How Often Should I Lubricate My Ring?

[John Gulliver]

I don't know about digital cameras/housings but the golden rule for wet film cameras/housings is grease the o-rings every time you open the camera or housing (e.g. to load it with a new film, change the batteries etc). The grease is just intended to keep the o-ring supple. It does not form part of the seal. You should use just enough to keep the o-ring shiny. If you use too much, it will attract sand, dust etc and cause leakage.

[Okeanos]

I only grease mine when it looks like it needs it. Probably after 10-15 dives, i.e. once every 3-4 weeks, same with my video housing/strobe/torch. Too much grease attracts dirt as said above, I only have my housing opened for the minimal amount of time to give dirt or hair less time to contaminate the seals.

[soldave]

So do you guys leave the o-ring in the camera if it's only going to be a week or 2 until you use it again? At the moment I take it out after each day of diving and grease it, but might change my habits after reading this.

[triplefin]

Originally Posted by soldave

So do you guys leave the o-ring in the camera if it's only going to be a week or 2 until you use it again?

Yep

[soldave]

Oooohhh... Well in that case I'll start doing that then! Should I keep the case closed and locked while not in use? Just wondering if that would put constant pressure on the o-ring.

[reef hook]

This is an interesting thread that has certainly made me think.I firmly belong to the ring out and lubricate every time I change battery or mini DV.Equaly the case is stored between each trip with all rings out,greased and kept in an airtight plastic bag in the dark and cool.
However,when you consider the multitude of rings in use from plumbing through domestic appliences to car engine and cooling systems,and the rarity of failure maybe I am over fussy.Certainly I have allways released cover pressure every night on a trip on the basis of crush memory but domestic rings are in place for years without deterioration ( think of your stopcock).Still, after a hard days diving playing with your ring proves very relaxing!

[triplefin]

I think there may be a slight difference here as many of the rings you mention in plumbing applicances etc are not moved at all, whereas the rings in cameras are.
I think that is where the difference lies. Some people claim never to bother to release the pressure on an o ring in a camera because there are some rings that stay under pressure all the time anyway so whats the difference. The difference is that we move them to grease them etc and then put them back so we do not want a 'crush memory' from being compressed in the same way for very long periods of time.
So while I agree in principle I dont get really paranoid about it and only release the pressure if its not in use for more than a few days.