Flooded torch

[Zept]

Woe is me.

Flooded my back-up light. Didn't notice. A month later, it's one seriously dead light. Corrosive slime has stripped all the silvering off the reflector, which is now transparent. Don't think it's going to work too well like that. Not sure the bulb holder is in the best of shape, either.

Damn, to put it mildly.

The light flooded b/c it's the type where you turn it on by screwing down the head. I'd loosened it so it didn't turn itself on in my dive bag. Forgot to tighten it before I put it in my BC pocket. Of course, if I'd removed the batteries before I put it away, I'd have discovered the water, and all would be well.

I am a moron.

Don't learn from your mistakes, learn from my mistakes .

Zept

 

[tholt576]

Bummer.

 

[herman]

Here is a tip for you. When I travel with that type of light, I cut a strip of thin plastic, almost anything will do- old shopping bags, zip lock bags, trash bag and place it in a "U" shape around the top battery such that it insulates the top battery from the next one down. I use a straight 3 cell light, you may have to modify the procedure somewhat for a different style light. No way it can come on and it forces you into the habit of checking the light before a dive. Come to think of it, it also forces you to check the light after the dive when you replace it for the trip home.

 

[Zept]

Thanks Herman, that's a great idea. I'll do that with my new torch. I bought the same one again. I figure at least I know its potential weaknesses, plus I have a load of spare parts for it!

Z

 

[blawler1]

I toasted two Princeton Tec 40s in a similar fashion. The first one I think I turned it the wrong way at about 100' and it flooded good. The second, I'm not sure of, but it was already on when I pulled it out of my pocket and was not when I had put it in. Replacing the batteries did not help. Bottom line is that I changed to switch on lights after the second one.

 

[Zept]

Same thing, mine was/is a Princeton Tec 40.

 

[Zept]

The only part of the original torch that was damaged was the reflector, and the range of accessories for the Tec 40 includes a wide-angle reflector, so I figured I could fix the torch by ordering one. However, when the guys from the dive shop spoke to the Princeton Tec rep, the rep said they'd replace the entire torch -- even though I flooded it through my own stupidity.

So now I have a new torch . OTOH, unfair and ungrateful as it might seem, I still wouldn't recommend this particular model. It's just too difficult to unscrew the head to the point where it doesn't turn on in my pocket without unscrewing it so far that it floods.

Zept