Notifications on two devices: Critically low voltage, and potential moisture ingress

Help & Support
1

App version: 2.1.0
Serial number: 335-3U9 and 334-RQJ
Mobile device: iOS

For device 335-3U9: I proactively removed this device on June 10, 2026, because it had been in the soil for almost a year (since July 17, 2025). At the time of removal, there was no apparent issue, and battery voltage was at 41%. But since there had apparently been a number of issues with water ingress, including with my 337-CYU, I wanted to check to ensure there was no moisture. I did find a drop or two of moisture in the battery compartment and underneath the battery spring board. I found no damage to the o-ring and no signs of corrosion anywhere. I thoroughly cleaned and allowed the device to dry for 48 hours, and then reassembled with new o-ring and batteries per the latest instructions to avoid future issues with moisture ingress. Then reinstalled in the soil. On September 5, 2026, I received a notification of potential moisture ingress into this device. I removed it from the soil and disassembled. No evidence of moisture in the battery compartment. Found a couple of drops of water under the battery spring board. Some what appears to be minor corrosion on one terminal of the battery cap. Cleaned and inspected the o-ring, did not see any damage. Allowed to dry out for 48 hours, and reassembled, taking extra care to ensure the o-ring had no damage and had plenty of silicone grease. Reinstalled in the soil on September 7, 2026. After three weeks, I noticed erratic battery readings, so removed from soil on September 27, 2026.

For device 334-RQJ: Similar to the above device, I proactively removed this one on June 14, 2026 to check for moisture and replace the batteries as it had also been in the soil since July 17, 2025. Similar to above, after disassembly, I found a tiny amount of moisture in the battery compartment and under the battery spring board. No evidence of any corrosion or other damage. Reassembled after 48 hours dry time, installing new o-ring and batteries. Reinstalled in the soil on June 16, 2026. Device had been working well. Then on September 26, 2026 got notification of critically low battery level. Removed from soil on September 27, 2026. Batteries all tested “good” with analog battery tester, and 1.46 volts with digital battery tester. Opened battery case, no signs of moisture visible either in the case, or under the battery spring board. Removed the battery spring board and noticed what appears to be some corrosion on the back of three of the four terminals.

I am looking for some guidance on what to do next with these devices. Is this a water ingress issue? Is it worth trying to reinstall them after another 48 hour drying out time in my house, or is there potentially hardware damage that may make them inoperable?

I did take some photos as I disassembled these if these would be helpful, I can email them to you.

Thank you! Mark

2

I just opened the battery compartment on 335-3U9 and found moisture on the outside negative battery terminal, and also on the negative terminal of the battery in this position. This was after being in the soil for less than three weeks.

3

Hi @kramekooc,

We are actually investigating this issue in more details as we have seen some users with frequent moisture leaks. I understand it is quite frustrating and and we would really want to find a good solution to the problem. @homedigy-lawrence would also like to personally respond to you on this matter once we have come up with something that you can try. In the mean time please be patient and dry your devices to try to prevent any further moisture damages. We should have something for you in a couple of more of days or so as we are still juggling with a number of things as the same time.

We greatly appreciate your patience on this matter.

Al
Engineering

4

Al,

Thanks for the response and update. Both devices are open and drying out inside the house until further instructions are received.

5

Keep us posted as i have been having the same issue for many months now

6

Al,

Any update on this issue?

7

Hi everyone,

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this thread.

Long story short…

If you can wait:

  • I’d suggest that you give us another 1-2 weeks to roll out our new software. The new AI Analytics pipeline does a significantly better job distinguishing between either: (i) light moisture ingress (based on the RAW sensor data it’s seeing, it suspects the hardware may still be usable after it’s dried), vs (ii) moderate moisture ingress (where it suspects the hardware may needs to be serviced or replaced).

If you cannot wait:

  • I’d suggest following the current instruction, drying it for 24 hours, and then simply see if you can get usable moisture readings based on the current released software.

Once you’re ready to proceed with either the [new upcoming] or [current] software:

  • First, please follow the instructions we published earlier this year to start: O-ring Maintenance and Upkeep.
  • Common Mistakes People Make:
    • Earlier this year, we saw many people installed the O-ring with no grease at all.
    • Now, people are finally putting on grease, but we are now seeing many people installed the O-ring with too much grease. Note the O-ring is what blocks the moisture, not the grease. Over-greasing actually reduces the total surface area that the O-ring can contact the device housing, making it more likely for moisture leaks. (Feel free to Google Search how to grease O-ring for a high-end under-water SLR camera housing. Both over- and under- grease is a big no no and can ruin that expensive SLR camera).

Alternative (Better) Seal Method: (if possible, I’d suggest waiting for our official guide, but if you cannot wait, you can potentially try this at your on risk)

  • Given how most people don’t have experience with underwater cameras, we have been evaluating various alternative seals over the summer. While this is not strictly needed, it does make an even better seal in case people can’t figure out how much is under vs over greasing.
  • The new proposal is to perform a two stage seal. The best seal is polyurethane, which is what we us to seal the upper house and is also what’s used to water vehicles like windows for boats and stuff. Note that you need to buy a polyurethane SEAL (such as from 3M), which is different from a polyurethane GLUE (ie, the “original Gorilla glue” does NOT work – since it’s a permanent glue). Window seals can be removed if you pull really hard. Gorilla glue cannot, and will chemically dissolve the ASA composite plastic together.
  • The second best seal (since polyeurethane is so hard and more expensive to get a hold of) is silicone caulking. You MUST make sure the silicone caulking and the silicone grease do not get mixed. So use the silicone grease on the O-ring only, and use the silicone caulking purely on the final plastic contact rim.

How to test if your device is working properly:

  • Once you’ve done (1) drying indoor in a dry and warm location for >24 hours, and (2) sealed the O-ring, put the sensor probes in a large cup of water, and see if the sensor readings for both temperature and moisture look stable for 3-5 days. Look at the “RAW Moisture Readings” in the 1-week histogram graph in the App.
  • If the values do not look stable, then your device needs to be repaired. Due to the large number of moisture ingress issues going on, we decided to offer a highly discounted repair cost (where we will share some of the burden of the repair cost with you). I will let @homedigy-stanley pull the link and cost for us.

Thanks,
Lawrence

8

Hi @kramekooc and @Taylordr61 ,

The replacement cost for first time moisture damage for the Soft Launch Edition is $25 USD and up. It’s also documented here (under Warranties link on geodrops.com).

As mentioned by @homedigy-lawrence , if the problem persists and you want to proceed with the repair, please let us know.

Thanks for your patience and support,

Stanley
Marketing PM
Team GeoDrops