Condensation On Meridian Screen

[+paulamur]

Today, I was Geocaching on the Oregon coast and noticed what I first th.f ought was a smudge on the screen of my 2 week old Meridian Gold. It wasn't a smudge it was condensation under the screen. I had been out of the vehicle for only about 5 minutes at this point, and the battery cover had only been off the night before.

 

Has anyone else experienced this, or heard of this? This unit has never been in the water, or even gotten wet.

[+tflight]

Even if it had been in the water or gotten wet the Meridian is supposed to be waterproof certified to IEC-529 IPX7 standards. Since it is so new I'd take it back to where you purchased it and ask them for assistance/exchange. For condensation to form you either need to allow water to get in or allow most air inside of it to cool and condense... Neither of which should happen in a waterproof device.

[+paulamur]

Yeah, that was my thought also. Just wanted to know if anyone else had heard or experienced this. Good thing is I bought it at Wal-mart so returning it won't be a problem.

[+bear&fox]

It's happened to me as well - it could be a case of humid air - most homes are very humid - when you changed the batteries. If you then place the unit in cold air the moisture forms on the inside of the casing. I wouldn't worry too much about it unless it starts affecting performance. I think most units have a 'breather' - a small hole which will allow air to exchange, but too small for water to enter. You may want to ask the dealer about this, as it could be blocked.

[dave and jaime]

It's happened to me as well - it could be a case of humid air - most homes are very humid - when you changed the batteries. If you then place the unit in cold air the moisture forms on the inside of the casing. I wouldn't worry too much about it unless it starts affecting performance. I think most units have a 'breather' - a small hole which will allow air to exchange, but too small for water to enter. You may want to ask the dealer about this, as it could be blocked.

 

the holes arent for allowing air to exchange(as noted warm moist air colling would essentially allow it to rain inside unit) rather they are located in prxomity tio a diaphram that prevents the case from imploding when there is a drop in pressure.

 

to meet the 'water-proofness' the case must also prevent the exchange of air. bottom line--unit is defective and if in warrenty ought be replaced

Edited August 23, 2005 by dave and jaime

[+phantom4099]

hmm, this may be a little unconventional, but when I experience this I take the battery cover off and suck air out throught the SD slot... seems to remove the moisture from the screen for me and I have not had any other problems with the GPSr...

 

Wyatt W.

[+embra]

Following Wyatt's suggestion, I would think that taking off the battery cover and sticking the unit in a warm (not hot) oven for 15 minutes would dry it out pretty good. Assuming that the seals are intact, this approach should take care of things and would be less hassle than returning the unit. OTOH, if you just bought it and it's relatively easy to exchange, why not?

[+EScout]

It is not that difficult to open and close again. I did it to mine when I had the battery terminal problem when I first got it. Since I do not like to return things for minor issues and I like to open things and look around, I would open it and run a hair dryer over it (gently), and re-assemble.

[+megamapper]

Today, I was Geocaching on the Oregon coast and noticed what I first th.f ought was a smudge on the screen of my 2 week old Meridian Gold. It wasn't a smudge it was condensation under the screen. I had been out of the vehicle for only about 5 minutes at this point, and the battery cover had only been off the night before.

 

Has anyone else experienced this, or heard of this? This unit has never been in the water, or even gotten wet.

 

I actually had water in my Lowrance PhD. It's spoze to be waterproof (IPX7) as well... ***NOT****

 

I used a hair dryer on low fan, high heat to heat the GPS up so that no more condensation was visible.

 

Next I put it into a foodsaver jar (a jar with a hose that hooks up to a foodsaver) and sucked the air out of the jar and GPS. I had quite a bit of water in my GPS, so it took me about 5 hours.

 

The GPS works great again. The Foodsaver took the pressure from 29 HG down to 8 HG. Yeah the PhD has a barometer, which works fine too ! !

 

Regards,

---- Robb ---

 

Or you could take your GPS back.