Cold-water compass

[airsix]

Hey Gang,
I hope you will forgive this Pacific Northwestern intrusion in your home-base forum, but I'm hoping you can help me out. I'm posting here since you hardy souls seem to be down with REAL cold-water diving. Here's my problem: My Suunto Sk7 is freezing up. I've been doing dives in freezing/near-freezing water temps and my compass is only good for about 10-15minutes and then the oil thickens up to where the card won't move. Have you found a good compass that will still function well at 0.5C? Thanks!

-Ben

[Sounder]

The website only says "liquid filled" - I assumed (but we know what we get when we Ass-u-Me things) it was oil of some sort. Freezing up is weird! I guess it's not an oil!

[Codyjp]

Is it possible to replace the oil with another fluid? I am not sure if there is access to the inside of the SK7. You could go for aviation grade compass fluid, kerosene, or go old skool and put some good ol wiskey in there.

For the Aviation compass fluid any Aviation repair shop should be able to take care of you you could splurge! http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...repairkit1.php

[Rainer]

It's your compass.

When I was on the East Coast, our winter waters were always in the mid-30s. Never any issues with any of our SK-7s. Not with mine, not with anyone I dove with. Any chance you can try another just to check?

[airsix]

The website only says "liquid filled" - I assumed (but we know what we get when we Ass-u-Me things) it was oil of some sort. Freezing up is weird! I guess it's not an oil!

Hi Doug,
I should have been more clear. The fluid in the compass isn't actually changing to a solid. It's still technically a liquid, just too thick to function. I do think the liquid is some kind of oil, but its viscosity is just too high when it's cold. It goes from being like water at room temp to being like molasses at .5C*

-Ben

*Metric units used out of respect for our Canadian friends, who's fine forum we're slogging around in.

[airsix]

It's your compass.

When I was on the East Coast, our winter waters were always in the mid-30s. Never any issues with any of our SK-7s. Not with mine, not with anyone I dove with. Any chance you can try another just to check?

I don't have another one handy, but I'll ask around.

I was googling and found a product review that mentioned the problem:

...compass completley froze at depth, well, it was in 1 centigrade water. And by freezing I mean it really froze, how much I turned it and shook it it remained completley still.

And on Scubaboard I just found:

Originally Posted by roturner
I've been reading some reports on the Dutch scuba forums about Suunto SK7's the "frooze" in cold water and wouldn't turn anymore. Given teh number of people reporting it, it doesn't seem like an isolated thing.

[Rainer]

Weird. Don't know what to say other than I've never experienced it, nor seen it. At least 100+ dives in water in the 30s with SK-7s.

[TobinGeorge]

I have seen more than one SK7 get "sticky", worse at depth.

Every one had a cracked acrylic liquid filled compass body.

The tip off is a growing bubble in compass.

No cure I know of other than replacement.

Tobin

[AzTek Diver]

I have seen more than one SK7 get "sticky", worse at depth.

Every one had a cracked acrylic liquid filled compass body.

The tip off is a growing bubble in compass.

No cure I know of other than replacement.

Tobin

Blue water deco over 300' of water, and my SK7 won't turn because of pressure. When we got back on board it worked fine and I had no problem fixing it. 1st remove from the great DSS boot, 2nd make sure friends are watching so they will know how to fix, 3rd toss overboard aprox. halfway between Catalina and mainland, I've had no problems with replacement SK7, but if I do I'll repeat steps 1-3. How's the battery going?

[TobinGeorge]

Blue water deco over 300' of water, and my SK7 won't turn because of pressure. When we got back on board it worked fine and I had no problem fixing it. 1st remove from the great DSS boot, 2nd make sure friends are watching so they will know how to fix, 3rd toss overboard aprox. halfway between Catalina and mainland, I've had no problems with replacement SK7, but if I do I'll repeat steps 1-3.

Works every time

How's the battery going?

Great, the first two are done, and are being capacity tested. Looking very strong.

Tobin

[JS1scuba]

Blue water deco over 300' of water, and my SK7 won't turn because of pressure. When we got back on board it worked fine and I had no problem fixing it. 1st remove from the great DSS boot, 2nd make sure friends are watching so they will know how to fix, 3rd toss overboard aprox. halfway between Catalina and mainland, I've had no problems with replacement SK7, but if I do I'll repeat steps 1-3. How's the battery going?

Rather than toss in the ocean for some sea lion to eat it -- take on deck and beat to shreads with your Green Force Light .... then put in trash can so it can become part of landfill somewhere.

[karlschubertcpa]

definitely

[AzTek Diver]

Rather than toss in the ocean for some sea lion to eat it -- take on deck and beat to shreads with your Green Force Light .... then put in trash can so it can become part of landfill somewhere.

I'm kind of like the navy, I figure if you dump it in deep enough water it doesn't count. But if the sea lion wants it bad enough to chase it down about a 1000', I think he deserves it.

[airsix]

Karl, I think what he's saying is that at depth the magnetic card (equivalent of a needle on other compasses) would not turn to indicate direction. I'm guessing the compass had a good size bubble in it, otherwise it should not be affected by pressure.

-Ben

[karlschubertcpa]

definitely