TDI Beach Hunter already going back for repairs

[sws33]

I noticed the other day what appeared to be condensation on the inside of the control housing. I wrote it off as it seemed to disappear about as quickly as it appeared. The new machine has never been submerged to detect, only dunked to rinse off the sand and saltwater. Well, a couple days ago I took it to the beach and decided to dunk it and leave it submerged for a few seconds to see what would happen. After taking it out of the water I started detecting. After about 3 or 4 minutes there were two definite condensation pockets on the inside of the control housing. Not good. And just as the beach season gets underway. Up until now I have had nothing but great things to say about the machine, I hope this isn't going to become a regular thing. Every other water machine I've owned was used prior to purchase so I've always crossed my fingers and hoped for the best and have had great luck. Now I decide to go out and dump a bunch of cash on a brand new machine, and it leaks. Hopefully the repair will be quick and I'll be back on the beach before the season ends.

 

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[Irishgoldhound]

That’s a disappointment. I’m sure they’ll have her back to you in no time, ready to go back in the water. Can’t wait to hear how it goes. Good luck !

 

[Irishgoldhound]

Have you got your TDI back yet?

 

[sws33]

Was told yesterday it was shipping out. Should have it in a day or two

 

[Irishgoldhound]

That’s awesome! What did they say happened to it?

 

[Irishgoldhound]

Would love to hear also how well the TDI Hunter does on chains and bracelets if you ever do a test or if you happen to find. Thanks and I hope the gold starts pouring in.

 

[sws33]

I got the TDI Beach Hunter back a couple weeks ago but hadn't been able to use it till yesterday and today and guess what, yep, it still has a leak in the control house case. when they shipped back they had painted the coil up with something saying it was leaking as well as a replacement for the o-ring and a air test leak which it supposedly passed. all I know is I dunked it in the ocean today to rinse sand off of it and a few seconds later the inside of the case was filled with condensation, again. As far as the machine goes operating wise, I absolutely love it. It is super deep and insanely stable in terrible black sand beaches. unfortunately I bought it so I could get it wet and him now forced to use it as a wet sand dry sand machine. Kind of unacceptable for a $1,200 machine. I say forced to use it that way because I refuse to continue to send it back to the factory for a free repair that cost me $30 to ship it out every time. And don't get me started on the three to four weeks I'm sitting around with my thumb up my butt not being able to detect. And it actually does detect chains quite well. I've pulled a couple of small sections of chain that have broken in the five to six inch range with tiny little links maybe a couple inches long at most. If you're looking for a really deep, easy-to-use pi machine for the beach then this would be an excellent choice. if you're looking to get it wet however, I cannot recommend it.

 

[sws33]

Or maybe I just got a lemon

 

[Flipperfla]

I was a camcorder/camera tech for many years and have repaired dozens of cameras with water intrusion. The number one priority was to power the unit down, pull the battery and flush the camcorder with fresh water to get the saltwater out. If I didn’t receive the camera within 24 hours it was a 50-50 shot. I would get a 5 gallon bucket of freshwater and drop it in dunking it 4-5 times, now your on the clock to get it completely disassembled, hit all the boards and mechanics with a heat gun until the were hot to evaporate all the moisture them flush out the unit with Freon. Disassemble and clean all the lenses,dust all the board and connectors with Deoxit5, relube the chassis then put the unit back together.
If your unit has had saltwater intrusion and the circuitboards were not coated and sealed, you have a time bomb on your hands. Destined to fail. IMO I would get with the company and request a new unit, there is obviously and other issue. I also purchased a Beachhunter years ago and I had a similar issue. First time I took it snorkeling it flooded. Jumped back in the boat and made a beeline to the boatramp, took it back to my truck, pulled the cases apart flushed it out with 2 bottles of water then laid it on my dashboard in pieces all day and let the sun bake it. When I got home I dusted the boards and upon inspecting the housing you could see where the o ring was not properly installed during assembly. Reassembled, lubed and reseated the o-ring and it was good to go. I never trusted it after that so I sold it, I told the buyer what happened and he was good with it before He bought it. Here is a pix of my bench. Good luck with your issue, and you are correct it should not be happening to a $1200 machine.

 

[sws33]

Since the machine is still under warranty I am not going to tear it apart to dry it out. I'm sure I would void the warranty if I disassembled it. I have called them and left a message with the service manager and also messaged them with my issues requesting a new unit as opposed to another repair job. I haven't heard back from them yet but we will see. At this point I kind of hope it does flood in gets completely trashed so that it has to be replaced.

 

[sws33]

Of course they'll probably just replace all the electronics on the inside and send it back in the leaky box it came in.

 

[Flipperfla]

Definately don’t do what I did, they will void your warranty in a second if you are not a factory authorized tech. Good luck with your issue. If they are a good company with good customer service they will stand behind their product and want a happy camper for a customer.

 

[sws33]

Not sure what to think now, I took it to the beach this morning and dunked it several times and had no issue with condensation inside the case. I put the detector inside my kitchen sink last night and weighed it down submerged for a couple of hours. Not sure why that would have helped but I am sure there was condensation in all four corners of the control housing box the other day when I left the beach. I guess I will keep my fingers crossed and use it as is.

 

[Carl-NC]

Probably they put a desiccant packet inside to absorb residual moisture, and it may have needed a little time to do so.

 

[smokeythecat]

Carl-Nc probably is correct. This is the year of the leaking machines.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

Could be just moisture build up from temp change of cool water on outside of housing and the warmer temp on inside of housing. Probably not leaking water but slight condensation might happen sometimes I would imagine. You could ask them when they call you back if they put moisture packs inside or if condensation in normal when put in water.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

...otherwise I would try my best to get them to give you a completely new TDI.

 

[RustyGold]

They should definitely take care of it. Good luck!

 

[sws33]

Well, took it back to the beach again today and dunked it. Yep, more condensation in all four corners. I called White's service department to see about getting a replacement for this detector and was told that request has been denied. They are, however, happy to send a free UPS label to ship it back for another repair. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the free repair and shipping label but come on, a $1,200 brand new detector with not only a leaky control housing but also a leaky coil and they won't replace it. So I guess I'm stuck in a vicious cycle of using it for a day or two then sending it off for repair and not detecting for a month. Disgusting. My original plan was to wait for the Fisher impulse AQ 2 come out but when I found out it had only a 1 meter underwater rating I opted for the White's TDI Beach Hunter. Should have waited after all, three feet of waterproof is way better than not waterproof at all.

 

[Irishgoldhound]

Sorry to hear they won’t replace it. Maybe if you say you want your money back for a different detector so you won’t be stranded without for a month.