Help! Can't open Container sealed on plane [Solved - post 21].
 

Here's the dilemma:

I have a waterproof shell case for my camera. I opened and then closed it on the plane.

Now I'm on the ground, and it's impossible to open. Here's why.

The pressure inside is far lower than on the outside, making the external forces greater, and making it nearly impossible to open.

How can I realistically open it without breaking it?

ALL IDEAS WELCOME

So you need to equalize the pressure:
1) Try to warm it up. The air inside will expand hopefully enough to let you open. How you do this is going to depend on what resources you have available and of course you don't want to damage the camera.
2) Even a tiny needle hole (heat a needle with a match) will be enough to equilibrate, but then you are no longer totally waterproof. But maybe you could reseal the hole?
3) Push continuously in one spot near where it closes; if you can vent it, you're home free.
Good luck

Warm it by sticking it in a sink of hot water? I wouldn't have thought taht would do much damage and it would heat it fairly evenly

good ideas above, but:

If the case is polycarbonate (very hard plastic), the hot needle may not work, and will be really difficult to reseal effectively.

Warming the box in hot water might get you partly there, but there could be a danger of hot water messing with the seals and housing permanently. Also, the difference in pressure relieved due to hot air I don't think is enough to overcome the difference in air pressure locked in at 8,000 feet. (approx 60 deg C / 20 deg C = 13% pressure difference, versus ~26% pressure difference from sea level to 8,000 ft). But you might as well give it a try.

Last option that occurs to me -- are you anywhere near a scientific facility where someone has a vacuum chamber? Or even one of those "store-lots-of-clothes-in-a-bag" devices, that operates by a vacuum cleaner?

What you would want to do it open up all the latches on the case, put it in a vacuum, and let it open, and then let the vacuum go.

Aside from this, you might have to ask a friend to take it up in a plane for you... or wait until you're in the air again...

FedEx will take it up in an airplane for you for only a modest shipping charge.

:D

Not too funny, considering OP is desperate and looking for some helpful advice. :(

Hmm. My high school physics is a little rusty. you did say all ideas welcome; I don't promise these ideas are any good, but they are genuine.

I'm trying to think of a low pressure environment you can get to (without getting on another flight).

A fast elevator?
A scuba training center? (might be able to regulate pressure in a small environment)
Find an FT'er in your town who's going on a mileage run, and will be back in town soon anyway?
Ask camera store where you bought?

One last thing: if you do manage to crack it open, is there sensitive instrumentation that would be affected by the sudden change in pressure?

Good luck

If you do send it Fedex, you would want to put it in a large box, and have some mechanism to pull the housing open when the pressure gets close enough (and of course the housing locks in the "open" position). It might open on its own, but no guarantee. You'd want rubber bands or springs or something be sure to force open the clamshell housing - but now this is getting complicated. You could send it up without all this stuff, just hoping by luck it will open and not reclose.

Having someone take it up for you might be the easiest way.

-- Fast elevator would not work -- it is not the speed that matters, but the absolute height that you get up to.

-- Scuba training center would not work (I think) -- all they have are facilities to make things even more pressurized from the outside.

Got any mountains near by you can drive up? If it is a pressure issue, once you get to 6,000 you would be at about the pressure of the airplane. If you can't get to that, you could maybe get close enough to open it.

You can also check with the company that made it, they may have an easy way to do it that's not at all obvious to you.

Help! Can't open Container sealed on plane
 

Did you buy with a credit card? Call the bank and explain your situation, maybe they'll comp you another case

I'd also suggest posting the model and company the case is from and asking this be moved to the photography forum where somebody may have the same case and been through this already.

IDEA

Go to a Flying School near where you are. Explain to the instructor what happened and ask him to take it for a ride. No cost but maybe a beer afterwards ?

Most reputable watertight cases like Pelican has a pressure relieve valve for this purpose.

Hey Mike.

I see you live in Easton, and I live in Weston. Could I send it to you to take up? I figure you're probably going up sometime soon :)

I was thinking that air cargo is unpressurized and the case would pop open by itself, but that is not correct, so forget it.