Hikvision dome camera lens cleaning?

[bfordz]

We have about 20 dome cameras outside and a few of the lens seem to be getting foggy / dirty.
What is the recommended cleaner for cleaning these dome lens?
What type of chemical ingredients should I stay away from? I don't want to do more harm than good!

 

[lewic]

Distilled water and a microfiber cloth will be what I would use. These usually have an antiglare coating on it that Windex and anything with ammonia may strip.

 

[bfordz]

@lewic ,
Thank you for that information. I have a couple (so far) that seem to have a dull finish to them, kinda like some headlight lens get. Not sure if it's the same but curious if anyone else has experienced that.

Also, has anyone tried replacing the 'dome' lens and does Hikvision have replacement dome lens'.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Domes turn foggy with age due to UV light aging the plastic. Domes, outdoors, should be avoided for long term use.

 

[lewic]

I believe that Hikvision does have replacement domes. Honestly there is really no reason to have a dome camera unless you really need the impact resistance. Turret cameras are better in all aspects. Domes from my experience has a few inherent flaws. Besides the dome itself aging and causing issues with clarity, there is also the foam ring that goes between the lens and dome going bad which lets the IR light reflect into the lens and blinding the camera. Also domes shouldn't be installed in any are where there is constant water moisture which will have water/dust spots on the dome causing never ending cleaning. Be careful when cleaning the inside of the dome. The edge is super sharp and I have cut my hands many times polishing the inside with a microfiber towel. They should have rounded the edges or something to make it "safer".

 

[bfordz]

Thank you lewic and sebastiantombs for you comments and advise.
We had another Co. install our security/camera system about 5 years ago, since I had never dealt with cameras before I had no idea what 'should' have been used outdoors. All of my outside cameras are dome cameras, argh!

We are starting to find out what you mean by "not for long term use outside" or "no reason to have a dome camera outside". I'm not sure if the original reason was for the 'impact resistance' since most are mounted too high to get at without a lift.

As lewic has stated, the inherent flaws, I think I've experienced most of those flaws. Trying to capture and view a video with a lens that's totally wet and water spotted is useless. Snow covered until it slides off and now the UV deterioration causing a foggy / frosted view.
We are going through a major building remodel so several cameras have been taken down and now I can see how the lens has deteriorated do to the constant UV light exposure.

All of my outdoor cameras are domes and mounted directly to the side of the building, there's good and mostly bad to that.
The bad; the dome is exposed to UV light all the time, at least the upper half of the dome.
The good; only half of the dome (facing up) got the full UV exposure. We relocated 2 cameras inside and I was able to rotate the dome 180 degree's so the camera was utilizing the clear half of the dome.

Has anyone replaced the dome lens before and where did you get them?
I found some generic domes online but I don't know if they're all the same size / shape, for the price, I would hate to have them not fit properly.
I'm going to contact Hikvision about replacement domes.

 

[lewic]

Hikvision will have the domes available but whether they will sell them to you is the issue. Hikvision will only sell items to distributors/integrators/installers. You can call their tech support line and have them transfer you to presales and see if they would sell you the dome. More likely they would refer you back to your installer which would in turn go to ADI or some other distributor. That distributor would then order it from Hikvision. It is a pain in the butt but that is how they operate.

At the end of the day if having to order through that "chain of command" then might as well do an upgrade to a new turret. Yes you are replacing the dome but what about the foam ring? That piece is probably shrunk and deteriorated due to age and that would be the next piece of the puzzle. Since you said they were installed five years ago and Hikvision warranty is 3 years so it is out of warranty. If Hikvision doesn't sell you the domes directly and you need to have your installer come out twice for service call to take the domes, order new ones and replace. The cost for all that would definitely be enough to cover purchasing new turrets (around $65 each) and install. If you know how to take off the dome to rotate then you would most definitely be able to take the camera down and install a new one in it's place.

Dome is held on by three screws. Once removed you have three screw at the base of the dome that holds it on. Then unplug the networking cable. On the turret, the base of the turret is three screws which you would mount to the house first. Then plug in the networking cable to the camera. Put the camera (eyeball looking portion) to the base and the shroud is put over that to hold it in place. Then position the camera where you want and screw the locking screw down to hold the camera in that position. If you have a Hikvision NVR with built in POE then it will add the camera automatically using plug and play.

 

[sebastiantombs]

If you're unsure about the physical size of the domes, invest in a dial caliper from Harbor Freight and measure them. Personally, I'd replace the cameras with turrets and find another use for the dome cameras, out of the weather.

Any camera, dome, bullet or turret, can have problems with rain and snow. I have experienced rain on the lens and snow build-up as well. It all depends on the direction and force of the wind. If you stood still, outside, with your eyes wide open and not blinking in a rain or snow storm and were faced into the wind to some degree the same thing would happen to you. In terms of sunlight, remember that UV gets reflected by any light colored surface/

 

[alastairstevenson]

Also, has anyone tried replacing the 'dome' lens and does Hikvision have replacement dome lens'.

I've used several replacement domes from JMX Optical, here (they are also sold on eBay) :

Buy Products Online from China Wholesalers at Aliexpress.com

They provide quite good data on sizing so you should be able to figure out if they have a match for your camera.
It might also be worth seeing if they respond to a query about matching against your specific camera model.

 

[Studie]

Camera lens cleaner. Helps repel dirt and dust.

 

[bfordz]

Sebastiantombs, thanks, I do have a dial indicator (Harbor Freight special) for measuring.
I understand the blowing wind, rain and snow. These domes, just simple rain or drizzle can make them impossible to view.

Alastairstevenson, thanks for the link. I checked them out, they have quite the assortment of domes.

I did contact Hikvision for some other issues and I inquired about replacement domes, they said they could help me out with that. I haven't heard back on price or availability.

 

[bfordz]

I have contacted Hikvision about the domes, they said they could help me out there. Waiting to see what that means!
I did get some mild polish and I'm going to try buffing out 1 dome with my dremel like we do headlight lens, I'll let you know how that goes.

The one dome I've been trying to clean looks more like a film or coating is coming off the lens. Not so much as a dull hazing.

 

[alastairstevenson]

The one dome I've been trying to clean looks more like a film or coating is coming off the lens.

The outer surface of the lens has an anti-reflective coating, this can show as a rainbow effect as move it around in the light.
Does this look different - for example, spotty or varied across it?

 

[bfordz]

I haven't noticed the rainbow effect but it has a fairly large area with a uneven edge around it, like something has peeled off. You can feel a small edge if you run your finger nail across it also.
I don't know if you be able to see it in the picture.

 

[alastairstevenson]

Oh, I see.
It's on the dome itself, I'd thought you meant the camera lens.

Yes, that does not look good, it's well deteriorated.

 

[lewic]

Looks like a new dome will need to be ordered for those. Yes you can remove the coating but then you may be getting a lot of glare. Remember to get the foam rings that goes in between the dome and the lens. Those usually are worn out also. You can put some rain-x or ceramic coating on the outside of the dome. I have had good luck with that helping it repel the water droplets.