Use in Contaminated Water or Other Liquids

Operating in contaminated water or other liquids poses hazards and creates risks to the operator and equipment. Risks include those encountered during the operation as well as after the fact during decontamination, transport and storage. When possible it is best to avoid operating in contaminated water or other liquids.

The information provided here is solely to alert you to the possibility of these dangers and is not a comprehensive treatment of this topic. You should seek professional advice from experts for the conditions in which you plan to operate if you must operate in anything other than naturally fresh or salt water.

AS THE OWNER / OPERATOR OF VIDEORAY EQUIPMENT, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO:

UNDERSTAND THE HAZARDS AND RISKS OF USING THIS EQUIPMENT IN CONTAMINATED WATER AND OTHER LIQUIDS.
DETERMINE WHETHER THE WATER OR LIQUID IN WHICH YOU OPERATE IS CONTAMINATED IN ANY WAY.
DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO USE THE SYSTEM IF SUCH CONDITIONS EXIST.
TAKE ANY NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER ANY SUCH OPERATIONS.

VIDEORAY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR IDENTIFYING WATER CONDITIONS OR ANY EFFECTS OF OPERATING IN ANY ENVIRONMENT, WHETHER CONTAMINATED OR NOT.

Use of VideoRay equipment in contaminated water or other liquids is not recommended and damage to the equipment from operating in such conditions is not covered under warranty.

USE PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

If you think there is the possibility of contaminants in the water or liquid in which you are operating, Personal Protective Equipment appropriate for such contaminants is strongly advised.

Bio-Hazards

Bio-hazards include both working in potable water and ensuring bio-hazards are not introduced into the water system by the ROV (see the section on Use in Potable Water), and working in bio-hazard contaminated water such as in or around water treatment plants or effluents.

Equipment Decontamination after Use in Bio-hazard Contaminated Water

Standard post-dive procedures call for soaking the ROV and tether in fresh water for at least 30 minutes. In situations where the equipment is used in water suspected to contain contaminants, you can review US EPA guidelines documents regarding contaminated water and divers and dive equipment.

While alcohol is noted as an acceptable decontaminant in the US EPA guidelines, it should not be used as a decontaminant for the ROV because it reacts adversely with the main domes and light domes.

Chemical Compatibility

Use of VideoRay equipment in liquids other than water should be checked against standard chemical compatibility charts, available from a variety of sources such as Cole-Parmer.

For situations where poor chemical compatibility ratings exist, it may be necessary to avoid use altogether, or replace parts after use. For more information about chemical compatibility, contact VideoRay.

Additionally, post dive procedures such as those in the US EPA guidelines documents regarding contaminated water and divers and dive equipment, or other more aggressive procedures may be employed to clean the equipment after use. You should also check the chemical make up of any cleaning agent to ensure that it does not react adversely with the equipment.