hobodiver 0 Posted June 16, 2010 I bought a used housing recently, and it came with some spare unused orings. The dates on the oring packages seem to indicate that they are about 3 years old. Is that too old? Should I just buy new ones and use those instead? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ornate_wrasse 0 Posted June 16, 2010 I bought a used housing recently, and it came with some spare unused orings. The dates on the oring packages seem to indicate that they are about 3 years old. Is that too old? Should I just buy new ones and use those instead? Although you don't state the brand of housing, I wouldn't think that 3 yr old o rings would be "too old". After all, they don't have Expiration Dates like food where they go bad after the Expiration Date. A lot depends, though, on how they were stored. For example, if they were stored underneath a pile of heavy books that might have flattened them, I would toss them in a heartbeat. But if they were stored under normal conditions, they are probably OK. I would definitely check them, however, for nicks and cracks and if they were present, I would not use them. I've had an extra o ring for my Subal for at least that amount of time and I wouldn't hesitate to use it. That being said, if you are still concerned about it, go ahead and purchase a new o ring. They are relatively inexpensive and would ensure peace of mind especially on an expensive dive trip. Hope that helps, Ellen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bvanant 195 Posted June 16, 2010 I bought a used housing recently, and it came with some spare unused orings. The dates on the oring packages seem to indicate that they are about 3 years old. Is that too old? Should I just buy new ones and use those instead? A lot depends on the kind of o-ring and the package it was stored in. If they are silicone rubber o-rings then they will outlive you and me. If they are the normal black rubber rings, and they were in a plastic bag and you live where there is smog (like LA) I would pitch them and get new. Ozone is a killer of most kinds of rubber but not much will harm silicone. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRC 2 Posted June 17, 2010 FWIW Three years would not bother me - some of the rings in my local bearing shop are older than that (I know that by the price that they charge!). This is assuming that they have been stored and not left say loose in the bottom of your toolbox for three years (though I have on occasion rooted around in that very place for a 'spare' and had success..... Silicone O rings are a subject on their own and are far from being a magic bullet to cure all, they have issues of their own that make nitrile behaviour look very attractive. Paul C Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fotoscubo714 0 Posted June 17, 2010 For the price of the o-rings (and one less thing to worry about), I would toss those and start anew. Penny wise and pound foolish. Doesn't pay to be cheap on these things. - Bo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hobodiver 0 Posted June 17, 2010 For the price of the o-rings (and one less thing to worry about), I would toss those and start anew. Penny wise and pound foolish. Doesn't pay to be cheap on these things. - Bo Well that's mostly what I did. It's an Ikelite housing, and I've already swapped the o-rings with new ones I purchased for the back, port, and strobe. Unfortunately, I only ordered one of the o-rings for the Sync cable connectors, so I have a new one and one that is 3 years old. I don't want to swap just one, as I'll never remember which one I swapped. I also hate to order a $5 part and pay $5 in shipping. The ones I got with it have been sitting in their plastic bag, so I'm assuming they're probably OK. And I've been using the ones already on the sync cable already, which might be just as old. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
