SeaFrogs housings vacuum test system

Most people here are aware of SeaFrogs/Meikon, a budget housing manufacturer. Most housings that they have released in the past four years or so have included a vacuum system port. In at of itself this is a very good thing, but unfortunately, instead of a standard M14 or M16 port, they're using a proprietary one, fitting only their own VPS-100 system.

SeaFrogs' instructions for the use of VPS-100 are quite clear: "WARNING - THIS ACCESSORY IS NOT MEANT TO BE USED UNDERWATER AS PER MANUFACTURER INSTRUCTIONS! ANY ATTEMPT TO DO SO CAN CAUSE EQUIPMENT LOSS AND IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY!"

And indeed there is a reason for this warning - the protective cap that covers the top of VPS-100 is not 100% waterproof. Over the course of 250 or so dives on which I used my SeaFrogs housing, I have had two instances where this cap leaked, filling the valve with water (which destroyed the valve electronics) and admitting small amounts (several drops) of water into the housing - not enough to kill the camera, but not a good experience nonetheless.

On the other hand, following SeaFrogs' instructions to 'Remove the valve from the backplate and place the vacuum opening lid in its original place, make sure the O-ring is still there (Illustration 1). - safe to dive!' does not strike me as an optimal solution either - for one thing, there is nothing that tests the integrity of the vacuum port cap seal itself, which makes it a potential water ingress point; for another, having the housing under vacuum pre-loads the o-rings, reducing the chance of leakage on the surface or if the housing is bumped in the rinse tank, and releasing the vacuum removes this advantage.

However, as it turns out, there is an alternative - Vivid Housings makes a version of their Leak Sentinel V5 XB that is compatible with SeaFrogs housings. It is not listed for sale anywhere that I could find, but if you contact Miso Milivojevic directly at info@vividhousings.com, he will sell one directly for €230 including free worldwide shipping by registered mail, although this does not include a pump - manual pump is an extra €25 while an electric pump is another €50. I have just taken delivery of mine and can confirm that it fits and it works.

I'm not affiliated with either SeaFrogs or Vivid Housings in any way, but as an avid user, I can wholeheartedly recommend this solution.

kelpdiver wrote:

I'm a bit flabbergasted that the seafrog solution is so sloppy. Is it at least cheaper than the vivid/nauticam valves?

It's $107 + shipping, including a pump, but considering that I ended up buying three over four years, the Leak Sentinel still worked out to be cheaper at €255.

The whole test vacuum, then break vacuum to install a different cap is what made me choose a different brand of housing.  I was attracted to the seafrog's value but then I worry about having to replace my whole camera.