I’ve noticed droplets in my Ikelite housing (Canon T2i) on previous dives and put it down to condensation from the heat buildup, normal I suppose. I usually put 2 x silica packs in the housing. This past weekend I did a long dive but didn’t put the silca pack in. After the dive I noticed water in my housing, about 1-2 ml if I have to guess. I’ve put new o-rings in the day before and did 2 night dives and this particular dive was the next morning and never opened the housing. Is this something that does happen, the amount of condensate present in the housing?
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That seems like a lot of condensation. Could you tell if the water was salty? Any residue?
Probably not condensation. Last time that happened to me, I thought the same thing. Then had a major flood because the recently serviced housing had a sync port that was finger tight and wobbling. Maybe put a weight and a large wad of paper in the housing, toss it in the sink, swish it around and leave it for a couple of hours. Then pull it out and see where the paper is wet.
Thanks. Had it in the tub submerged for about 24hr and dry inside, but I did remove the camera first.
I think vacuum is my future, the housing doesn’t have a vacuum port yet, will this assist as a safeguard?
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Vacuum is amazing for peace of mind. Not very expensive either considering what you are getting.
Vacuum valve? No-brainer!
Go for the vacuum. When I bought my new Nauticam I resisted, because it seemed like just one more pre-dive thing to do, but it's great for your peace of mind when you drop down and that little green light is still on. No more guessing.
The real value of the vacuum valve, IMO, is when you are unsure of something. For example, last week I assembled everything as usual, but for some reason the back wouldn't 'seat' without a few attempts. Even though I knew in the end it was seated and latched properly, without the vacuum valve I would have taken it all apart a few times 'just to be sure'. With the vacuum valve, once I could see the o-ring and seal looked good, I just turned it on and pulled the vacuum. Then the flashing green light all day simply confirmed all was well.
So no more second-guessing and worrying and redoing things over and over. It's all about peace of mind. :-)
Agree the vacuum valve gives great peace of mind.
BTW, heat does not cause condensation, it occurs when humid air is trapped inside the housing and then condenses when the housing cools. The water must be inside the housing already unless you have a leak.
