Need help... should you take the O-ring out of the housing?

tlmainer · Jan 4, 2008

Need help...
Should you take the O-ring out of the underwater housing if it is to be stored for 6 months or so? According to what I have read elsewhere, it is best due to the fact that the O-ring could get "mis-shaped" during extended storage.
Any comments appreciated.
Thanks

Bubbletrubble · Jan 4, 2008

If I'm storing my Canon underwater housing for more than a few weeks, then I will generally remove the O-ring...for the reason that you mention. However, one of my dive buddies owns a similar underwater housing, and he says that he's never removed the O-ring...ever. He just adds a little silicone grease to the O-ring every now and then. He contends that he's had no problems with leaking. Personally, I inspect/grease the O-ring before every day of diving.

alcina · Jan 4, 2008

I do if I remember to. I usually take them out, inspect them, lightly grease them and pop them in a ziplock bag (they "fold" into a bit of a figure eight then lay in a circle). This bag then lives inside the housing.

bigfrog23 · Jan 5, 2008

i take the o-rings out if it is going to be out of the water for more that a day or two i will wash them and grease them and put them in a zip lock bag. i also will clean them and re-grease them almost every time i open the housing or change a port we have a lot of sand in the water here.

Diver Dennis · Jan 5, 2008

The longest I've ever left mine in has been 4 months between dives. I do clean and grease them every time I open the case though...

Eskasi · Jan 5, 2008

The replacement Sea & Sea O rings for my camera comes in a plastic pack with cardboard backing....the Oring is in a figure 8 and folded over to form 2 loops....I figure if that is how they pack for sale, it should be good enough for how I store it too. I grease them before long term storage and put them in the housing

RTRski · Jan 5, 2008

I do the same as alcina for the housing. For my strobes however, which have o-rings heavily embedded into a flat groove for the battery compartment, I just lube lightly and then leave the doors on LOOSELY so they're not in constant compression - don't want them developing a flat side, basically.

I'd say you've got to balance taking the o-ring out for cleaning and nice storage (and keeping it uncompressed) against the potential of damaging it by digging it out. At least that's my measuring stick...

Matt S. · Jan 5, 2008

The ring in my Canon housing is in there very tightly. I took it out once, and decided the risk of damaging it was too great to do unless I had to. So, I am planning on leaving it in there permanently. I inspect it before each dive, looking for crud on the sealing surface, and put a tiny bit more grease on if it doesn't feel slick.

So far, so good.....

vladimir · Jan 5, 2008

I keep an old O-ring on the body of the housing during storage and replace it with a newer one when I dive. The Nikonos V used to have orange O-rings (I think supplied by Southern Nikonos after servicing) that were designated for storage.

Need help... should you take the O-ring out of the housing?

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tlmainer

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