Inova T5 waterlogged [forget it, the head's destroyed]

[Illum]

I've recently bought a 2006 version [TIROS] T5 from a CPF user from BST.

Personally I love the beam profile from the TIROS optics, having owned a
couple XO[2] and XO3s. I loaded up the T5 and shined it around, the tint was wonderful and the beam was...well, very useable for me. No offense to the sellers, but by convention I have always relubed the lights and test their water resistance. After everythings set in the sink we go...

blub blub blub... I thought, <oh no...>

Clearly visible was a stream of bubbles rising from the boot, quickly dried it off, unlocked the tailcap, dumped the cells out...no water, hmmm :thinking:

The light still works, but by tomorrow morning the window is full of condensate and the TIROS/LED assembly can be seen filled with tiny droplets of water and the light refuses to work. I have tried heating it up using the blow dryer, setting it on a warm transformer over night, with no avail. I have, however, managed to get the light to flicker, but not the on/off you'd get with a dry light.

I'm afraid of calling inova because most likely a replacement, if sent, will be the reflector model

Currently I'm wondering whether it would be feasible to set the light in an oven and bake it without smoking the boot or the electronics..say around 100C for 10 minutes? Any ideas?

 

[Size15's]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged

Drying it out well will be a long slow process.

Ideally, one would put it in a desiccator but since these aren't usually found kicking about the place, one could try getting hold of a desiccant - a hygroscopic substance such as silica gel or montmorillonite clay.

Table salt and uncooked dry rice are alternatives although salt and water = possible corrosion so perhaps rice would be better.

It could take days, perhaps a couple of weeks to get the flashlight dry enough.

I used to work for a test lab and a lab desiccator worked overnight but I left the flashlight in for three nights to be sure. We weighed the desiccant before and after each day to see how much water it absorbed. On days 2 and 3 it wasn't enough to be certain and I wasn't interested enough to use a more accurate balance.

Good luck!

Al

 

[Lee1959]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged

I dropped the electronic key for my Journey in water and it took a few days in front of a fan to dry it out. I kept turning it so there were no places for water to keep laying. Good luck, I too like the Tiros and would hate to see one of my small stock of them wrecked.

 

[LIGHTSMAD]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged

just like to add, i have one of these lights, its one of my favorite lights! the build quality is amazing! im suprised you have this sort of problem.

i like it that much, i have pm'ed a few people about upgrading it, the problem is fitting a large led like the P7 into it, i just have to wait and see what the experts say!

 

[Illum]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged

Drying it out well will be a long slow process.

Ideally, one would put it in a desiccator but since these aren't usually found kicking about the place, one could try getting hold of a desiccant - a hygroscopic substance such as silica gel or montmorillonite clay.

I do have silica gel packs left around from packaging
Its applied by allowing it roll the grains into the flashlight body? or just stuff the pack in and let it sit? any heating required?

Lee1959, I've been doing just that, rolling the head while seating it on top of a blowdryer...it doesn't seem to work too well. I'm guessing is the body is hot enough to vaporize the tiny droplets but they would migrate to the optics which was colder than the body/shell...then recondense onto the body once the body cools. :shrug:

If this was a T4 at least I have the option of removing the head and dry it out myself:nana:

LIGHTSMAD, most likely I did something to the sort of trying the switch boot while its wet and that allowed water to flow inside
that or this was a major design flaw

 

[parnass]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged

I've recently bought a 2006 version [TIROS] T5 from a CPF user from BST.
.....No offense to the sellers, but my convention I have always relubed the lights and test their water resistance. After everythings set in the sink we go...

blub blub blub... I thought, <oh no...> ...

I'm afraid of calling inova because most likely a replacement, if sent, will be the reflectored model....

Sorry to learn of your water damaged Inova T5. I am fond of Inova lights and own several.

You would be lucky indeed if Inova sent you a replacement or performed a free repair if you told them you purposely submerged your old T5 flashlight. You tested the light beyond its advertised specifications. Most of Inova's T-series lights are advertised to be water resistant, not waterproof. (Inova states that the TIROS T4 is not even water resistant.)

The stainless steel ring, front O-ring, and glass window on the T4 and T5 bezel can be removed and replaced by the user. Inova sells a replacement kit. Have you removed the front glass window to aid in drying?

Please post your progress. Good luck.

 

[Size15's]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged

Since you've removed much of the moisture I don't see any harm in putting an amount of dry rice inside the flashlight body. Perhaps not cram it full, nor heat it to start with. Leave it for a few hours and remove the rice. repeat a few times with fresh rice and test. If no luck perhaps try gentle warming of the bezel end with the rice-filled body open at the other to see whether the moisture can be driven out and absorbed by the rice/escape to atmosphere...

I've not tried using rice and I'm not aware of any adverse consequences. Take care and if things look like they're going pear-shaped please don't blame me!

 

[Illum]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged

Rice will adsorb water if it contacts water, not moisture as far as I am aware of...but considering I eat rice as the basis of food I will have little trouble getting some and trying it out

 

[Illum]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged

I'm out of ideas :shrug:

I heated the head until I wasn't able to touch it, then I grabbed a pair of oven mittens then proceeded again to hairdryer the bezel along with the silica gel in the belly...
oo:
the light was hot enough for the rubber boot to unleash a wisp of smoke...okay, the rubber boot is removed and the heating continued
:sweat:
~15 minutes later...I turn the hairdryer off, then layed the light down and get a breather outside. Returned and did another cycle of heating the same manner of a glassworker heating a glass rod by rotating it above the propane flame.

I stuffed a rubber stopper in the tail, syringed it and tried to make a vacuum, severe air leak somewhere, most likely the side switch.
Took a light down the body...gee, that explains the body thickness, it was machined in this manner so that the bezel end is wider and everything is loaded from the front and "sealed" as such. By design I can't even freeze-pop it because of the side switch:shakehead:scowl:

Water flows right in when the boot is slightly depressed, leaving a gap big enough to stuff a dime through, and the water will reside between the switch clamshell and to the "bulkhead"

good news is...the light now works, everytime...just the tiny droplets on the window and optics severely degraded the output down to a jr. luxeon or less.:candle:

I think I might just brute force this one open by heating the bezel ring then ice water it...if the window goes it goes, I still kept an XO3s head afer I freezepopped it for a filed attempt at an LED swap, then try to put it back together have some manual drying.

Anyone here who have a T5 and had the issue before? looking at the design I'd expect this sort of thing to happen more frequently than the forum has indicated thusfar

EDIT: Finally got all of the droplets off the surfaces by cooking it face front on the mag85...until the entire optic melted into a blob, forcing the bezel loose. The only things recovered was the bezel ring, the glass window, the window o-ring, the bezel ring thread o-ring, the switch rubber boot, tailcap, and tail o-ring.

just on a mental note, I won't be buying another Inova T5 again...I'll just be sticking with their 2 cell lights.

 

[Guy's Dropper]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged [FORGET IT, It's been COMPLETELY DESTROYED]

Lol, the optic melted? Aren't those made out of solid glass?

Anyway, I agree with you that the Inovas with TIROS optics were the best. I wish there was an easier way to modify them. How am I supposed to get the bezel and lens back on the light after the light has been freezepopped? The Inova T1 and X03 would be my favorite hosts if I could modify them more easily. I'm really surprised that your T-5 leaked, because that design has always seemed so bulletproof to me. You should ask the seller if he did anything weird to it that might have facilitated the leakage.

 

[Illum]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged [FORGET IT, It's been COMPLETELY DESTROYED]

Lol, the optic melted? Aren't those made out of solid glass?

Anyway, I agree with you that the Inovas with TIROS optics were the best. I wish there was an easier way to modify them. How am I supposed to get the bezel and lens back on the light after the light has been freezepopped? The Inova T1 and X03 would be my favorite hosts if I could modify them more easily. I'm really surprised that your T-5 leaked, because that design has always seemed so bulletproof to me. You should ask the seller if he did anything weird to it that might have facilitated the leakage.

the optic is made of some sort of polycarbonate...I have a XO3 optic in front of me and it doesn't feel like glass whatsoever, in fact when I drop it theres a dull thud sound

considering the model was old and that the side switch's rubber boot could have been worn out due to normal usage the former owner may not have realized the issue at all, or that the bezel ring wasn't screwed in all the way that caused the leakage...either way I consider it my fault on this one. I had successfully got the water droplets out, but then I overdid it by placing the light on another, newly charged Mag85 with a more effective spot focus

as it turned out, there was a thread that specifically indicated the T5 bezel screws out: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?p=2728543
I should have just stuck with the strap wrench.

 

[A96Honda]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged [FORGET IT, It's been COMPLETELY DESTROYED]

LOL Oh man.
I never put the light in the water, so i had no idea.

 

[Yoda4561]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged [FORGET IT, It's been COMPLETELY DESTROYED]

Reminds me of the time I tried to repaint my mx700 mouse after the paint wore off. I used some brownell's alumahyde II I had laying around figuring it'd never wear out. Well I got tired of waiting a week for it to cure so I figured "abs plastic is good to 150... my oven goes that low...:twothumbs " well... it may average 150 but it sure as heck doesn't stay there the whole time, I got a twisted mess of mouse shell for my efforts

 

[Illum]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged [FORGET IT, It's been COMPLETELY DESTROYED]

LOL Oh man.
I never put the light in the water, so i had no idea.

it wasn't your fault [A96Honda is the one I bought the light from BTW], it would have had a very simple resolution if I had done my reading about the bezel being unscrewable rather than press-fit, then I would have suspected the leak to be more localized.

I've removed the rubber boot thinking if I heat the head up a bit the vapors would either vent through the side switch or through the tailcap. But since none of the vapors actually left the light I figured...the higher the temperature the greater the pressure

now that I think of it, water could have easily entered from the bezel with or without the side switch boot being faulty, and since the light is not temper evident, its definitely not your fault

it was a beautiful light while it lasted.:shrug:

heres what I have up to this point regarding what I've found so far. I'll upload some pics tonight of the light. for now with the given resources I have on a campus computer I can only rig up some sort of diagram using paint.


cheers.

 

[was.lost.but.now.found]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged [FORGET IT, It's been COMPLETELY DESTROYED]

I have a Dorcy that accidentally ended up in a laundry basket full of clothes headed for the washer. I think my then-18-month old son must have dropped it in while I was not looking. Anyway, I ended up with a completely water logged flashlight with a severly battered plastic reflector. the light has never been the same. It did for the most part dry out, but it took literally months I kid you not. Even when completely disassembled and left to dry, weeks later the switch would require exactly three clicks to engage. The light would also flicker and dim for weeks to months after complete drying.

The worst part was nearly six months later when it finally got back to nearly the original performance, I decided to remove the SMO reflector from the head to clean the dried water spots. Big mistake. The reflector is very poor quality and it apparently had some kind of coating for the smoothness - not actually polished. I removed most of the polish so I'm left with a not so smooth reflector that I doubt can be replaced.

 

[Cydonia]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged [FORGET IT, It's been COMPLETELY DESTROYED]

The T5 with side switch is weak. I recall reading complaints about the side switch in T5's breaking as well etc.,
Side switch lights are to be avoided IMHO. Sorry to hear your T5 got completely wiped out.
You were way to aggressive in trying to dry it out. You need to learn patience... grasshopper!

 

[Illum]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged [FORGET IT, It's been COMPLETELY DESTROYED]

heres the pics as promised, hosted in photobucket for those of you who are annoyed by imageshack

heres the o-rings on the body, not sure if you can read my handwriting as to where they belong to.

pictures of the bezel and glass



bezel thread


pictures of the switch, top down, towards the bezel, towards the tailcap...there are no seals below the rubber boot


the suspected defect boot was found to have no fissures or cracks anywhere on it...either that or my magnifying glass is defective


the TIROS was a mess, I believe the center of the optics vaporized, forming a bubble and blew out up front, where by the lower half of the dome collapsed in.

Theres a retention metal ring directly above the TIROS...If I can get that out I can replace the optic. and maybe restore the light. the driver seems to work fine but the switch is a still a bit temperamental...I'll let it sit for a little longer.

the only difference between the T4 and the T5 is this...dunno what you'd call it, metal insert? its snug and flush to the body, but it seemed like a good place for water to get in...or at least a good retention area.

I'll let the pics do the talking for now

 

[was.lost.but.now.found]

Re: Inova T5 waterlogged [FORGET IT, It's been COMPLETELY DESTROYED]

You were way to aggressive in trying to dry it out. You need to learn patience... grasshopper!

OMG!!! LOL, I'm sorry to have so much fun at your expense but that really is funny, good for you to be willing to show this off to the world and laugh about it.

 

[Illum]

not laughing too hard, but at least be humble and honest about your own mistakes

I had high hopes about this light before it went in the tub...and no, no Inova floats, if it floats...
it's an awesome baton light...worked better than the streamlight one...yes the one that uses 3 N cells

Anyone living in the US who thinks they can get the TIROS out, install a reflector...or whatever that would otherwise constitute as modding. PM me your address and I'll have it sent your way for free. Theres too much good stuff left in this light to throw it out, but I really do not know what to do with it given the available tools I have in my arsenal. :shrug: