). When I got out and opened the house, it all became disappointingly clear.

So lemmie get this.

You're all gearing up for the big dive. Head to toe...

Boots and fins - Check!

Weightbelt - Check!

Plate & Wing - Check!

Incidentals - pockets loaded, knife in place, light and back up light all good - Check!

Gas on, a few puffs, a few breaths, watch the SPG, all good - Check!

Hood & Mask - Check!

Undies and suit all zipped - Check!

Camera - Hmm. Is that a raisin in the Oring? Whatever... lets dive. Last one in is a rotten egggggggggggggggggggg............


Fruit Fly?

You're killing me here.

But I can see how that can happen if you're not a photog. The owners guide specifically points out the hazards you should be looking for:

A hair? Negatorie. All clear.

Sand? Nope. Clean as a whistle!

Excessive Oring Lube? No way, baby....

Had the manual said beware of clamping your housing onto an INSECT you probably would have thought to check for an insect. Stupid manual.

I want to be the insurance adjuster on THAT call, Lynne.


Ring ring

"Hello! Mega-Insurance Claims Department, how may I help you?"

"Hi. My camera has had an unfortunate incident, and I'd like to file a claim"

"Sure Ma'am, right away. Can you describe the incident for me?"

"Well, its the darndest thing, really. I loaded my camera into the camera housing, just like the manual says...."

"uh-huh, go on..."

"And I made sure the Oring was in place, and all. I followed the directions to lightly lubricate it...."

"Got it. Continue, please..."

"And I took the camera diving. I turned it on, and it wasn't working..."

"Go ahead, I'm listening..."

"When I came ashore, and opened the camera, I discovered the housing had a severe breech and leaked... Water just poured out of it!"

"I'm very sorry to hear that. Is there anything else you can tell me about the incident...?"

"Well, I did notice that sometime during the dive, a Fruit Fly swam over and somehow wedged its little hairy body between the front and back of the housing near the hinge. He's dead now. Kinda has a O-ring shaped dent running the width of his body and right between those big creepy eyes, you know the ones that....

CLICK.


You are one on a million, Lynne.

---
Ken