How to set up an underwater video camera to eliminate condensation (fridge)?!

[Scuba7]

Has anyone done this?

I did it years ago but forgot how.

I think I put the housing in the fridge (sans camera), and then quickly put the camera in when I take the housing out, correct?

 

[fbk]

Condensation comes from moisture in the air, the colder the air the less moisture it will hold so you would think air from inside the fridge has a low relative humidity but that may not always be the case. The method I use if I am somewhere hot and humid (tropics) and which works perfectly is to fill the housing with air coming from in front of an air conditioner (very low humidity) before closing it up. It has nothing to do with the housing temperature and cooling it in the fridge is, if anything, only going to make moisture instantly condense on the cold housing as you take it out of the fridge into regular air to insert the camera.

 

[diversteve]

The method I use if I am somewhere hot and humid (tropics) and which works perfectly is to fill the housing with air coming from in front of an air conditioner (very low humidity) before closing it up.

I used to do the same thing with my poly housing as it would fog in the tropics also.

My buddy has an Ikelite box with space around the camera so he uses something similar to these: Sealife Moisture Muncher SL911 with reviews at scuba.com

 

[dmoore19]

Maybe you could dive in warmer water?

I have had good luck using the air conditioner trick mentioned above. I also use the moisture munchers, there is a place to put them in my sealife camera housing. I have only had problems with fogging once. That was when I forgot to put the moisture muncher in the camera housing and I changed the battery on the boat.

 

[Interceptor121]

Giving a housing and the camera a thermal shock is a bad idea.
You just need to make sure all parts are dry and you are preparing the housing in an environment that is dry as well. There is no need to do anything special with air-conditioning or fridges
If you find yourself in an environment particularly nasty the best is to use an LPI and blast the interior of the housing before closing

 

[drbill]

I know this can be a problem as I experienced it back when I was checking out various housings before I purchased one, but I can't remember having mine fog up whether I was diving here in the cool SoCal Pacific or in the tropics. I know it happens and I can't explain why my housings haven't fogged up (especially when I see a lovely lady-go-diver walk by).

 

[PatW]

I found that keeping the housing and camera in an air conditioned room worked fine. I just made sure I assembled the housing and camera in the room and never, ever opened it outside of the cool dry room. I have heard that fogging is much more of a problem with polycarbonate housings and not with metal ones. I don't know. The habit became engrained and I very rarely deviate from it with my metal housing. I have cracked the housing on the boat once or twice and never had any fogging issues so it might be true.

 

[Interceptor121]

if you dive in water warmer than the environment where you prepared the camera the housing will never fog unless there was moisture to start with
If you dive in cold water usually it works better if you prepare it outdoor if it is dry as the water will be warmer, instead if you do it at home it may fog

Electronics tend to attract moisture so if something gets trapped in when the camera heats up this makes it vapour that then condensates on the port or on the housing walls whichever conducts heat the most.
The moisture munchers are useful to fight against moisture trapped in the housing but need to be there for the whole night before you use it

People with plastic housing tend to have more fog because they are relatively less experienced but also because plastic is ash insulator so if moisture is trapped in and starts going around it condenses on the port that is glass and gets cold sooner

In many cases orings especially those large ones end up being wet and this sets off the process

 

[al248005]

I usually wipe my housing out with alcohol wipes right before putting the MM/camera inside it. Then if its during a hot day I try to do it around an air conditioning vent. I use Zeiss Clean Screen Wipes, 20pk - Walmart.com . They come in a pack of 50 or so too and they are found where the eye glasses are. These are nice because they are streak free and dry practically instantly.

 

[haha49]

have a wet tank that's already cold throw it in open it before dive throw it back in the tank see if it fogs up. Some people use a tank of water to throw cameras in while your inbetween dives.