Log/Depth display fogged up.

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jakeroyd

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I have a Raymarine ST30 speed/depth instrument.
It's always fogged up a bit but this year seems particularly bad. There are moisture droplets on the inside of the glass , so bad you can not read it.
It's working fine.
I know this does happen , the manual tells you to turn the night time illumination onto it's high setting to drive it out.
I have tried this but it does not do much good.
By the end of a warm day it's still half fogged but readable.
AFAIK water is not getting into the case.
I guess it breathes via a port on the mounting face , AFAIK it looks clear.

Any ideas please ?

TIA
 
My Echo-pilot dual does it .... mainly because I opened it up to replace the backlight LED's. I chose a warm dry day. Fine. Put back together, refitted into bulkhead .... next time out sailing water drops inside display face.

So dismantle again ... smallest Silica-Gel sachet I could find inserted in and then closed up again. Reason was opening on a warm day - more moisture in air. Air / face cools - water drops out of that air trapped inside. Silica Gel will help prevent it.
 
Pull it out, stick it on top of your water heater or some other warm and dry place for a few days, don't let it coll overnight.

When you see no sign of moisture, seal off any joist that 'may" the leak and re install.

Add some moisture crystals if you can get inside it.

Good luck
 
A few years ago my ST50 fogged up very badly and eventually the readout went haywire. I thought I would need to buy a replacement - not cheap, but a friend suggested putting it in the oven (electric oven) on a low heat. A few hours of cooking seemed to work. Still OK two years later.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Pull it out, stick it on top of your water heater or some other warm and dry place for a few days, don't let it coll overnight.

When you see no sign of moisture, seal off any joist that 'may" the leak and re install.

Add some moisture crystals if you can get inside it.

Good luck

[/ QUOTE ]

Whilst I have the greatest respect for oldsaltoz's consistently practical and good advice I'd suggest ignoring the last part. You'll find a little pinhole underneath the face of the instrument, designed to accommodate expansion. If you block this you'll probably get water into the PCB, which could corrode that and that will be expensive. That's why Raymarine don't claim their instruments to be waterproof.

If in doubt phone Raymarine Customer Service on 02392 693611 X 2029 in the afternoon and speak to one of the service engineers.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Pull it out, stick it on top of your water heater or some other warm and dry place for a few days, don't let it coll overnight.

When you see no sign of moisture, seal off any joist that 'may" the leak and re install.

Add some moisture crystals if you can get inside it.

Good luck

[/ QUOTE ]

Whilst I have the greatest respect for oldsaltoz's consistently practical and good advice I'd suggest ignoring the last part. You'll find a little pinhole underneath the face of the instrument, designed to accommodate expansion. If you block this you'll probably get water into the PCB, which could corrode that and that will be expensive. That's why Raymarine don't claim their instruments to be waterproof.

If in doubt phone Raymarine Customer Service on 02392 693611 X 2029 in the afternoon and speak to one of the service engineers.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to also add - that putting on top of a heater and a Water Heater at that is not best way. You are introducing a high moisture climate to it. Yes the display will clear nicely until a blast of cold air hits it ....

Best is if it can be put in a sealed box with lots of silica gel packets similar to a dessicant jar in a lab ... but that's impractical for most people.

So you really need to find a dry air place even if temp is not that high - the lack of humidity will drag out moisture. If the instrument really has a membrane - then it sounds like membrane could be shot.
Trouble really is that near all domestic places that are warm for drying are also humid ... so the cooling of has to be extremely slow and controlled .... so if you have any silica gel packets from gear sent to you in past ... a lot of electronics has them in the packing ... a simple plastic bag with gel packets in and the instrument straight after warming ... close it off with as little air in as possible and let it cool down with gel hopefully absorbing the moisture that drops out.
 
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