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CTX 3030 battery seal leaking.

Apparently people have been having problems. I used mine again for about another 3-4 hours completely submerged in chest deep water with waves, current and sand. So far, so good.Just be very, very meticulous with that o-ring and the battery. You can use silicone grease and while it really makes it a pain in the ass to clean and re-charge the battery, it may be all that is needed to add that extra protection.

It seems to be a mixed bag, but it is always easier to complain about something than it is to praise something. That is just human nature, at least for the humans I have spent most of my life around. Here's to everyone having a good DRY ctx-3030! Now go get some gold.
 
I rinse the battery box real well before I disconnect to charge,pull the gasket and rinse,then clean the groove with an old tooth brush. I don't silicone the gasket but put a light coat around the edge of the battery box..The things been under water for hours at a time,I've been hit by waves that knocked my earphones off and no water inside..
 
I have mainly relic hunted with mine, beach hunted some and hit the water very briefly so not enough time to tell about leaking.

Common sense tells me if one of the guys on here uses his all the time with no issues and lays out his method for how he does it, then I will follow in his footsteps when I do hit the water again.

I am wondering if just a slightly fatter gasket would help?

I know it is a pain and should not leak but look at other manufacturers and water machines are always prone to leak.

I had a brand new Fisher CZ 20 that I took on a maiden voyage on a weeks vacation cruise. First stop was The Bahamas. 10 minutes into the hunt I see some bubbles come up from my machine and then it went dead.

This is from a machine waterproof for diving 250ft deep I think. There were hairline cracks somewhere that caused it to leak in 5 feet of water.

The surfmasters housings are good to 30 feet and also always leaked.

I hope that if enough people that carefully clean the seal and follow MInelabs recommendations and still have leaks they will work on some way to prevent it.

There is nothing more frustrating than to go on a Caribbean cruise, vacation or day trip to the beach and have a detector failure.

Until then, the rubber band and/or condom would be better than a leak IMHO and at least would prevent it from coming unclipped under water for sure.
 
My CTX produces a lot of bubbles every time it goes under.They come out of the handle though and I believe this is supposed to happen.
 
Hi Nes. I had this problem when I first got it.The O-ring must be absolutely clean and free of sand or it will leak.I posted all about this when the 3030 first came out.After 35 or so years underwater I can't stress enough about the clean O-ring.I clean mine before every water hunt and use a small amount of dive lube on the o-ring. You can remove the o-ring by pressing down on it with a dime and sliding it about a half inch so it pops up.Since then No More Leaks :bouncy: The 3030 is a great water machine but does take some care full maintenance. I have pulled several gold rings out of iron infested waters that I'm pretty sure the Excal. ( I have Three) would have missed.Good Luck, Now go find some Gold. Grumpy
 
stitchlips said:
My CTX produces a lot of bubbles every time it goes under.They come out of the handle though and I believe this is supposed to happen.
Click to expand...

You are correct about the bubbles. There is a small hole in the grip that allows the air to escape from the shaft as it fills with water, this helps reduce the buoyancy of the coil and shaft of the CTX......HH
 
I have not had any leaks on mine either, about 20 outings in the water. Rinse before removing the battery and clean slot with a q-tip. Have not tried any lubes. You need to be very careful about seating the battery. The smallest pinch can lead to leaks. I think Minelab should look into redesigning the whole battery connection. not only the seal but the charger too. The little red o-ring should be much larger and the grove bigger and deeper. I would also like to see the headphone jack (non water proof) area be redesigned. An angled plug cannot rotate 360 degrees, and can back out.

I know this detector was field tested by many and these areas appear to have been overlooked or ignored(?)

Ed D..
 
Ive had my ctx since the day it came out and have had it sent in 4 times for that seal leaking. I love the ctx I have 2 one for the big coil and one for the stock coil but going in the water im always worried it will leak. I check my seal everytime before I detect , clean the seal after use, Might have to try some of that divers lube y all mentioned . Anyways my concern is when the warrenty runs out next year who is gonna dare to take the 2500 machine in the water then. Also if sand can get in the battery compartment it seems logical to me water can get in there too.

Minelab needs to come up with a fix for this and address there is a problem with that seal. They have been great fixing my ctx but this is getting to be very frustrating jimmy
 
I've never had a problem with my CTX 3030 leaking in the water. Make sure the seal is seated properly (no gaps) and free of sand. I don't use any lube as this will collect sand particles and make it difficult to clean.
Try cleaning the slot with a soft tipped tooth brush and always inspect the battery compartment after every hunt. Buy some spare seals and replace them every six months. I wrap the battery compartment with heavy duty rubber bands you can buy at any Target store for a dollar. Preventive maintenance will keep your machine dry and prevent any down time. Good luck everyone and I hope you find some gold!
 
Remove half of the fluff from a Q-tip and dampen the remaining cotton, insert into the seal slot - push the red seal up and take out the seal when it bunches up. Put the seal off to the side. Now run the damp Q-tip inside the slot and also around the groove in the battery case. Turn the Q-tip around and use the dry end and repeat. Wipe any sand from the outside of the battery compartment and around seal area with a cloth. Under good lighting double check that not one speck of sand grain is anywhere to be found, not in the seal slot or the battery holder.

Now wash off the red seal with some soap - between the fingers and dry. Then with some silicone grease on the fingers, slide the red seal through your fingers. The entire seal should be sticky with grease, a thin film is enough. Align it to the slot and drop 'er in. Make sure the corners are in the slot corners and line up. Tear off any remaining cotton from one end of your spent Q-tip and gently tap the red seal down into the slot using the Q-tip end.

Run some silicone grease around the top rim of the slot (where the battery holder mates to the compartment) with whatever silicone is still on your fingers (a light coat). Wash your hands. Then, fit the battery compartment (with fresh rechargeables) onto the seal and close the tangs on either side. Wipe any grease that squeezes out the sides. You should be done.

You detector will not leak.

Johnnyanglo
 
Question: If water leaks into the battery compartment is that as far as the water can go? Is the battery compartment sealed from the ctx housing?

Thx
 
It won't go into the CTX housing. But salt water is conductive and corrosive. The battery will fry and corrode the terminals. I use rechargeable batteries - they can be replaced. After each hunt remove the battery housing - make sure all is well inside the compartment. Leaving it attached with even slight undetected water leakage would likely destroy the metal terminals, which is death to the detector.

Johnnyanglo
 
so I use a small shot of WD 40 and a Q Tip to clean'm. I also give the battery a shot on the terminals..
 
"I've had CTX longer than any of you and hand on heart, never had a leak.
What do you guys do different?
Do you change battery with wet hands, on site, in or around water?
I have extensive video of my tests with it submerged.

When I put a battery in place, I place the battery on the main housing and gently 'smack' the battery into place with an open palm, two or three times to 'hermetically' seal it.
Then, I snap the 2 latches closed at the same time

I do realize that working in surf can be tough and at times the CTX can 'hit' off the searcher's body thereby loosening the seal perhaps?
Can I ask if anyone has had a leak in a river with NO wave action?"
 
Des said:
I have extensive video of my tests with it submerged.
Click to expand...
Can you post some of your vids....
And
I have repaired 50 plus Excalibur's over the last few years and can tell you where there is water, mainly saltwater, there will be issues with any machine. Any weak points in the design or a chance of human error it will in time affect the machine. Fresh water is very forgiving, Salt water not.
 
I have lake hunting under my belt and no leaks on my unit.........:shrug:
 
I surprised that it has been 17 months since I made my original post on this and as evidenced by the reappearing posts about the same problem above, the problem continues.... Nes
 
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