i bought a used underwater camera housing and the sony camera that goes with it for a trip next week. i know i have to put some silicone gel on the o-ring to ensure a good seal, but i’m having trouble finding the silicone gel locally. also, my time is limited so ordering on-line is not an option right now. also, i’ll just be snorkeling, so won’t be going very deep.

i was wondering if anyone had suggestions for an alternate sealing gel. can anyone recommend a readily-available, household type alternative? would something like vaseline work for less than 10ft depth? or would that destroy the o-ring?

thanks
bobD

As near as I can tell, the gel is usually a lubricant for the o-ring to keep it from drying and cracking, it does not help with the seal (in fact, on mine, I usually wipe the o-ring clean before a dive, and then grease it afterwards). In your case, if you don’t know the history of the housing (how long has it been sitting unused and drying out?), this could be an issue.

I would first check the o-ring you have for suppleness - if it seems brittle or cracked, replace it before trusting your camera with it underwater.  If the o-ring looks good, then seal the housing up *without the camera* and test it in water before your trip.  If it stays dry, then you are probably ok for a snorkle or two before it starts to dry out.  You will definitely want to lubricate it immediately afterwards though, salt water tends to be hard on them. 

The gel itself is usually specified by the housing manufacturer, so look up your housing and see what they recommend.  I don’t know about vaseline, its petroleum based so it probably depends on what your o-ring is made of.

There is vaseline for human use. Is it also petroleum based ?
O-rings are supposed to be used in machines with oils, so, petroleum based lubricants should not affect o-rings.