My lights went swimming. **E2DL Fixed**

So last night I was hanging out with some of my girlfriends friends. Luckily they had an 8 foot deep in ground pool.

When night came around I realized the pool had no lights. Then I remembered I brought a few of my own and decided to go swimming with them. Alcohol had something to do with it I'm sure.

I took my Surefire E1B and E2DL and my Fenix TK10. They were all underwater for a good 2 hours.

When I got home I took them all apart to clean them and see if I had done any damage. I swapped the tailcaps on my E1B and E2DL. The E1B, with E2DL tailcap, was acting very strange. It was having some problems clicking. The results weren't good

The Fenix TK10 was completely dry on the inside. Everything works fine. It just got a bath.

The SureFire E2DL, with E1B tailcap, was also dry. Everything kept the water out.

The SureFire E1B, with E2DL tailcap, was not dry. When I took the bezel off there were a few drops of water. Nothing significant. It kept most of the water out, but a small amount seeped through somewhere. I think I know where too.

Most of the water was behind the batteries at the tailcap. Taking the tailcap apart I relized the actual clicking mechanism in the E2DL tailcap had water in it. I know that SureFires change modes via something in the bezel and don't think there is anything electronic (like a chip) in the tailcap. Hopefully when the water drys out it will come back to how it is supposed to be.

A little warning to all of you E2DL owners. I'm almost sure the water came in through the tailcap somehow so you might want to be a little careful. The tailcap was screwed on very tight but there is a chance it got in there too.

I don't think there will be any long term damage, but I'm a little weary.

Note* Never take the spring off. It's a PITA to get back on.

Re: My lights went swimming.

Just a thought, but the clicky that took on pool water, I'd rinse it out with fresh water real good before allowing it to dry. Not sure if the chlorine residue would hurt anything but it sure couldn't hurt to get rid of it.

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Hey Search, How deep was the pool or was there too much alchy involved to remember Just wondering (about the pool depth that is)!

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Man, if I ever go caving, I'm gonna take lights that are specifically rated for dive use, so I can feel confident they'll keep out all water/mud/gunk.

It seems like it's just random luck of the draw otherwise on what's REALLY waterproof and what's not.

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8 feet. They all spent time at the bottom because we were playing games down there. Drop them and find them.

It's been almost 24 hours and the clicker is still acting funky. Maybe I need to order a new one

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yep...

I learned long ago that there's something about the E2D [preE2DL days] tailcap being a little fishy, first is the intermittent contact then it became a matter of leaking water through the boot. I know this because I've once wrapped scotch tape around the gap between the body and the tailcap and STILL has water entry upon inspection...

I wonder if its the fault of the rubber or simply a bad retaining ring, but either way I stopped taking E2D tails for swims.

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Sounds like a fun time, (lighting up a pool with torches) I'll have to try it sometime Anyways, I hope your E2DL gets working fine again.

Re: My lights went swimming.

Search said:

So last night I was hanging out with some of my girlfriends friends. Luckily they had an 8 foot deep in ground pool.

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Search
8 feet. They all spent time at the bottom because we were playing games down there. Drop them and find them.

Click to expand...

I gotta say, this does sound interesting.

Re: My lights went swimming.

Roberts30 said:

Sounds like a fun time, (lighting up a pool with torches) I'll have to try it sometime Anyways, I hope your E2DL gets working fine again.

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you should see lights underwater with red and blue filters along with a 5 gallon bucket of dry ice...

just don't breathe too much of that stuff in...

Re: My lights went swimming.

Hmm, I might have to get me some filters for my solarforce..

Re: My lights went swimming.

It was very fun indeed. Especially trying to find stuff with them.

However, the E1B tailcap worked fine. The E2DL tailcap did not.

Future warning, if you have a stock tailcap on a E2D or E2DL, be careful with water.

So far mine is getting better, but still fishy.

Re: My lights went swimming.

8 feet for 2 hours is pretty deep and pretty long. Thats about as deep as my lungs can take me without fins. Most tropical sport / recreational diving is done within the first ~30-40 feet of the surface for 15-20 minute intervals. So 8 feet/2 hours is nothing to scoff at.

The deepest/longest I have submerged my 6P is 4 feet/10 minutes.

I have used common tap water to rinse out click switch mechanism. I blot them dry with a towel, spray/soak them with electronic parts cleaner and dry them with a hairdryer. I re-lube them with the light oil from my hair trimmer kit.

Was it a chlorine pool or sodium chloride chemistry? The former (in high enough concentration) can dissolve light oils. Its possible the chlorine in the switch degraded the oil in the clicky mechanics, causing it to seize. its possible a little light oil might be all it takes to free up the stuck parts.



**edit**
Night swimming with flashlights is really fun... I totally encourage anyone to give it a try. Just make sure your light is water tight.

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I just ordered a Solarforce L2 with a Cree R2 drop in, I was wondering if anyone has ever submerged this light?

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Lol so the TK10 outperformed the E2DL this time.
Surefire fans are so going to jump in and defend them.
But of course it could be a one off thing.

Re: My lights went swimming.

strinq said:

Lol so the TK10 outperformed the E2DL this time.
Surefire fans are so going to jump in and defend them.
But of course it could be a one off thing.

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my L1T-V2 was water tight. Its one of the lights I'd give to my daughter in the pool. She can't swim yet though so its mainly surface wading and splashing. I told her just to click it on and off... and not to loosen the caps or water will get inside and ruin it.

Re: My lights went swimming.

Roberts30 said:

I just ordered a Solarforce L2 with a Cree R2 drop in, I was wondering if anyone has ever submerged this light?

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Rob here's my shipping department guys taking a dip w/ their L2's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtjn7l-GkoU

Re: My lights went swimming.

Roberts30 said:

I just ordered a Solarforce L2 with a Cree R2 drop in, I was wondering if anyone has ever submerged this light?

Click to expand...

I've got an L2-R2 sitting in front of me now. The tailcap, tailcap to body, and lens all seem to be water tight (can't pass air through them) but it leaks a little air between the bezel and body. The interesting part is that if I unscrew the bezel a couple turns, it seals up.

I guess what I'm getting at is that I wouldn't take it right out of the package and throw it in the pool but it should be possible to get it to seal up good (as evidenced by jake25's post which I missed while typing this one).

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If i were you, i would see if surefire would replace it under their warranty. i think they now say that their lights are resistant to some level. You should look into it.

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i was wondering if the grease from the lights would "contaminate" the pool...:thinking:

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I'm pretty SureFire biased but I don't know if it was my lego or just the tailcap itself.

I think it's water resistant, just not water proof. Which is what they state.

It's still acting a little funny however it's improved 90%. Hopefully in the morning it will be just fine.

We are having a pool installed this Thursday. Hopefully in less than two weeks I'll be able to continue more flashlight swimming. It's an 8 footer also.

As long as the bezel keeps water out I'm happy. I would hate for the light to go out and look in the lens and see water

This time I'll take the PD30 to strobe some unlucky underwater swimmer