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Battery Replacement - Pls read this first

It is almost a year since the Garmin Swim launched so there are likely to be some watches out there with batteries that are starting to run low. The estimated battery life of the Garmin Swim is one year, depending on how the watch is used. When the battery starts to run low, there is a battery icon at the top of the display that will illuminate. As the battery continues to get lower, the watch will start popping-up "Low Batt" warnings.

The watch uses a CR2032 battery that you can replace yourself. However, if done incorrectly it is possible that the water resistance can be compromised. Instructions on how to replace the battery can be found in the Owner's Manual or watch this video. The critical step is to make sure the red gasket around the door gets properly seated before the door is reinstalled, but please watch the whole video... :-)

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

SWIMARK, thanks for the help. I'll report back about the result.

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

Hi, the exact same thing has happened to me. I replaced teh battery and it seems everything is ok. However, the blue button no long functions so I cannot start the 'clock' when I swim. Does this mean the watch is a 'throwaway' now? Is there a fix?

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

Hi, the exact same thing has happened to me. I replaced teh battery and it seems everything is ok. However, the blue button no long functions so I cannot start the 'clock' when I swim. Does this mean the watch is a 'throwaway' now? Is there a fix?

Hi R

I replaced my watch battery about 11 months after buying it and, like you, sometimes have great difficulty in getting the blue button to recognise the fact that I'm pressing it - sometimes it takes half a dozen hard presses... but it does eventually work.

Ralph

0 gildenhuys over 11 years ago

Does it seem to you guys that the blue button problems started after the battery replacement?

We have found that on watches that go in pools, sometimes the buttons can get kind of gummed up with the pool chemicals (e.g. little salt crystals get stuck around the button). Working the button while holding it under warm running water helps in that case. It might be worth trying that.

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

Hello,
I have the same problem. Changed my battery; and now I can't enter swim mode. Looking for an answer if one exists

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

I am having a different problem. I replaced the battery and followed all of the instructions in the video. Now my watch just says please wait and blinks incessantly. I left it this way overnight in range of the ANT stick and then left the battery out overnight. Still no relief. Is this a hardware or software problem? Anyone else have similar issues?

0 aaronmkhk over 10 years ago

I got similar problem, since the battery used over a year in first time then I replaced new one. However it ran out after 2 weeks, so I replaced another one for it. This time lasted less than 1 week. I have turned off computer pairing after sync and set sleep mode on.

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

Does it seem to you guys that the blue button problems started after the battery replacement?

We have found that on watches that go in pools, sometimes the buttons can get kind of gummed up with the pool chemicals (e.g. little salt crystals get stuck around the button). Working the button while holding it under warm running water helps in that case. It might be worth trying that.

Hi, I am a pool swimmer; and can't confirm whether this is related to changing the battery only. I haven't swum for a long time (shoulder injury) so the issue could be related to chemicals jamming the mechanism.

I have tried washing the watch under cold and warm water and am seeing a small change in behaviour. I can now enter swim mode provided I really (and I mean really) push the button in with finger nails.

Thanks for the advice. I'll start rinsing the watch after a swim to see if that starts to dissolve some of the chemicals that may be there.

Matthew

0 GRZEGORZH over 10 years ago

There is a bug in watch software - wrong session dates after replacing battery.
I did replace battery exactly like in this video:
http://www8.garmin.com/learningcenter/into-sports/garmin-swim/

Watch turned itself on after puttin new battery, I did set the time, then I go into Sessions.
All timestamps are wrong.
Session dated Mon, 29 Sep 2014 17:10 now is dated: 23 May 2013 20:02
Session dated Sun, 28 Sep 2014 17:00 now is dated: 22 May 2013 19:51
and so on.
Luckily it didn't sync once more into Garmin Connect.

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

I have a similar problem. My computer at home runs Unbuntu. I have a program that will upload the .fit files from the watch to the computer. I can then upload the files to Garmin Connect. Before I changed the battery the file name of the uploaded file contained a date that matched the session date within the file. Now the date on the file contains a date from 1990 although the session date is correct. For example before the change the file name would be 10142013 for a session on Oct. 14 2013. Now I get a file name 01201990 for a session on Oct. 15, 2014. Is there an internal date that I need to set? Note the session file is correct and all the data shows up in Garmin Connect, it is just harder to determine which files need to be uploaded.