Nauticam Vacuum Check and Leak Detection System

Manufacturer: Nauticam Type: Vacuum leak detection system Year introduced: 2013 Price: Included as standard equipment on all new Nauticam housings; retrofit kits from ~$200 USD

Overview

The Nauticam Vacuum Check and Leak Detection System is an electronic vacuum monitoring system that verifies housing seal integrity before and during a dive. By drawing a partial vacuum inside the housing with a hand pump and continuously monitoring the internal pressure via a temperature-compensated electronic sensor, the system provides real-time confirmation that all o-rings and seals are holding. A multi-color LED indicator gives instant visual feedback of housing status.

Introduced in late 2013, the Nauticam system was not the first vacuum leak detection device for underwater housings — Gates had their Seal-Check since 2007 and Hugyfot their HugyCheck since 2009 — but it was the first to combine electronic continuous monitoring with temperature compensation in a compact, fully integrated package shipped as standard equipment on all DSLR housings. This decision to include it as standard rather than offering it as an expensive add-on drove industry-wide adoption and made vacuum testing a routine part of dive preparation for underwater photographers at all levels.

How It Works

The system consists of three components:

1. Electronic circuit board — replaces the older moisture alarm board inside the housing. Contains a pressure sensor, temperature compensation circuitry, moisture detector, battery, and switch.
2. Vacuum valve — a bulkhead fitting with a knurled ring that opens and closes by hand (no tools required). Multiple valve configurations are available.
3. Hand pump — a simple mechanical pump with a molded nozzle that attaches directly to the valve for one-handed operation.

Operating procedure

The user flips an internal switch to power on the system (indicated by a blue LED). An ambient pressure and temperature calibration occurs automatically. After closing and latching the housing, the user pumps 10–15 times (taking about 5–6 seconds). The LED sequence indicates status:

• Blue — system powered on, battery OK
• Green (solid) — vacuum confirmed, housing sealed and ready to dive
• Yellow (blinking) — partial vacuum, transitioning (two different blink rates)
• Red (blinking) — ambient pressure, vacuum lost
• Red (solid) + audible alarm — moisture detected inside housing

The system is temperature-compensated, meaning a vacuum drawn in an air-conditioned room will not trigger a false alarm when the housing warms in tropical sun. This addresses a known problem with simpler systems, particularly relevant for video housings (RED, Canon DSLRs shooting video) that generate significant internal heat (^[1]).

Valve options

Nauticam offers multiple valve configurations:

• Standard hand-pump valve — the basic configuration
• Dual activation valve — can be pumped manually or draw vacuum using the venturi effect via a low-pressure BCD inflator hose (useful for large cinema housings)
• Sidemount valve — combines electrical connector and vacuum valve in a single threaded hole (useful for Nikon housings with limited bulkhead ports)
• M14 Vacuum Valve — smaller version for mirrorless housings
• M16 Vacuum Valve — for larger housings

History

Predecessors

The concept of using vacuum to verify housing integrity predates the Nauticam system by decades:

• ~1980s–1990s: The “Sub Alert” system for the Nikonos V used vacuum to hold the 15mm lens in place and had an LED in the viewfinder that changed color based on vacuum state (^[2])
• ~1999: Howard Hall began using a vacuum system on Gates housings. Writing in 2009, he stated: “I’ve been using this system for more than ten years and haven’t water damaged a camera since I implemented the system” (^[3])
• 2007: Gates released their Seal-Check system, standard on professional cinema housings (^[4])
• 2009: Hugyfot released HugyCheck, included as standard on all their aluminum housings (^[5])
• 2010: UnderWater Camera Stuff released the Housing Sentry ($799), a third-party electronic system with continuous LED monitoring that could be fitted to most housings (^[6])

2013: Renaissance of vacuum systems

Three major products launched in 2013, marking a turning point:

• March 2013: Backscatter released the AirLock ($399), a “brand agnostic” analog system with a hand pump and pressure gauge, compatible with Aquatica, Sea & Sea, Subal, Seacam, Nauticam, and Hugyfot housings. An electronic LED Alert version followed at $499 (^[7])
• October 2013: Nauticam released their electronic vacuum system, fully integrated and shipped as standard on all new DSLR housings (starting with the NA-70D). Existing housings could be retrofitted for ~$200 (^[8])
• November 2013: Aquatica announced their “Pressure Check” vacuum system, shipping standard with the A70D housing (^[9])

Industry adoption

By 2015, vacuum systems had become “de rigueur” across the industry (^[10]):

• Seacam released their Vacuum Pressure Test system (€360, reviewed 2015), taking a different approach — testing integrity over 4 minutes then sleeping to avoid false positives from temperature changes (^[11])
• Aquatica evolved their system into the “Surveyor” vacuum monitoring sensor, standard on all housings by 2015 (^[12])
• Ikelite began shipping housings with vacuum valve ports as standard from approximately 2018, with an optional Vacuum Pump with Gauge accessory (^[13])
• Vivid Housings offered the Leak Sentinel as an aftermarket option compatible with various housings
• Gates continued with their Seal Check II on professional cinema housings (^[14])

Nauticam’s approach over time

Nauticam has refined the system since 2013:

• 2013: Standard on new DSLR housings (NA-70D first); circuit board replaces old moisture alarm
• 2015: Integrated into compact/mirrorless housings with M14 valve option; circuitry standard even on smaller housings like the NA-G7X (^[15])
• 2019: M14 Vacuum Valve II introduced (PN 25624) for mirrorless housings (^[16])
• 2023: System continues as standard on all housings; M14 Offset Connector with Vacuum Valve II (PN 25026) available for housings needing both Nikonos bulkhead and vacuum valve (^[17])

Steve Williams Review (2013)

Wetpixel moderator Steve Williams wrote the definitive review of the Nauticam system after testing a prototype during the Wetpixel Whale Sharks trip to Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Key findings:

Practical benefits beyond leak prevention:

• Confidence to change memory cards on a small boat in rough conditions — something he would not normally risk without the vacuum assurance
• After being tail-struck by a whale shark, looking down to see the green LED confirmed the housing was still sealed
• The LED is bright enough to see in intense tropical sunlight
• System freed mental bandwidth: “all the time, effort and brain function we spend making sure the camera is dry and worrying that it might not be, even subconsciously, is now freed up to do art”

Operational details:

• Never needed more than 12 pumps to reach green on his 7D housing (under 6 seconds)
• Left the system on for three weeks continuously with no battery exhaustion
• Housing cannot be opened when vacuum is held, even if latches are accidentally unlatched
• Pump works one-handed, even on a rocking boat

Why vacuum rather than positive pressure: As explained in the article comments by Paul Colley, vacuum pulls seals together (reinforcing them), whereas positive pressure would push seals apart and potentially extrude o-rings. If a small leak develops under vacuum, it pulls air in first (triggering the LED warning) before any water can enter (^[18]).

Community Discussion

The Backscatter AirLock announcement generated a 194-reply forum thread — one of the longest gear discussions on Wetpixel — debating the merits and limitations of vacuum systems (^[19]).

Key community perspectives:

• Skeptics initially questioned spending $399–$799 for leak detection and noted the system adds another potential failure point (another o-ring to seal). Some experienced shooters felt proper assembly technique was sufficient (^[20])
• Eric Cheng argued strongly in favor: “Pulling a vacuum and sustaining the vacuum lets you know that you do not have a leak before you hit the water… This system is proven, and is used on virtually every professional rig out there” (^[21])
• Erin Quigley reported the prototype AirLock helped her identify a weak spot in her housing system before entering the water on multiple occasions (^[22])
• Adam Hanlon (Wetpixel review) emphasized that no vacuum system can by itself guarantee a housing will not flood — it verifies the efficacy of proper pre-dive assembly procedures, not replace them (^[23])
• Overnight vacuum testing became a common practice: users draw a vacuum and leave the housing overnight; if still holding green after 8–12 hours, the seals are confirmed good (^[24])

Design Philosophy Debate

Two schools of thought emerged around vacuum system design:

Continuous monitoring (Nauticam, Housing Sentry, Aquatica): The system constantly displays housing status via LEDs throughout the dive. Proponents value the ongoing reassurance and immediate notification of any change.

Test-and-sleep (Seacam): The system verifies integrity over a fixed 4-minute test period, then enters sleep mode (moisture alarm remains active). Proponents argue this avoids false positives from temperature fluctuation and that continuous monitoring gives a false sense of security since it cannot prevent catastrophic failures like port glass breakage (^[25]).

The Nauticam system’s temperature compensation was designed specifically to address the false-positive problem while maintaining continuous monitoring.

Impact

The Nauticam vacuum system’s inclusion as standard equipment transformed industry expectations:

1. Normalized vacuum testing — what was once a professional cinema technique (Gates, ~$20,000+ housings) became standard on consumer-level DSLR and mirrorless housings
2. Drove competitor adoption — by 2018, all major housing manufacturers (Aquatica, Ikelite, Seacam, Hugyfot) offered vacuum systems as standard or readily available options
3. Changed dive preparation culture — drawing a vacuum became as routine as checking o-rings; forum threads increasingly reference vacuum testing as standard procedure
4. Enabled field confidence — photographers report greater willingness to change cards/batteries between dives and to dive in challenging conditions with expensive equipment
5. Aftermarket options — products like the Vivid Leak Sentinel and Backscatter AirLock allowed owners of older housings without manufacturer support to add vacuum capability

Specifications (Nauticam system)

See Also

• Nauticam
• Nauticam WACP

References

Wetpixel Live