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NovaVMS Manual

Water inside the camera housing

Water inside the camera housing

Symptom

You open a camera housing for service and find condensation on the lens, droplets on the PCB, or standing water in the base. Image may show fog, streaks, or be fully dark.

Likely causes

  1. Housing seal (top cover O-ring or dome gasket) not seated or not tightened evenly.
  2. Cable gland left loose or not closed around the Ethernet jacket.
  3. No drip loop on the cable entry — water ran down the cable into the housing.
  4. Silica gel desiccant pack missing, exhausted, or installed outside the sealed volume.

Fix

If the seal was not seated

  1. Power the camera down at the switch.
  2. Remove the housing. Inspect the O-ring for pinches, twists, or missing sections.
  3. Replace any damaged O-ring with the manufacturer’s spare. Do not substitute generic rings.
  4. Clean the mating surface. Apply a thin film of silicone grease to the O-ring.
  5. Reseat the cover. Tighten screws in a star pattern to even the compression.

If the cable gland was open

  1. Loosen the gland nut, slide it over the cable, then tighten firmly once the jacket is centred.
  2. Confirm the internal compression ring grips the cable jacket, not the wires.
  3. If the gland is missing its rubber insert, replace the whole gland.

If there is no drip loop

  1. Route the cable below the entry point, then back up into the gland, forming a U.
  2. The lowest point of the loop must be at least 100 mm below the entry.
  3. Secure the loop with a cable clip so it holds shape.

Replacing the desiccant

  1. Open a fresh moisture-indicator silica sachet.
  2. Place it inside the sealed volume, not in the cable chase.
  3. Close the housing within 2 minutes so the sachet does not saturate from ambient humidity.

Verify

  1. Housing passes a basic ingress check: spray the seam with a garden hose for 60 seconds, open, inspect for new water.
  2. After 24 hours powered on, no condensation on the inside of the dome at night.
  3. Image is sharp edge-to-edge; no soft focus or haze.

If none of this worked

  • Photograph the housing seams, gland, and cable loop. Attach to the ticket.
  • If the PCB shows corrosion (green residue, white salts), replace the camera. Dried-out electronics fail intermittently for months.
  • See also: No link light at the switch.