SixtyFeetUnder
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After getting back from my first SCUBA vacation with my very own gear and then looking around the basement saying to myself, what am I gonna do with all this stuff, I happened across the below article on what NOT to do when you store your SCUBA gear.
It states, among other things, don't leave O-Rings in specialty gear like flashlights, video and photo equipment. The reason stated is they could get warped by heat or dry out.
Now, I'm no mechanical engineer, but I do know that creep is a thing for materials under long-term compression. I might have assumed that O-Rings in a typical application would be designed with the right interference fit to avoid creeping and causing a leak over normal usable life. It also seems to me that every time I futz with an O-Ring putting it on or taking it off, I run the risk of damaging it. On balance I'm not sure I buy this guidance.
Have any of you ever heard of taking out your o-rings for storage? Do you do it?
How NOT to Store Your Dive Gear - Underseas Scuba Center Blog
It states, among other things, don't leave O-Rings in specialty gear like flashlights, video and photo equipment. The reason stated is they could get warped by heat or dry out.
Now, I'm no mechanical engineer, but I do know that creep is a thing for materials under long-term compression. I might have assumed that O-Rings in a typical application would be designed with the right interference fit to avoid creeping and causing a leak over normal usable life. It also seems to me that every time I futz with an O-Ring putting it on or taking it off, I run the risk of damaging it. On balance I'm not sure I buy this guidance.
Have any of you ever heard of taking out your o-rings for storage? Do you do it?
How NOT to Store Your Dive Gear - Underseas Scuba Center Blog