Lights and Rain - incompatible?

[summerdays]

My lights usually stand upto normal rain, but every time we have these heavy downpours they suffer.... tried to use my Smart Superflash light yesterday (during the daytime for additional visibility in the gloom), and it didn't work. I just assumed the batteries had run out until I got home, dismantelled it and saw the water in there. Its now in a box with silica gel hopefully drying. Front light also wouldn't work properly again water had got in. Mini light on helmet also let in the water.... and seemed to have shorted (not sure that's the right term) the battery.

And its not the first time.... is there an easy way to seal lights to prevent water getting in... would that stuff used to seal baths work... could you then remove it to change the battery? I'm fed up of the rain .... and there is yet more today........

 

[User482]

I have cateye LEDs front and rear - both seem to be waterproof.

 

[mikeitup]

re

with regards to the superflash, eletrical tape around the seals?
I would suggest gaffa tape but it's a bugger to remove.

 

[bonj2]

GRR!! this is a definite problem.
I rode my bike back from work today and my superflash was not working when i got home. (Fortunately i have got another light on constant mode, so i was seen.) Now it has dried, it works fine. I think i may put some insulation tape over the top join of it.

 

[Tynan]

no troublewith mine so far although they're all new this year

disappointing to hear, they're all supposed to be waterproof aren't they?

 

[summerdays]

It was under extremely wet weather conditions - I was soaked. I have now put the light in a plastic box with one of those silica things, and it works again. It has stood upto the normal rain but I guess it has got very wet this last week - had to shake loads of water out of my lock too and re-lubricate it.

 

[Wobbly John]

I have the opposite problem with my Smart superflash - if I ride in the rain, sometimes it will not switch off.

I've had mine about a year. I still think they're the best lights around, especially as my LBS sells them for under a tenner.

 

[andygates]

The one problem I have with the Superflash is that its waterproofing ain't all dat.

Electrical tape wrapped *tight*, two times around the whole of the crack, will seal it up nicely.

 

[AndrewClark]

"Electrical tape wrapped *tight*, two times around the whole of the crack, will seal it up nicely."

Is this a technical tip or an intimate grooming one ?

I'm running 2 Cateyes at the front & 2 Smarts on the rear, no trouble so far. Full mudguards may help.

I'm also using a Fenix L2D as a helmet light. On my last 2 rides the flat rubber button at the rear has been bulged out into a hemisphere, making it difficult to switch off. When I unscrew the buttcap there is an audible hiss..

I'm not yet sure if there is some gas leakage from the rechargeable AA's or if water is leaking in and being heated to steam by the LED. Going to try it with a different set of batteries.

 

[summerdays]

I'm still tempted by the silicone bath sealant... the batteries don't need changing very often (think I'm still on the ones that came with them), so I could put clear silicone sealant - so the light could still shine out the side - tape would cover that up. And hopefully I could cut it off when the batteries need changing. I'm going to try at the weekend with just one light - unless anyone tells me it would be really stupid.

 

[Danny]

It would be really stupid.

If they are that badly affected by rain I would take them back to the shop you bought them from. Any bike light should be water proof.

Putting silicone sealant on the light will probably invalidate any guarantee you might have.

 

[summerdays]

As they only cost about £12 I wouldn't bother returning them ... I have probably had some of them over a year... they seem to be waterproof under normal conditions ... its only ever when we have torential rain (which I seem to be getting caught in alot recently) that they have ever let in water.

For the price I find the Smart Superflash very bright, batteries seem to last for ages, easy to put on the bike, don't fall off and don't switch on very easily in my bag. They just have that one flaw - heavy rain. (And as far as I can see every light I've ever owned seems to let in some rain). At least they are still working afterwards.

 

[piedwagtail91]

this seems to be a problem with smarts superflash. maybe if they all got returned smart would do something about it, either that or email complaints in.
as it stands in a british winter they are proving to be fairly unreliable.
i was going to buy a couple but will wait for a newer waterproof version or see what else is available.

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Wrap it in clingfilm

 

[andygates]

piedwagtail, they're fine for regular riding. I think they have improved, because I got one last year, it was leaky, and the one I returned it for is sound as a pound.

Having said that, it's been very very wet lately.