Fogging Up

[admac]

I have recently bought an Intova camera and housing. I am finding that when I snorkel the housing in front of the leans fogs up as does the rear screen. It doesn't seem to happen a depth. Any suggestions on how to cure this please.
PS I keep a moisture muncher in the housing.

 

[DiverLS]

Try putting the camera in the housing in an air conditioned room after you left the housing open in the air conditioned room and the camera in the air conditioned room. And be sure the moisture muncher is not used up.

 

[Dave C]

I am surprised this happened when you have a dessicant in the housing. I always put a brand new dessicant pouch inside the housing every day when I am going to use the camera. I have never had a problem with fogging since I started using the dessicant packs, and I am a snorkeler. The packs are cheap; use them once and throw them away.

 

[HerraduraDivers]

Fogging occurs when ambient/camera temp is diferent than water temp.
To avoid fogging do:
1. Load the camera in a airconditioned room
2. blow it troughly before closing with air from your scubatank
3. wrap the closed housing in a thick, fluffy towel and then in a bag/cooler
4. You may fill the cooler with seawater and drop the cam (and ONLY one) in to maintain the same temp
5. dessicants may help to eat-up some restant humidity.

Storing the cam out of sunlight and/or in a bucket of freshly changed water is the most effective way to avoid fogging.
Well, when you sink below a stiff thermocline this will may not work good.

Chris

P.S. Desiccants need some time to eat up the humidity so don't expect that they work closing the housinga and drop in the drink...

 

[Gilligan]

Silica Gel Desiccant is a must.

Are you using the color indicating type so that you know when it is used up and needs changing?

I buy the 2 gram pack in a 50 pack from:
Silica Gel Desiccant and Acid Free Tissue Paper

Be sure to use silica packs that are dust free as are the above ones.

 

[skynscuba]

No need to just use the silica packs once and throw them away. You can bake them at ~75C / 175F for about 20 to 30 minutes to restore them. When I baked them at greater than the boiling point of water (maybe 250F), the packs burst.

 

[Gilligan]

No need to just use the silica packs once and throw them away. You can bake them at ~75C / 175F for about 20 to 30 minutes to restore them. When I baked them at greater than the boiling point of water (maybe 250F), the packs burst.

I'm not sure the wrappers on the ones I use can handle the heat? I have used a hair dryer to re-charge them but the original color of the desiccant does not come back. It seemed to work for at least one use.

 

[skynscuba]

I'm not sure the wrappers on the ones I use can handle the heat? I have used a hair dryer to re-charge them but the original color of the desiccant does not come back. It seemed to work for at least one use.

I use these indicating ones, the 3492T12 or 3492T11:

McMaster-Carr


The indicator stripe goes pink after enough moisture exposure. Bake them for 1/2 hour in an oven at 150-175F and they are a nice deep blue again. I think it would take at least 15 minutes with a hair dryer, and you have less control over temperature.

Usually I take some in a ziplock bag to use and re-use, plus some factory fresh ones in foil packs, in case I don't have access to an oven.

 

[Maximum Overdive]

Admac, I too also experienced the fogging issue. Everything that Herradura said is right. The key is to put your camera in the housing in an air conditioned environment, then place it in a bucket of the same water you will be diving so as to climatize the camera, at this time you can check for leaks. One other tip I can afford you is to look up Moisture munchers on the board and you will find there is a better way to dry your moisture munchers after use, it is with a product called damprid. You can purchase this at any cashway or Walmart. I put a sponge in the bottom of a canning jar then fill the jar with damprid, bury the munchers and in a couple of days voila, from pink to deep purple munchers with no risk of distorting or damage! Good luck and I hope this helps!!! Safe diving !<;O)))><

 

[admac]

Thanks to you all for your posts, I am now keeping csmera cooler before dive and find it a rest help.
Adrian.