I was having this discussion the other day and did not come to a conclusion therefore I thought I would get some other opinions.
Should a kite be washed with fresh water after use? Some may think no? I believe that removing salt water and drying thoroughly will prolong the life of a kite. Can anybody give some scientific evidence to suggest otherwise?
scientific evidence.... If you wash your kite and then dry it out in the sun your exposing your kite and bladders to more UV rays, and will probably end up damaging it in the washing process. I don't think that salt damages kites, chlorine + fluride might ( at least help it fade ), although if you have metal on your kite anywhere ( pulleys?) it may be worth washing them briefly.
My only reason for washing a kite is to stop having a moist kite everytime I bring it near the sea.
The salt attracts moisture, so if your not in the middle of a southern summer, the kite always seems moist. Give it a wash and problem fixed!
In short. Don't wash your kite. Salt will not hurt it. Give your pulleys a spray with a silicon spray or similar if your kite has them. The fresh water will cause mould if you don't fully dry it before hand, a salty kite won't. And as you are all aware we are under strick water restrictions and should be saving water.
Personal choice:
Salt water is not an issue - although packing a kite away wet with sea water for any time can cause colour bleeding, but not mold.
Fresh water won't harm your kite, although packing away wet can cause mold and bleeding.
Sand is a bigger issue and can cause abrasion if trapped in certain areas. Do what you need to do to get the sand off and try to dry it properly to avoid the above.
Ok, the scientific reasoning for washing any material that is exposed to dissolved salts and then left to dry.
Essentially the way it goes is, salt is dissolved in the sea water, which then gets onto your kite. The water then evapourates leaving behind the salt to crystalise. These tiny crystals (not just ones you can see) get inside of the material and are able to cut the fibres or whetever it is made of, eventually the material will lose its integrity and break as it becomes weaker.
Seeing however as the kite itself IS waterproof, I don't think there would extensive damage as 99% of the salt water (or more) wouldn't be able to actually get into the material's structure.
Things like the lines definantly need to be washed in freshwater after use in salt water, mainly due to the fact they take a hell of alot of strain and aren't as waterproof, they must be washed BEFORE they dry, the bridle is a little more resistant to salt wear because they are usually covered in a 'platicy' type material, pigtails should be rinsed too.
I would agree with you that washing your kite in freshwater before a LOONG storage may improve it's life, but not by a large margin and then you have the risk of NOT drying the kite properly and then you could get mould.
My $0.02 worth....
Invest a couple of dollars in a cheap banister brush to get the sand off your kite before you pack it up.
Other than that, keep it dry n salty
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Walshy, iron ore dust? Sounds like you might be in Whyalla? (I used to live there, in a previous life)
I think it might be like a girls feef, you are not meant to wash em, they wash themselfs.
what about any sand that gets left behind... Doesn't that cause abrasion to the kite?
I'm talking about areas such as between stuts or LE and the kite material.
Yeh skiddz, thats the worst high wear area for the kite, but most new kites are reinforced there to help.
Skid, the red dust is heaps better nowdays how crushing is done out at the mines. But there are still the occassional red seagull getting around.
FYI: Whyalla is the only place in South Australia that is home to the native red seagull. The native red seagull is a close relation to the common seagull, and can be easily identified by its red body and ratty looking appearance.
The native red seagull is notorious for crapping on kites, cars, boards and is quite aggressive around chips and wheelie bins.
Whyalla is also home to another rare Australian bird: the red pigeon.
The red pigeon prefers to reside around its only known nesting place; the pelletplant.
do not wash your kite...it only leads to one thing.....NAGGING...darl can you wash the car....darl the house windows need a wash...darl wash your feet before you come inside the house....nag nag nag....
i have never washed anything - lines, harness, board, wetty etc.
Is the consensus that we should be washing our bar and lines?
I't's at least a 20m walk to the tap at my spot.
I've got cheap crappy solly's rope strung out in the back yard - makes washing really easy if you hang the kite from the bridles.
It's nice putting your kite away with no sand etc but not everyone has the luxury of grass to lay their kite out after a sess. I always have to rinse the sand out of my pulleys after every session - if not something breaks.
Rinse you bar and lines, and hang in a dry spot.
Kite - There is a sail wash solution you can buy, go and see some sailor (Helloo Sailor) No.....not that type of sailor, but the guys at a Boating shop....they'll put you onto the right stuff. I only wash the kite when you've got a soggy kite.
I pump the the struts..not the leading edge.
and hang it on a old wooden clothes rack, where the larger middle strut folds over the back, letting the rest to dangle downwards the the floor where the air and the water can escape.
and stow it in the shed where the sun dries it from inside and not direct.
But hey I live in Coolum, and we get the sun...so ask you mates to borrow a sun lamp, Only after his finished cultivating his herb garden.
NOW...... does that once and for all solve this debate....
