After only a few water hunts, the AT Pro is dead :(

[CoilToTheSoil]

Got the unit as a gift for Christmas and have only had it out a handful of times. I primarily use my deus for land and now that the seasons warmed up I've begun taking the ATP on water hunts. 2 river hunts under her belt and this weekend a beach hunt.
Spent about 4 hours off and on on dry sand and chest deep. Was submerged 0-2ft sustained for probably 2 hours. Ran somewhat decently with the factory coil, some falsing even after balancing and dropping the sens but from what I read nothing out of the ordinary.
Washed her down when I got home and put her away. Went to go out on a hunt this evening and pressed the power key. A single faint beep, all lcd signals appeared dim then faded out. Removed the batteries checked for any water intrusion from the obvious areas and can't figure it out. Just dead. Tried 3 sets of various brands of new batteries to no avail. Here she sits, quiet and sullen. Going to call garrett tomorrow and hopefully they can do something for me. I'm 3 coils and 2 headsets invested into this bugger, hate to think my waterproof machine isn't waterproof

 

[CoilToTheSoil]

Anyone else had an issue like this?

 

[BigWaveDave]

Did you grease the o-rings with silicone?

 

[CoilToTheSoil]

No sir, they had plenty on them

 

[BigWaveDave]

The lubricant on the o rings from Garrett is minimal, a thicker goop, from the advice of those before me, is recommended.
I put a generous amount at the battery housing, and the 2 connections for the coil and headphones...
My guess is there was some salt water intrusion, and in the time between hunts, she pooped out...
Not saying for sure, just a guess....either way, you will be ok...Garrett will tighten it up...

 

[Sandman]

Another AT Pro sucks water.

 

[John-Edmonton]

Was the detector hot and the water cold when you hosed it down after the hunt? If so, those conditions can produce a great negative pressure, possibly pulling some water into the machine..... That's just a guess? It sounds like the machine worked like it was supposed to in the water up until you finished the hunt. Perhaps it is the battery pack? Try putting your tongue on the and of the battery pack with 4 x AA batteries in it. You should feel a slight buzz on your tongue. Call Garrett and see what they can do for you. It is still under warranty and Garrett has very good customer service. Good luck!

I know of some detectors costing 3 x as much as the AT Series which are often leaking. I always take extra care when using any of my machines in the water. A visual check and a quick hand tight test of all the connectors is a must. Never put a hot coil/machine in cold water. Cool the machine off first in the shade if it is hot from being in the car or the sun.

Good luck! Let us know how it works out for you.....

 

[nsdq]

Had a sim issue with my 150 , slight corrosion on the contact from batt to circuit board , wiped it with crocus cloth and little bit of grease good to go, now no clue how the AT is put together with the water proof seals , betting sim issue , but send it back for warranty work

 

[CoilToTheSoil]

Unit had been sitting inside for a few hours before rinsing it off, battery pack is good. They gave me an rma to send it in for evaluation / repair. Hope it's resolved the first go round and doesn't crop up again.

 

[jadocs]

I just got an AT Pro this afternoon, during assembly I had to try a few times to seat the connector for the coil properly (it wasn't easy). It is possible to connect it partially and still tighten the lock ring. Do you think it's possible that yours was not fully seated (to the shoulder of the connector) thereby allowing a little water to seep in when you submerged it?

 

[Fletch88]

I believe that the headphone and coil jacks have o-rings to keep water out of the jack itself which can lead to corrosion inside the connector. Most connectors like this will not allow water intrusion into the actual housing itself. Anyone confirm or deny this?

 

[CoilToTheSoil]

That was my understanding too. After opening the battery compartment and placing my lips around the jack connectors and blowing air into them despite any and all efforts air pressure will not "leak down" as far as I can tell into the connectors themselves. This leads me to believe they would obviously be water tight too
This would mean the possible areas of fault would be where the plug body passes through the housing, the battery compartment gasket, the faceplate gasket, and possibly the speaker seal or cone itself

 

[jadocs]

I believe that the headphone and coil jacks have o-rings to keep water out of the jack itself which can lead to corrosion inside the connector. Most connectors like this will not allow water intrusion into the actual housing itself. Anyone confirm or deny this?

They do, but when I initially put mine together, I found that it takes a little finagling (effort) to get the jack to seat all the way down to the shoulder (there is a shoulder on the jack) before tightening the lock ring.

 

[PAScott]

Garrett will make it right. Customer service is great. They basically gave me a new metal detector when mine began falsing after 2 years. Replaced the coil, circuits, and front panel. It was back to me in a week. Sounds like maybe something just went on it. I would think it would have been jumpy/chirpy if water had gotten in it. Either way i would put silicon gel around the o rings. Good luck.

 

[CoilToTheSoil]

Nearly $250 later and a replacement box and coil is on its way to me. Hopefully this one will last longer than 3 water hunts...

 

[BigWaveDave]

$250 bucks!
No warranty?

 

[jadocs]

Yeah I can't believe Garrett charged him since the water got in through the faceplate and not through any negligence.

 

[finderskeepers]

Nearly $250 later and a replacement box and coil is on its way to me. Hopefully this one will last longer than 3 water hunts...

OUCH!!

 

[TheCaribbeanDigger]

I'm thinking on probably getting another detector, NOT a Garrett. I'm feeling devastated. I mean c'mon it's not a 200$ purchase and I bought it with the idea of using it on land/water hunts. But now I know it ain't fully submersible. If you get caugh in rain? Yes it'll survive but again, they advertise it as a waterproof machine but will only survive a couple of dives? Like I said on my Dead ATP thread "they should rename the machine from "water proof" to "water resistant"!

 

[jadocs]

I saw a post somewhere where an individual replaced his faceplate because it was damaged. Garrett actually sent him the part. Does the faceplate actually pop off somehow? If so I wonder if we could pop it off and seal it somehow as a preventive measure.