Silica-gel, Yes or No

How many of you use silica gel for preventing condense forming?

When should I use them, cold and/or warm water, ....?

Marc

You should use them when the ambient temp is diferent from the water temp.

Fogging occures when the camera/housing is warmer than the water you enter.

To avoid that:

- load the camera in a fresh, airconditioned room

- blow the inside of housing with dry air from a scuba tank before closing it

- don't expose the camera/housing to the sunlight to avoid heating it up

- store the camera in a bucket of seawater and change the water frequently or

- store the camera in a thick, fluffy towel and all in a cooler (i use this solution)

As here in Costa Rica seawater and ambient has almost the same temp, following the indications aboven

there are not big issues with fogging.

Chris

Some of the points above conflict with advice I've been given previously (e.g. loading camera in aircon, storing camera in a bucket of seawater ). I've always used silica gel packets in my compact camera housing and I reckon they help. I don't think they solve the problem completely, but they do absorb moisture from the air.

Cheers,

SOS

Thanks for you answers. I think I know understand when I have to use them and when not.

the only time i used a silica gel pack in my housing I flooded my camera - my thoughts are that I wasn't very careful to make sure it wasn't fouling the o-ring. Still not 100% sure, but never used them again.

the only time i used a silica gel pack in my housing I flooded my camera - my thoughts are that I wasn't very careful to make sure it wasn't fouling the o-ring. Still not 100% sure, but never used them again.

I have seen people come very close to this, also check it doesn't cause issues with your camera aligning with controls. I think silica gel is a help but don't rely on it entirely take other steps to help like... never leave you camera/housing in the direct sun (or shade that moves when a boat swings). If you use the internal flash a lot it can heat the air up inside small housings and contribute to fogging, if this happens try turning it off for a while. Regarding setting up in air-conditioning versus outside, I am a bigger fan of setting them up outside but this depends on having somewhere safe to do it, if it is a daytrip set it up at home, seal it and water-test it before you head out. On liveaboards I bring electronics outside wrapped in a towel and let them come slowly to ambient temperature (still wrapped) then set them up in their housings. Also I would avoid leaving my camera in a communal rinse tank in case a bigger heavier one got dropped in on top of it; but if you are on an boat with little shade, and only a couple of people, I can see how a tub of water could help keep your camera cool.

rtx said almost everything wat i would so i just add:

I carry my rig in a "hard" cooler first for protection, second because i can fill it with water and have my on rinse tank and

i blow gently my housing with air from a scuba tank before i close it, this will fill it with dry air.

Chris

the only time i used a silica gel pack in my housing I flooded my camera - my thoughts are that I wasn't very careful to make sure it wasn't fouling the o-ring. Still not 100% sure, but never used them again.

I too used them just once.

I have also stupidly flooded a camera, (actually even worse - my wife's), by trapping a silica packet in the O ring.

Since then, although I always have a couple with me I don't use them unless I get consistent problems, which is seldom. I would rather risk trashing part of a dive than the whole trip.

i blow gently my housing with air from a scuba tank before i close it, this will fill it with dry air.

Sounds like a recipe for dislodging something, or blowing fibres onto the o-rings, if you ask me...

... I really don't like the idea of compressed air and housings getting any closer than the reg. in my mouth!

Tim

I don't like to use them.

I don't like to use them.

OK, so why not?

Sounds like a recipe for dislodging something, or blowing fibres onto the o-rings, if you ask me...

Tom, you overseen that i wrote "gentle" and i meant gentle like a gentle breeze.

Also i never blown a fibre (or else) on the o-ring, but maybe i should have been more precise to say that

after blowing gentle the inside of the housing i recheck the o-ring for the presence of any dirt,

what i would do anyway, blowing or not.

The same effect could be achieved holding the camera in the stream of the aircon, but the air in the tank

should be much more drier than the air from the aircon and the "blowing a hair on the o-ring" problem

would be bigger.

Anyway, that's the way i do it, i belive that it works well and i never flooded one of my housings,

and as the proverb "never change a winning team" is often true i stick with my system until it stop

working due a too big temperature difference between water and air.

Chris