Guages with condensation inside

[strombolichef]

Most of the guages on my boat have condensation inside. Some original OMC,some have been replaced on a 88 boat. They all work.

Is there a fix for this, does it happen all the time, or are the guages defective. Do I need to worry besides being hard to read?

Thank you.

PS, boat is in Florida.

 

[JUSTINTIME]

Re: Guages with condensation inside

do they have back lights?
some people just drill a small hole in the back of them

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Guages with condensation inside

Usually if you put a lighted litebulb near the glass front of the gauge, the heat will dry 'em out.

If you do not dry 'em out, they may stop functioning. They are likely marine grade electronics, but can still fail due to corrosion.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Guages with condensation inside

A hair dryer works too. Anything that is not hermetically sealed (glass fused to metal, solder sealed, metal to metal) will develop water over time. It's a hydrostatic/hydroscopic phenomenon. You either seal it or drain it. If you do neither, you need to artificially remove the water.....enter the wife's hair dryer. Grin

Few instruments are hermetically sealed; price is prohibitive for regular consumer service.

Mark