Old acrylic dome integrity?

[tank]

Hello, I have an old Sea & Sea 8.5 or 9" dome. I'm guessing this is probably more than 10 years old, not sure as I got this second hand some time ago. I've been using this once in a while problem free.

 

I recently got a Canon R5 and I started 2nd guessing if the dome is still safe to use, as the camera is quite more expensive than the old one.

 

1) are there static o-rings in place or is the acrylic somehow welded to the plastic dome housing? Is this factory seal good permanently? Or does it fail through age?

 

2) the acrylic looks perfect. very clear with little to no scratches. Does the acrylic weaken through time? I know some plastics get brittle with age?

 

Thanks!

[Dave_Hicks]

I would think that it's perfectly OK to use this if it's been stored in a reasonable location. Tens years is not that long for the materials in a dome port. I've got an 8.5" Nauticam acrylic dome at least that old or older. No worries about it at all.

[tank]

Thank you! And I guess if it does decide to give up, it won't be a sudden crash right? Maybe some drops or moisture here and there? Or a failing vacuum?

[Architeuthis]

There is, of course, never a total warranty, but unless there are (small) cracks in the dome to see, it is very unlikely that any implosion will happen...

Even small cracks may be no problem (but may impair optical performance), but then better ask at the manufacturer. In a Nauticam housing that I bought second hand there were small cracks to see in the rear window (not just scratches). I made a photo and send this to Nauticam, the response was that this is no problem (and it was no problem until now)...

 

Wolfgang

[ChrisH]

6 hours ago, tank said:

Thank you! And I guess if it does decide to give up, it won't be a sudden crash right? Maybe some drops or moisture here and there? Or a failing vacuum?

 

I once had a problem with an older dome port, that might have been in the store some years before I bought it. I don't think the glass will crack or something like that. But the glue or sealing of the glass to port can get damaged over time. If that is the case, I don't think it will cause catastrophic flooding. I had just moisture and very small drops of water inside the dome.

I would just test the housing and the port before the trip without the camera in it, by leaving it in the bathtub or something similar for a couple of hours.

[tank]

3 hours ago, Architeuthis said:

There is, of course, never a total warranty, but unless there are (small) cracks in the dome to see, it is very unlikely that any implosion will happen...

Even small cracks may be no problem (but may impair optical performance), but then better ask at the manufacturer. In a Nauticam housing that I bought second hand there were small cracks to see in the rear window (not just scratches). I made a photo and send this to Nauticam, the response was that this is no problem (and it was no problem until now)...

 

Wolfgang

Cracks are scary! Haha. But that’s good to know coming straight from Nauticam. Thank you!

[tank]

36 minutes ago, ChrisH said:

 

I once had a problem with an older dome port, that might have been in the store some years before I bought it. I don't think the glass will crack or something like that. But the glue or sealing of the glass to port can get damaged over time. If that is the case, I don't think it will cause catastrophic flooding. I had just moisture and very small drops of water inside the dome.

I would just test the housing and the port before the trip without the camera in it, by leaving it in the bathtub or something similar for a couple of hours.

That was actually my main concern, the o-ring or the seal of the dome to the dome housing, because there’s no way to visually inspect it. I actually have a vacuum valve. I’m just concerned of a sudden catastrophic leak, which from your experience is not the case. Thank you! 🙂

[ChrisH]

I too had a vacuum valve back then and it did not get it! That is why I would recommend doing a test in the bathtub before and leave it there for a couple of hours!

[tank]

1 minute ago, ChrisH said:

I too had a vacuum valve back then and it did not get it! That is why I would recommend doing a test in the bathtub before and leave it there for a couple of hours!

Ahh! Got it! The leak was that small, but enough to get drops inside. Thanks for the tip!

[ChrisH]

1 minute ago, tank said:

Ahh! Got it! The leak was that small, but enough to get drops inside. Thanks for the tip!

Yes, exactly! The leak was also not showing up on all dives on that trip. 
That is why I think it would be beneficial to test it over a longer period of time (couple of hours) in the water (bathtub).

you might miss it, if you just ditch it into the water like a quick check before a dive. 

[Chris Ross]

Typically domes are sealed with o-rings - like any type of rubber they won't last forever, but it seems they have quite a long lifetime.  Many dome ports you buy spare acrylic elements for and they are user replaceable.  You could always inquire if spare o-rings are available for your dome.

[Adventurer]

Do frequent and a little longer vacuum tests with that dome on your housing to get peace of mind and to be sure.

 

problem solved

[tank]

On 6/15/2024 at 8:00 PM, ChrisH said:

Yes, exactly! The leak was also not showing up on all dives on that trip. 
That is why I think it would be beneficial to test it over a longer period of time (couple of hours) in the water (bathtub).

you might miss it, if you just ditch it into the water like a quick check before a dive. 

 

A longer or overnight vacuum check could probably do it also 🙂 I usually leave my housing with vacuum overnight 🙂

 

On 6/16/2024 at 10:19 AM, Chris Ross said:

Typically domes are sealed with o-rings - like any type of rubber they won't last forever, but it seems they have quite a long lifetime.  Many dome ports you buy spare acrylic elements for and they are user replaceable.  You could always inquire if spare o-rings are available for your dome.

 

Did not know this. Will ask! Thanks! 🙂

 

2 hours ago, Adventurer said:

Do frequent and a little longer vacuum tests with that dome on your housing to get peace of mind and to be sure.

 

problem solved

 

Yes, an overnight vacuum check would probably do it 🙂 Thank you!

[ChrisH]

12 hours ago, tank said:

 

A longer or overnight vacuum check could probably do it also 🙂 I usually leave my housing with vacuum overnight 🙂

 

Mine did not 😉 I usually kept my vacuum also over night. And it didn't get the leak in the dome. I suspect it was not a "constant" leak like a hair or grain on a o-ring. That is why I suggested to test it in the bathtub also overnight. Or maybe just do both 😉  Better safe than sorry...

[Dave_Hicks]

3 hours ago, ChrisH said:

Mine did not 😉 I usually kept my vacuum also over night. And it didn't get the leak in the dome. I suspect it was not a "constant" leak like a hair or grain on a o-ring. That is why I suggested to test it in the bathtub also overnight. Or maybe just do both 😉  Better safe than sorry...

A bathtub is not going to help. If your vacumm didn't fail, but you got a leak on a dive the difference would be from a few extra atmospheres of pressure at depth. 

[ChrisH]

11 hours ago, Dave_Hicks said:

A bathtub is not going to help. If your vacumm didn't fail, but you got a leak on a dive the difference would be from a few extra atmospheres of pressure at depth. 

Ah, I should have explained it a little bit more:

The glue on my dome had been compromised from age or wrong storage (manufacturer or dealer). You could see water „soaking in“ a little bit on one single point from the outside, almost till under the glas. But there was no leak at that point, potentially because the o-ring in the dome blocked it. But if you take the dome underwater the pressure might be enough to let some drops of water inside the housing. 
The vacuum won‘t get it as there is no „leak“ at the surface. 
If you leave it in the bathtub for a longer period of time and inspect the dome, you might be able to spot such spots, where the water got almost inside the dome and could cause a leak when under pressure underwater. 
It is hard to explain what it looked like and unfortunatly I didn‘t take a picture. But I was able to see the spot that caused the leak, even if there was no leak at the surface!