Coil Covers

[Irregular]

A quick question- when using a coil cover, is it best to seal the joint with silicone or keep the cover removable? My best guess is keep it removable and keep it clean, but I recall reading, I believe elsewhere, someone recommending sealing it in place. Do we have a consensus?

[coinnut]

I guess either way is good lol I never seal mine, but I must admit, I don't clean it after every hunt either. :rolleyes: It really doesn't get that much dirt in it, so I never thought of it as an issue. I mainly have it so the coil doesn't wear out. I actually wore out a small corner hole in my 4x6 coil for my DFX. :shocked04: I think water in the coil cover would affect my E Trac more than the dirt in it. But that is an un-scientific, undereducated answer rofl The only issue I have with removing it is, that it's hard to remove without a bit of damage to the cover.

[angellionel]

I don't use silicone to seal mine, preferring to remove and clean the coil cover and the coil before each hunt. :yes:

[Irregular]

Thank you guys. Completely new to the game (one hunt under my belt), I'm trying to step off on the proper foot, but am mighty ignorant to a whole lotta things right about now.

Coinnut, your smiley after the hole in your 4x6 cracked me up. Your issue with removing the cover is one of my concerns, that the fit will be compromised with enough removal/reinstalls; and like you don't think water in there could ever be a good thing.

Thanks again to both of you! thumbsup01

[BlackZ51Vett]

No sealant here. It a good idea to be able to remove it every now and then to clean. I clean mine after every hunt. A little water that gets between the cover and coil will not hurt the detector. Just make sure that if you do get water around your coil to not pick up your coil higher than your control box. Water could run up the shaft and enter that control box via an electrical connection or other point. Even an accumulation of sand between the cover and coil could result in falsing.

[Lowjiber]

I prefer to seal them.

I used to hunt a park in California very early in the morning while the dew was still on the grass. After a couple of sessions where the detector (MXT) was acting crazy because water droplets were finding their way inside the cover, I decided to seal the cover with marine grade silicone. Problem solved.

[Jason in Enid]

No sealant for me. As long as you aren't getting highly mineralized soil in there, it shouldnt be a problem. I only clean mine at the end of each season. Water detectors are whole nuther issue!

[coinnut]

I prefer to seal them.

I used to hunt a park in California very early in the morning while the dew was still on the grass. After a couple of sessions where the detector (MXT) was acting crazy because water droplets were finding their way inside the cover, I decided to seal the cover with marine grade silicone. Problem solved.


Yeah, my E Trac hates the suface water too. :ticked: It loves water in the soil, but not on top. That is the only reason I don't want any water to creep inside the cover. The coil is waterproof of course, but for some reason my machine does not like that dew either :confused: I may just spray some of that truck bed liner on the coil lol If it doesn't add too much weight, it may just work out ok.

[Irregular]

Thanks for all the input, fellas :clapping:. I figured there would different camps of opinion, and likely no definitive answer. I decided to seal it, both my MXT and D2 coil are new (one hunt thus far), and reckon I'll keep the coil as new as possible. When I removed the cover from last weekend's hunt a bit of dirt had migrated in, and I'm figuring moisture will even easier. I figure I don't have too much to lose with this method besides a wee bit of silicone, and the weekly or whatever removal and cleanings would end up making the cover that much less effective in keeping out the bad.

The soil in this area is heavily mineralized, and I know how easy it is for me to procrastinate when it comes to cleaning after a day at the rifle range. I'd hate to set out some morning on a hunt realizing my cover was still carrying crud from the last outing 8/; sealing should eliminate that possibility.

Thanks once again to all!!!

[danhughes]

One more opinion, this one from out in left field. And that is:

I don't like coil covers.

I've been detecting for 35 years and I have yet to come anywhere near wearing through a coil. If I ever do wear through a coil, the detector will be so old as to be obsolete anyway.

Granted, I don't hunt in rocks or wet sand. Those surfaces would probably be more harmful to my coil than the grass and woodchips I usually hunt.

Three reasons I don't like coil covers:

1. Gunk gets in them. Some coil covers are difficult to remove to clean. If they are easy to remove, they pick up gunk easier.

2. They add weight to the detector. I'm a wimp and don't want extra weight.

3. They reduce your effective depth. Not by much - just by the thickness of the cover - but that extra 1/8 of an inch may make a difference on a gold ring.

Guess I could add a number 4: They cost money. I want to FIND money, not spend money.

Picky picky picky?

Yep.

Maybe that's why I have a hard time keeping friends.

---Dan, http://danhughes.net (spiffy home page)

[Irregular]

Thanks Dan. My coils may be in for a hard life, even with covers. We're dealing with a whole lotta rock around here. Yesterday the vast majority of our time was in farm fields where most of the rocks were removed eons ago, but when I ventured off of the plowed path and into the woods it was virtually nothing but rock.

A search of the White's forums revealed a lot of folks preferring sealed covers. One recommendation was seal to it three days before going out; I read that after sealing mine barely sixteen hours before touchdown 8/. My coil spent a good part of the night in front of a fan and then yesterday morning with the application of low heat from a hair dryer. Whether that was necessary or not, don't know. At the end of the day the bead was nice and clean. There is maintenance involved in many of my hobbies that I actually enjoy, but I don't think cleaning out coil covers was ever going to make the list.

Your point #4 was actually my reason for springing for the cover. I imagine my White's D2 coil is going to be durable enough to hold up to abuse for years, but my concern was the year following those years.

35 years of experience? I don't have 35 days of experience; when it comes to actual experience I'm still building towards 35 hours!

Picky ain't all bad. This likely means you're picky in choosing friends to share your time with and confide in, building quality into those chosen friendships and like detectoring, finding and sharing common ground :grin:.

[wingmaster]

The whites coil covers can be very hard to take off so I use a file or coarse sand paper to take off a little more than half of the edge that holds them on they still fit tight but are alot easier to take off. I don't worry about cleaning them all the time usually only once a year before storing the detector for winter maybe in the middle of season if I get alot of hunting time in. I don't like to seal mine as even a pinhole will let the water and dirt in and make really hard to get off. HH