A lot of metal hunters out there would love the answer for it; for beginners, this would help. Almost all metal detectors have a waterproof coil, which means that the coil wouldn’t suffer from any damage from water, but that isn’t the case with the whole metal detector for many detectors. Submerging the coil and the whole metal detector are both different things. Your metal detector contains many electronic parts that may be ruined if you submerge it completely. Some parts of the metal detector can be waterproof, while others may not necessarily be waterproof.
So if we come to answer the question “are metal detectors waterproof?” Well, the answer is that each detector is built differently, and a lot depends on the build. Some metal detectors can be submerged into the water while others can’t be; the depth of water is also a factor in answering this question. There is a certain depth of the water that these detectors can survive. You can find more about the depth or whether your metal detector is waterproof in the manual.
Does being wet can damage my metal detector?
A lot of metal detectors contain a control box that can adjust the modes for discrimination, pinpoint, as well as sensitivity, and other various features. The control box also includes the battery connection and other critical electronic circuits that help to make your detector work. You can expect damage or complete failure of your metal detector if you combine water, power, and electronics. You should try to keep your control box out of water in all cases, even for the detectors, which are marked water-resistant. You may have no idea that being waterproof and water-resistant are two things and are often confused.
Waterproof means that the water will not be able to get into the electronic units of the device. Water-resistant is a bit different because it means that the water in lesser quantity will not affect the invention, for instance, rain showers may be okay, but the complete submersion of the device can always cause the device failures.
You may notice that the water got into the electronic units if your metal detector stops working after being exposed to the sea, there may be other signs that the damage is from water, like erratic beeping, false readings, and extra noises.
The coil of metal detector is a bit different than this; the coil is attached to the control box, which sends signals basically to trigger the electronics, which further help you to find treasures. The coil is mostly encapsulated in such a way that it will avoid the groundwater that comes in the way and keep the internal coil wiring safe.
However, it still doesn’t mean that the coil can be put into the water if your detector isn’t waterproof, or at least the coil isn’t. There is a wire connection from the coil to the control box, which means that if your coil isn’t waterproof, you can end up damaging your control box. If the coil connection with wire isn’t secured by waterproof encapsulating, your coil will most likely suffer damage.
What to do if a metal detector gets wet
First, you need to be careful about keeping your metal detector from unnecessary water that, too, if it is waterproof. But if somehow your metal detector has suffered damage from water, you need to instantly turn it off and take out the battery from the control box. This will prevent any further damages; removing power should be the first step because it can mix with water to damage the electronics.
There are few ways to ensure that the electronics are completely dry:
- Take the control box off the detector
- Use some dryer like hairdryer (you have to be careful about electronics getting too hot as it may cause some damage)
- Keep the detector in a very dry place ensuring that fan is giving air to the control box
- You can try removing the entire control box and putting it in rice. Rice is excellent at absorbing moisture out of electronics in 2-3 days. You have to ensure that you take out all the grains of rice when the moisture is fully absorbed.
When the control box is completely dry, you can try putting the battery in again and turning it on. The time of battery removed and dried can vary on the damage that has occurred. There may be times that there may be no damage after it has gotten wet while it may be ruined as well. If you feel like the electronics, have suffered any damage from water.
If you suspect your electronics have been damaged from water, it’s time to start looking for parts to replace. You can take your control box apart and inspect the electronics for any rusty or white looking areas. These areas can be found on the electronic boards. Rubbing little alcohol lightly can also help clean the affected areas and help repair the from light damages.
Waterproof Metal Detectors
Almost all the waterproof metal detectors have a specific depth limit that they can go in to. The list below can help you figure out the metal detectors that are waterproof along with the depths they can go to.
- Fisher 1280x – 250ft/76m
- Fisher CZ-21 – 250ft/76m
- Garret AT Gold – 10ft/3m
- Garret AT Max – 10ft/3m
- Garret AT Pro – 10ft/3m
- Minelab CTX 3030 – 10ft/3m
- Minelab Equinox 600 – 10ft/3m
- Minelab Equinox 800 10ft/3m
- Minelab Excalibur – 200ft/60m
- Nokta / Makro Gold Kruzer – 16ft
- Nokta / Makro Kruzer – 16ft/4.8m
- Nokta / Makro Multi Kruzer – 16ft/4.8m
- Nokta Anfibio 14 – 16ft/4.8m
- Nokta Anfibio 19 – 16ft/4.8m
- Nokta Anfibio Multi – 16ft/4.8m
- Tesoro Tiger Shark – 200ft/60m
- White’s MX Sport – 10ft/3m
Waterproof Headphones
Some metal detectors come with waterproof headphones, and some models support waterproof headphones bought separately for underwater detection.
- LS.Pelso – Equinox Headphones (Compatible with the Minelab Equinox 600 and 800 models.)
- LS.Pelso – CTX Headphones (Compatible with the Minelab CTX-3030 model.)
- LS.Pelso – Nokta / Makro / Kruzer Headphones (Compatible with the Makro Kruzer models.)
- White’s Waterproof Sport – (Compatible with the White’s MX Sport model.)
- Garrett Underwater Headphones – (Compatible with the AT Pro, AT Gold, and AT Max.)