Dahua Cam is fogged up

[sn0000py]

Hello i have a question
I have a dahua camera IPC-HDBW4631R-AS, the camera worked well since last time when i have put them to a new direction, and saw that after i removed the case i saw three i think "DRY PADS" in the case, i removed them.
And now when its night, the camera image is totaly fogged up.
Today a insert these "DRY PADS", but the image is still fogged up.
Can someone explain me if i damaged the cam now?

Attached is an image of whcih i mean with fogged.

 

[Old Timer]

Those "dry pads" are filled with a material that absorbs moisture. Once they are saturated, they stop absorbing.
The easiest is to replace them with new. You can recycle some of them by heating them up for a while to
make all of the moisture disappear.
I have seen large (2lb) bags that are made of canvas cloth, and on the side they show 250 deg for 16 hours, but
these are made to reactivate. The small ones in paper would never hold up to those temperatures.

 

[Old Timer]

Make sure you check your seal on the camera when you put it back together, any cut or crack will allow moisture
to seep in as temperatures and humidity changes.

 

[Mike A.]

...when i have put them to a new direction...

That looks more like IR glare/reflection to me the way that it's concentrated to that top-right side. Could be a combination of both made worse by condensation inside. Did it become worse after whatever "new direction" you put it in?

 

[sn0000py]

Ok will try it.
This camera is a dome camera where you have to remove the case (with the glas) for rotating the camera itself.
I have rotated the cam by 90 degree and since - removed the pads and three days after inserted the same pads again.

 

[Mike A.]

Check the circular foam/rubber around the lens that's supposed to isolate it from IR reflection inside the dome.

Make sure that it's in place and hasn't degraded/fallen off/been pushed out of place.

If that looks OK, then look for a nearby surface that would be reflecting back from outside the camera.

More likely the cause vs moisture.

 

[Shockwave199]

That's fog inside I believe. Dome cameras are very tough to solve with this once it develops. It's best to open on low humidity days. You might get lucky and it'll clear and stay cleared. If not you'll have to open it up and wipe down the dome. That kind of fog happening repeatedly will cause a water build up over time. Once you wipe it down be careful to replace the dome and screw it back in tightly to get a proper seal. With the cilica packs and a good seal it should hold but it may happen again quickly. See if it clears in a day or so if it does. If not, it's likely that you'll have to keep chasing it unfortunately.

 

[cd36]

Yes the only cameras I've had this issue with are SD1A203T-GN, but they are also the only dome cameras I have used. I feel like dome cameras are worse for this, as there is an air gap between the camera and the dome, where you can get quite a temperature change. Other styles don't seem as prone to it as I believe the lens is closer to the heat source.

I think you screwed up when you took out the silica bags, and didn't replace them right away. Ideally these things are sealed, so when they are closed, the excess moisture is absorbed by the silica bags. When you open them you'll always get some moisture in, unless you are opening in incredibly dry conditions. Without the silica bag to remove that excess moisture, you'll get condensation when the temperature drops again.

The only luck I've had is to take it down, and take it inside and let it dry out. Then replace the Silica bags with new, and put back together. If you put it up on a cold day, it'll go from being inside/warm to outside/cold and can condensate very quickly on the dome until the temperatures settle out. I've seen it happen with people that leave their cameras off for a while and then turn them on when the temperature is cold, the temperature change of the heat of the camera causes some condensation, until things equalize out and it disappears. In this case just give it a day or two and it should disappear, if it doesn't you'll need to dry it out and replace the bag.

Depending on what kind of silica bags they are, they do change colour as they get saturated, I know the ones in my Dahua cams do. The majority of the beads are white, except for a few colour changing ones in the package, these will turn black as they get saturated. When you buy replacement ones you should be able to get colour changing ones as well.