Dunk Testing Lights...

[Atomic_Chicken]

Greetings!

I plan on doing some "dunk testing" on my waterproof lights, to see which ones really are waterproof and which ones are marketing victims. I plan on using a long shoebox-sized plastic container, filled with about 4" of distilled water (so no residue gets on the flashlights from hard water deposits). I plan on turning the lights on, then placing them in the water for an amount of time, then removing them, drying them, then turning them off.

My question is this: How long should I keep them under water to gain a pretty good confidence in their waterproofness under normal foul-weather conditions with allowance for the occasional drop into a stream or puddle? Less than a minute? Several minutes? Overnight?

What do you all think the test "duration" should be?

Best wishes,
Bawko

 

[65535]

Just take a shower and leave em in their while it fills with yoru "grey" shower water should be 5-60 minutes.

 

[Atomic_Chicken]

Greetings!

Just take a shower and leave em in their while it fills with yoru "grey" shower water should be 5-60 minutes.

I thought about showering with the lights, but I didn't want to do it that way for 3 reasons. First, I don't want to expose my lights to dirt, soap, etc. that might get them cruddy and dirty or worst - something that might react with the plastic of some lights. Second, I don't want to expose them to HOT water, which is what I shower in. That doesn't seem like "real-world" to me - it doesn't rain hot water out of the sky. Last, I wanted to do this testing as scientifically as possible, with the same water at the same temperature and depth for the same amount of time. That would be hard to do in a shower.

Thanks for the suggestion, though! Would you still recommend 5-60 minutes as a normal test if done outside of the shower?

Best wishes,
Bawko

 

[mossyoak]

you need something deeper to test them in. so there will be more water pressure.

 

[Atomic_Chicken]

Greetings!

you need something deeper to test them in. so there will be more water pressure.

Why? I don't plan on dropping my lights into a lake then go diving for them in real-world use... I think the worst thing that might happen is if I get caught in a rainstorm or drop one of them into the edge of a creek or puddle... or maybe lose one overnight at a camp site when it's raining.

Again, I'm trying to see whether or not my waterproof lights will perform under REAL-WORLD conditions based on my expected use - not pressure test them to 10,000 atmospheres in boiling nitric acid...

Best wishes,
Bawko

 

[carbine15]

I just use a clear glass of water and leave them there for an hour or so, then I turn them over and another hour. Then I dry them off and check for leaks.

 

[Oddjob]

I'd say leave them in for 6-8 hours to simulate being left at a rainy campsite overnight. Who knows, a light dropped out of pocket at a campsite could easily find its way into a depression where water could puddle.

 

[Burgess]

This IS a good idea, Atomic.


Would appreciate ANY real-world testing data on this subject.

We can all LOOK at our light, and rate it as "Dunkable",

but actual testing would certainly be handy to have.


Myself, i would suggest an hour, at least.

That oughta' give a good representation of how it will fare.

Just make sure the O-rings are properly lubed before you begin.




BTW, i've always wondered . . . .

Just how water-resistant IS the Mini-Mag 2AA flashlight ?

They've made "billions and billions" of 'em, over the past 22 years.

Anyone here have any good/bad experiences in this respect ?

(sorry, don't mean to hijack Atomic's thread. Honest!)

 

[carbine15]

minimag 2AA passed my two hour dunk tank test described above followed by 6 hours in the freezer with no ill effects. lights up just fine on alkalines no less.

 

[abvidledUK]

Why bother ?

If it happens, it happens.

And you'll have a spare with you, won't you !!

Nice of you to offer though...

And if any are NOT waterproof, you've knackered it, in a situation that may never arise.

Wasted, one torch.

Now then, cold & heat testing, that would be useful.

Perhaps not too cold, and not too hot. Real world temperatures.

 

[Atomic_Chicken]

Greetings!

Why bother ?

If it happens, it happens.

And you'll have a spare with you, won't you !!

Nice of you to offer though...

And if any are NOT waterproof, you've knackered it, in a situation that may never arise.

Wasted, one torch.

Now then, cold & heat testing, that would be useful.

Perhaps not too cold, and not too hot. Real world temperatures.

Why bother? Because I'm the type of individual who wants to know what I can realistically EXPECT from my equipment. Having a spare is no substitute for having functional equipment that will perform adequately under the conditions I anticipate subjecting it to.

A question for you: If you go camping, do you just go buy any old sleeping bag, tent, and flashlight that happens to go on sale that week then head out to the wilderness? Or do you try and find something that is actually WARM and won't fall apart the first time it touches dirt and wind?

I fail to see how you could consider hot/cold testing to be of value, yet see waterproof testing as something that shouldn't be "bothered" with.

I personally prefer that a light fail in a container of water during testing in my warm and illuminated home, rather than during a dark and stormy night while trying to take cover from a rainstorm with a keychain backup light that I've ALSO never tested as my backup light. Those are the kind of preconditions that disasters are made of.

Best wishes,
Bawko

 

[firefly99]

Just how water-resistant IS the Mini-Mag 2AA flashlight ?

They've made "billions and billions" of 'em, over the past 22 years.

Anyone here have any good/bad experiences in this respect ?

(sorry, don't mean to hijack Atomic's thread. Honest!)

There is a known case reported on Mag website, one of mag had gone through 2 wash cycle and 1 dry cycle.

 

[VidPro]

i can open up my lights and fill them with distilled water, and they will still function
its that salt water that can reek havoc. most lights are so low in voltage, that there isnt much change in getting the internals wet once. its when they corrode from that water.
so when water dunk testing, you gotta look inside and see if there is any moisture internally. seeing all the SALES junk showing a light in an aquarium (working), isnt really impressive, unless after you remove it there is no water in anything. including the switch that you cant neessisarily SEE if there is water in it.

 

[Concept]

Do you have a list of the lights that you will test?

 

[Glen C]

Bawko, we must think alike. I just did this last week with a Wolf Eyes Sniper, I turned the LED's on, put it in a glass on Monday and took it out Friday night when I saw the LEDs start to dim.

 

[Atomic_Chicken]

Greetings!

Do you have a list of the lights that you will test?

So far, these are what I have and what I plan on testing:

Surefire L1 (Old reflector version)
Surefire L2
Surefire Kroma (Civilian version)
Inova X1 (Old TIROS version)
Inova X1 (New reflector version)
Inova X5 (the REALLY original version - one sold in the first month of production)
Inova X02
Inova X03 (Old TIROS version)
Inova 24/7 Headlamp
CMG Infinity Ultra (Red LED)
River Rock 1AA 1W
River Rock 2AA 1.5W
Princeton Tec Impact XL
Nexxtech Shakelight/3AA Combo Light
Nightstar CS Shakelight
Nightstar Shakelight
Circuit City LED Diving Hand Torch
Hummer Tri-Power 3-LED AAA Torch
2 or 3 other lights I can't remember right now... I'll need to check to remember.

In addition, I'll probably be doing a test on some Fenix lights once they are ordered and arrive late Feb. - probably the P1D-CE and maybe the new 2-AA CE light (L2P-CE? I forget the name...)

Best wishes,
Bawko

 

[TORCH_BOY]

I just use an ice cream container filled with very warm distilled water, I chill the Flashlight then I dunk it in the warm water as the flashlight heats up the air inside expands I then gauge by the amount of bubbles leaving the Flashlight, also it shows
where the leak is.

 

[eebowler]

Because I'm the type of individual who wants to know what I can realistically EXPECT from my equipment

and that is exactly why when testing the waterproofness of my lights, I DROPPED them in much deeper water than I'd expect to find in a field situation. That way, I know that if I dropped them in water or had to 'swim' through water with my bag on (and my light/s inside it), they'd be safe.

The UK 4AA eLED is advertised to be waterproof up to a depth of 10 ft. I decided to test mine to make sure. The barrel had only about 18 in of water in it. I dropped the light into the water from a height of at most 2 ft with the light on and with the light off. At the end of the test, there was water inside of the light. Maybe mine was faulty. I ended up epoxying 3/4 of the vent at the tail end of the light.


To help you out, yes, a shoe box sized 'puddle' would be good however, you'd have to drop your light into the water since in the real world, that is exactly what would happen. You'd also have to drop the light at different angles such as flat, bezel first, tailcap first both with the light on and off since these are all real world possabilities.

Burgess: I don't know how waterproof exactly the minimag is but, it did survive my 18 in water test. I had the light on and moved my hand arround in the water and the internals were still dry.

 

[DM51]

The Catch-22 is that you can never be 100% certain how waterproof a light is without testing it until it stops working, and once that happens it is no use any more. By all means test it beyond what you will normally require of it, but you don't need to test it to a point where you are likely to wreck it completely.

For rugged use, a light that is advertised as waterproof should be able to survive a good soaking in a rainstorm, or being dropped into water, and still work. Your shallow tank idea would really only be part of a good test as it is static. I suggest you hold the light under a tap/faucet for a few minutes, turning the light on and off repeatedly in the running water. Then put it in your tank and leave it there for a while — an hour maybe, or overnight if you wish. Then repeat the running water test, this time with water that is hand-hot. Then let the light cool and see if you get any condensation on the inside of the lens. If there is no condensation, the light is probably OK. Dry it off and take it apart carefully. Examine the interior and see if any water has penetrated. If it is totally dry inside, and the light still works, it has passed a pretty good test, and you can EDC it with confidence.

If you want to take it swimming, snorkeling or diving, that is another matter — you will be introducing more severe factors such as pressure and salt corrosion. Go by what the manufacturer's user manual says. Dive lights are usually depth rated, with the rating erring on the conservative side, but bear in mind that even an ultra-tough dive-light rated for extreme depth could leak in just a couple of feet of water if its O-ring has not been routinely inspected and maintained.

 

[macforsale]

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