Underwater Video Camera / Camcorder Housing for less than $50

Step 13 (Optional) Peace of mind - adding a water alarm

If you trust your skills enough to risk your camera, this is unnecessary. I prefer "better safe than sorry" to "Oh *&%$#@!" so I decided to add a water alarm, just in case something leaked.

I bought a water alarm at Home Depot for about $10, and removed the plastic case, keeping only the electronics. Sorry I have no photos for this step, but this is very easy - remove every screw in the plastic case and gently remove the electronics (keeping the long wire and sensor pads attached). It comes out all in one piece.

I attached the water alarm to the lid of the jug with Velcro, and I put Velcro on the sensor so it would stay at the bottom of the housing.

The water alarm was a worthwhile addition, as I believe it saved the camera a couple of times. As noted, my first field tests were at the beach, and I believe some sand got into the threads of the lid and caused a very small amount of leakage. The alarm sounded, and I was able to immediately get the gear out of the water, being careful to hold the housing lens-up, so any water would stay away from the camera. While no significant amount of water got inside the housing, even a small amount of water in the right (or wrong) spot could fry the camera.