Perhaps this belongs in the beginners forum... I've been having a lot of issues with my Kraken KRL-01 wet wide lens having condensation on dives. This normally happens when I am entering the water for the first time. The lens is generally unusable for the first 20-30 minutes of the dive. The last time I used this lens was in October in Palau and it was working fine.
Is there something I can do to prevent this from happening? I tried putting my lens in rice for a few days to remove the moisture but that hasn't helped. Maybe there is a leak?
Thanks!
If there was a leak, you'd get water inside, so it's unlikely to be that, but it's quite possible that you have humid air trapped inside the lens. The front dome on that lens is user-removable - try taking it off, thoroughly drying the insides, and reinstalling it in as dry an environment as you can manage.
3 minutes ago, Barmaglot said:
If there was a leak, you'd get water inside, so it's unlikely to be that, but it's quite possible that you have humid air trapped inside the lens. The front dome on that lens is user-removable - try taking it off, thoroughly drying the insides, and reinstalling it in as dry an environment as you can manage.
If you decide to take off the front dome, doing it in a well air conditioned room will ensure air trapped inside is as dry as possible.
The fact that it has started to give you problems means some amount of moisture has gotten trapped inside. you may want to inspect the seal closely ideally replace if you decide to remove the dome.
This solution will only work if it is the dome that is fogging. The fact that the fogging clear during the dive sounds odd though- does it completely clear? How cold is the water compared to the air temperature?
In Palau I would think there is not much temperature change between air and water. Are you diving in colder water now?
On 1/13/2023 at 10:20 PM, ChrisRoss said:
This solution will only work if it is the dome that is fogging. The fact that the fogging clear during the dive sounds odd though- does it completely clear? How cold is the water compared to the air temperature?
In Palau I would think there is not much temperature change between air and water. Are you diving in colder water now?
I was diving in Raja Ampat and the water temps were pretty close to surface temps. Also, the fogging happens for about 30 minutes and then it clears completely. My manta photos from the end of the dive seemed to be fine.
I'll try to take it apart and dry out the insides. Should I be looking at replacing any of the seals? I've been using this lens for four years now.
Also, I picked up a box of silica gel packs, but not sure how helpful that will be...
This seems strange for condensation to occur the lens elements need to be colder than the dewpoint of the trapped air and you should be able to reproduce it in a tub or the kitchen sink. If you do take it apart definitely get new seals. As a work around you could keep it in a tub of seawater for 30 minutes before you dive - presumably it should clear in that time, given that you said it clears within 30 minutes.
