How long do you leave your housing closed?

Hi! For what it's worth, I have been leaving my Hugyfot D7000 housing closed and ready to dive for more than 2 weeks.

Reason is simple: I usually dive once a week, and if I shoot the same configuration, why going through the hassle of opening/closing? I just put the housing in a freshwater tank for a few hours when going back from the dive.

This has the drawback of preventing pictures download, but it saves me time!

I have always tried to remember to pull the o-rings that are not mounted into a groove when storing at home. If I do not want to remove the o-ring, I leave that section open. I reassemble before the trip, putting dry o-rings on the ports and exyensions. I do consider a dry o-ring better than none if I miss them assembling the camera. Since the ports are off the housing in the travel case I do not worry about pressure causing a seal I can't break. About every two years I replace all of the o-rings.

When on a trip I only open the housing when necessary. When I do open the housing I grease the rings and reassemble the night before when I have time to do it carefully.

I've never had a o-ring failure. Ten years with Ikeite and Aquatica housings.

In the "old days" when we used a Nikonos, Bob Warkentin did, and still does, sell bright orange "storage o-rings" for the Nikonos. His blurb on them is here: http://www.southern-nikonos.com/parts.htm

I don't know if the o-rings used in more modern housings are made of the same material or not. They are black, mostly, though

Tom

If you're not sure about o-ring maintenance and the like maybe this article can help:

http://www.halsteaddiving.com/adult-section-stories/fundamentals/if-you-cant-take-a-joke-dont-take-up-underwater-photography/

One of my all-time favourites.

Jock

Jock,

Absolutely wonderful!

Tom

I am on my fourth housing now: Ikelite N90 (had it for 2 years), Ikelite F100 (2 years), Sea&Sea F100 (3 years), Subal D2x (10 years). I have never removed any o'ring and always left back of the housing closed, no port though. No floods (knock on wood!).