Water proof coils?

[watchdr]

I am new to this so please don't be to harsh on me for asking this.

I have noticed that Whites, Garrett and other manufacturers sell their prospecting detectors with waterPROOF coils. While Minelab doesn't seem to do this at all. I see they have some coils that can be purchased separately but I am wondering why Minelab doesn't make them all waterproof?

 

[BH_Landstar_]

There are 8 coils for the X_Terra detectors (excluding the X Terra 30).

Take a look at page 3 of the PDF file from Minelab >>> http://www.minelab.com/__files/f/11792/KBA_02-2_Coil_Selection_Guide.pdf

You have more options than most with coils for the X-Terra detector.

Five of the 8 coils are water proof, you just need to purchase the one(s) that you want to go with your detector for the type of hunting that you are going to be doing.

 

[7centsworth]

Here is a link to the waterproof coils for xterra http://www.findmall.com/read.php?55,1068029,1068029#msg-1068029

 

[watchdr]

But why aren't all the coils waterproof? Garrett and Whites and others sell their machines with waterproof coils standard. I am a little frustrated that I thought I had a top of the line machine that I could use even when the weeds, grass and bushes are wet. Now I have to spend another $200 for a waterproof coil? That makes this machine is way more expensive than it's competitors. In addition the original coil is then worthless to me since it cannot be used unless I am in the desert and why change coils then?

Why should I keep the whole Minelab machine? For a true $800 I could get a totally waterproof machine or at least one that has a waterproof coil. I don't get this, why not make all coils waterproof? Why wouldn't everyone want waterproof coils? A sealed coil will also keep iron filings and dust out. I can't see any advantage to an unsealed coil. Please can someone explain this?

 

[Digger]

If you'd look at Minelab's website, (Knowledge Base Article, Coil Selection Guide) you'd see that water-resistant X-TERRA coils can be splashed, washed, used in drizzling rain and moved through wet grass. Waterproof coils can be submerged to depths of one meter. Frankly, if you get your coil in that deep, you're taking more of a risk with getting water in the control housing than you are having water pressure damage the coil.

In my opinion, the whole X-TERRA coil waterproof vs water-resistant thing is over-emphasized. The technical definition for whether a coil is waterproof or water-resistant has nothing to do with sealing out iron filings and dust. As the names imply, it is all about water! Whether a coil is considered waterproof or water-resistant is based on the effects of water pressure over a given period of time. The deeper something is submerged in water, the more pressure that water exerts. The longer it is exposed to that pressure, the greater the risk of having it leak. Epoxy filled coils (like the 9-inch concentrics) are naturally more resistant to water than foam filled coils (such as some of the DD coils). Minelab designed the coils with either epoxy or foam, in an effort to make them as lightweight and easy to manuever as possible. As well, Minelab labeled the coils according to industry guidelines as to whether each type of coil meets the criteria for being water proof or water resistant.

With that in mind, don't feel like you have to spend all your time in the desert. Go use them in wet weeds, grass and bushes. I'd recommend that before "soaking" any coil, run a bead of silicon around where the coil cover meets the coil on the water-resistant coils. Also, to cover all your bases, put a dab of that silicon at the point where the cable enters the coil. I've done that with my coils and used them in every type of condition you can imagine, without problems. JMHO HH Randy

 

[watchdr]

Thanks Randy.

I read a post somewhere on here that talked about dust and iron filings getting into the coils and needing to take them apart every once in a while to clean them. A waterproof coil would not allow this to happen. If it seals out water then it also seals out dust and filings. Now I am not near the ocean or salt lakes but I read another post where they were talking about salt moisture getting into the coils and control box if they were going to the beach. I know how salt can get into things and it attracts moisture which helps to attract more salt and so on. So in my mind how much the coil weighs is least important compared with a coil that is sealed to keep out the very things that can ruin it. Again I am new to this so maybe there is some good reason not to seal them. Honestly an ultrasonic welder is relatively cheap and could in seconds seal the plastic housing around the coil leaving just the strain relief needing to be waterproof and those are not more expensive than what they are using now anyway. I guess this is just something I have to accept with these coils.

I will do as you say and use silicone around the coil. I work with watches all day long so maybe I am more paranoid about water and damaging the coil than I should be.

Thanks,
Ken

 

[Digger]

I believe the posts you may have read regarding dust or iron filings were in regard to those particles getting in between the coil and the cover. Not actually in the coil itself. That is why many folks suggest regularly removing the coil cover and rinsing off both the coil and the cover. Simply a matter of maintaining peak performance by eliminating the effects of foreign particles between the coil and cover. And, by the way, that can happen with any detector make or model that utilizes a coil with a cover that can be replaced if and when that cover becomes worn. JMHO HH Randy

 

[watchdr]

Thanks again Randy. So do the stock 5x10 coils come with a cover? I did not think mine had one. The cable goes right into the plastic on the top through a strain relief. Is the plastic the cover or is there some other piece I need to get? When I search I just see something that looks like the bottom of the coil that I have.

Sorry I am so uneducated with all this.

 

[Digger]

The dealers I do business with always include the coil covers. There might already be one on your elliptical. Just grab the bottom of what is there and see if you can wiggle it loose. If it doesn't wiggle free, you apparently didn't get one with the coil. If that is the case, contact the dealer you got your detector from and tell him. When you get it, put it on and seal the edge (where it meets with the coil) with the silicon. As to the where the cable enters the coil, I put a dab of silicon around the "grommet" and up the cable 1/4 inch or so. Just enough to make sure water doesn't run down the cable into the coil connection. HH Randy

 

[TURNMASTER]

Your 5x10 should have a cover, more of a protective "skid plate", I have to pull mine and clean out underneath it from time to time, more when it is hot and dry out (finer particles get in). All the ML coils, I think, have removable skip plates. The need to clean under the cover is common to all machines so equipped regardless of manufacturer. I hunt wet grass and brush with my 5x10.

Jeff