UKC

My Silva Type 15 compass has a biggish bubble in it (about an inch long and half as much wide). Does anyone know whether this affects the accuracy of the compass? Thanks for any advice.

In reply to disoriented:
It may effect the needle by deflecting it, so you'll loose accuracy. How old is it? maybe you could take it back and ask for a replacement.(unless you damaged it)

C.

In reply to disoriented:

Send it to Silva, cheaper than buying new plastic (but be specific about whether you want mils or degrees)

In reply to disoriented:

Useful in an avalanche & you want to know which way is up!

In reply to disoriented: At one time Silva denied that bubbles could appear in their fluid. Their official stance was that the user must have mishandled the compass and so they were not liable. Don't know if they still take this view!

In reply to disoriented: Thanks for the advice. Not sure how old it is, bought it maybe 5 or 6 years ago, from REI in the States. The bubble appeared mysteriously a couple of years ago and has very slowly grown since then. I've noticed that the bubble does indeed interfere with the movement of the needle, and the problem has been gradually getting worse as the size of the bubble increases. I suppose it's worth trying sending it to Silva in the UK. Anyone know why these bubbles appear to begin with and what if anything can be done to prevent them besides taking the obvious precautions?

In reply to disoriented:

I've had this happen to many compasses. I just take the view nowadays that they wear out and just replace them. Its only really a significant cost issue if you go for a compass with loads of fancy features. A good basic compass is no more than £10 to £13. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone does know the failure mechanism, though.

In reply to GrahamD:
the three I know about are:

high altitude
give it a good bash
extreme cold

usually they disappear after a while but I have had to throw one away as it did not recover

In reply to disoriented:

If it was bought in the USA 4 or 5 years ago, it was actually made by Sunnto and not Silva. I know this seems strange, but it is true. Believe me.

If you look on the under side of the compass, you sould see some letters (that is if it was made by Silva.) 2 of them should say MN, what does the other one say?

M

In reply to disoriented:

This just happened to me and i got in contact with silva and they wanted me to send it back to them and then they would relieve me of £17 to fix it and send it back.

I just bought a new one for the few quid more

In reply to Rooster:

What actually happens to allow either air in (I presume) or the release of gas from the liquid (seems too much for that). Is the housing simply not hermetic enough ?

In reply to disoriented: I've heard that sometimes when a small bubble appears it can be sorted by placing the compass on a radiheater for a few hours. Worth a shot before you bin it.

In reply to disoriented:


hahaha!

"disorientated" with a bubble in your compass!
sorry, I couldn't resist!

In reply to Mord: Looking at the under side of the compass, I see Silva spelled backwards.

In reply to GrahamD: The Type 15 is an expensive piece of kit. If I have to bin it, I'll go for a cheapo next time.

In reply to steve j: Got the radiators blazing tonite, so I'll give it a try.

In reply to Futureboy: Must be an Amerticanism.

In reply to disoriented: ok good, go for it, but let it be known that if distorts in any way, I cannot be held liable!

steve j

In reply to disoriented:
You are verylucky finding bubbles in your compass. I've been looking for bubbles - my long lost friend for several years now. I'm very ditraught looking for my old companion..... sob...sob...

If you need to repair the more expensive version of the compass you can buy the most basic one and swop over the new compass housing onto the old baseplate - easily done, a spring clippy thing holds it all together.

In reply to Wyddfa: It was a good try, but the bubble's still there after a toasty night on the radiator.

In reply to Hillman: Are you sure about that? The reason I bought this model is because the declination can be easily corrected. This is really handy. However, the feature for determining angles is a bit silly. I think I used it once in the Alps while on a belay on a north face wondering how steep it was. The baseplate and sighting mirror are worth saving, so I might follow your advice and try swapping the capsule with a cheaper model.

In reply to disoriented: Just for the record, I've had two replies from Silva in Sweden but not a word from Silva in the UK. Silva in Sweden informs me that the bubble affects the accuracy of the compass and helpfully suggests that I bin it. Cheers to all.

In reply to disoriented:

In that case you won't be able to get it replaced in the UK.

Usually, when you get a bubble, it means either
i, there is a very small crack in the housing and air has managed to get in.

ii, the compass was made incorectly, but a bubble would have appeared very soon after manufacture

iii, you took it to altitude and the compass can't get rid of the bubble.

What ever the reason, you won't be able to get rid of the bubble or get a new one from Silva.

However, if the bubble is only small and when you use the compass, you keep the bubble away from the needle, you won't have any problem with it.

M

In reply to Hillman:

You can only replace a type 15 capsual with another type 15 capsual. Sorry

In reply to disoriented:

Don't put it on a radiator. It will do it no good. Near a radiator might help, but not on.

In reply to disoriented I had the same problem on Cairngorm last weekend. When i got down the bubble had gone -.

This is off the Silva Website:

http://www.silva.se/outdoor/products/comp_general.htm#2

In reply to Anth.: I have a silva compass and at altitude a bubble appears in mine, given that the only time I use the bloody thing is at altitude silva's statement that it affect's accuracy is not very comforting, I have a cheap compass I use as a back up, that never gets a bubble in it. So waste of money buying the silva then.

In reply to disoriented: Ten days later, Silva DID replace the capsule free of charge, but with a basic one (ie., no adjustable declination nor the clinometer).

In reply to disoriented: My old Silva has developed a bubble after 10 years - so only a couple of quid a year really. Never been to alltitude, always well protected but has been below freezing.

In reply to disoriented: My faith is restored! Silva has corrected their mistake and sent the same model as my mine (with the adjustable declination and clinometer) for free. Now that's really excellent service.

Are you still having trouble with the compass??

I am the Rep in the North for Silva UK, any probs drop me an email,


Andrew