Do any of you use caulking or silicone to seal the coil to the coil cover so sand does not get in? If so, what type of sealant are you using ? Thanks Mike
I have used it on both of my excalibur units and on my se and sd2200 gold detector.
Make sure the coil cover is clean and what i did is make a thick bead inside the coil cover sides all around then put the cover on the coil and hold a little pressure so the cover is on all the way and the extra sealant will come out.
And with a small carboard or anything run it around the outside and inside of coil to make sure the sealant is smoothed evenly.
This brand sealant has held up over a year at the beach and surf with no problems.
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
I used to use silicone sealant (bathtub caulk) around the gap of the coil cover till black sand got in through a small crack in the sealant to mess things up. It was heck to remove the cover to clean it out. Now I use Marine epoxy on the coil. This is Max of VA's idea and it works great.
Another idea is to just tape on the coil cover and then remove it after each hunt to remove the black sand if you think you might want to sell the unit some day.
The silicone sealant that i use is different than bathtub caulk.
This sealant made buy Liquid nails is a clear sealant, Clearer than silicone.
Its a all purpose sealant,
Stays crystal clear- Will not yellow-"Weather-proof" seal
Excellent Adhesion and "Flexibilty"
The caulk sandman refers to i would not want to use either, But this clear seal by Liquid nails has not failed under the powerfull surf conditions i have detected in.
Also has a 50 year durability label.
And when i sent my excalibur to Minelab to have changes done the service department liked what i did and the way it has sealed.
Over a year now and the silicone still maintains a strong bond and shows no signs of breaking down like normal silicone would,.
Comes in a 5 1/2 fl oz tube enough to do two coils
I just sent my ex cal. ll in for repairs and while I had the rep from Minelab on the phone I asked that very question. I was told that epoxy will void the warranty and they said to use silicone....
Like Sandman said, if you ever want to sell the unit, there are many who will not buy if it has been permanently sealed. I myself would not buy as I would have no way of knowing if the sealed cover is covering a damaged coil.
FloridaBill got same answer I got when I emailed Minelab asking about epoxy, it voids the warranty if it is still under one.
I'm paraphrasing what Beckson says about installing their plastic portholes: Do use pure silicone caulk. You will be able to remove it when the time comes. Don't use 3M 5200 of similar polysulfide. It's TOO strong and nothing removes it except hammer and chisel.