Washing kites with chlorinated water bad for the coating?

[wickedwim]

Hi guys,

Today I got told at the kite school where I work that we shouldnt wash the kites, because the chlorinated water is actually taking of the protective coating. So the boss claims it is better to keep the kites salty then washing them once every few weeks or so.

He says that if we would have a whole lot of rainwater he would wash them with it, but better not with the local - greek - tapwater.

Obviously we rinse the bars every time and never store the kites wet or leave them to long exposed tot wind or sun, so its not that my boss isn't concerned about the lifespan of his gear.

Who can tell me if he is right?

cheers

Wim

[plummet]

I call bollocks to that. If its drinking water there will not be a high concentration of any chemicals to damage coatings.

But on the other side of it. Why the hell wash em in the first place? The only time mine get washed is when I fly in the rain. My oldest kites are 2012 and still going strong.

Kite school kites will be wrecked or sold well before any need to wash or washing creates any imaginary problems.

[Bushflyr]

Don't wash you kite. Don't wash your bar. Highly chlorinated water is bad, but mildew is even worse.

If you rinse your lines with fresh water and don't flake them out to dry they'll mildew in a few days. That's why pro sailors only rinse their sails at the end of a season and lay them out to fully dry before storage.

My end of sesh routine is drop the kite and lines in the rigging area. Go shower off, rinse my board and harness. Come back pack my now dry kite and bar and go home.

I don't think I've seen anyone rinse their kite ever, and only a few people rinse their bars.

[plummet]

To get a bit technical. Sea water contains chlorine. Its the chlorides in the salt water that cause corrosion of steels..... ..... ... ....

I agree with bush flyer in one aspect. Don't wash ya kite down.

But if you have a bar with metal parts. Stainless etc. You should wash that down with fresh water to remove the salt water. Otherwise you can get pitting and crevice corrosion of the metal parts.
For the metal parts being wet with fresh water is better than having salt water residue.

I year or so back i had 2 identical bars. One i flew on my leis and rinsed with fresh water after each use. The other on my foil kite which i didn't rinse after each use ( i kept the bar and line connected to the kite).
After 1 year the lei bar that was rinsed after each use was fine. The foil bar metal parts had corrosion on and out found a stress crack on one of the parts.

[matth]

I only ride in the ocean. Bar is always hosed down , spun by hand and then left to air dry. Kites if wet, I will let sit in sun for a few minutes then brush clean with soft bristle broom, I also check and blow out pulleys if needed. Washing with fresh water is not needed IMO. Too much time to dry and the sun needed will do the most harm.

[William Munney]

The bar should always be washed and preferably rinsed in a bucket. A shop type brush can help get sand off. I wouldn't wash a kite unless it needed repair or if it was super dirty from mud or less than pristine beaches.

[alamos_kiter]

I have no bad experience with rinsing kites every now and then. Coating is usually polyurethane which is quite resistant to corrosive chemicals. I always rinse the bar. My oldest kite is 2005 and still going strong Peter Lynn Venom 8

Short answer: don't rinse the kite school stuff, the boss is the boss and it's his gear. Rinse your own.

[harry potter]

In 11 years have never rinsed any of my kites... Occasionally rinse the bars.

Many times they are packed away sandy and wet.... On the assumption I will get them out within a few days. If they are sandy and are being packed away for a while I will leave them inflated and rinse in the saltwater then allow to dry before packing away
Still have some 2007 and 2009 kites in the garage that are in great condition.

[Hugh2]

In 11 years have never rinsed any of my kites... Occasionally rinse the bars.

Many times they are packed away sandy and wet.... On the assumption I will get them out within a few days. If they are sandy and are being packed away for a while I will leave them inflated and rinse in the saltwater then allow to dry before packing away
Still have some 2007 and 2009 kites in the garage that are in great condition.

+1 I've never rinsed a kite except in rain or crashing in a lake. Regularly ride in oceans, plenty of chlorine there, and have kites from 2006. Bars are another story, I've had several corroded bars, because I often forget to rinse them.

[wickedwim]

I went through some older threads about the same topic and found mixed opinions. Still I find it hard to believe that rinsing my kites with tap water is bad. Obviously you have to let them dry completely
.
I got told that sharp salt crystals on your canopy are way worse then rinsing it once in a while.

Now mind you, I only rinse them when they got totally soaked (self resque, teaching or just a lot of crashes)
Recently I also gave them a new coating with the Ultramar stuff and the kite looks/feels super crispy again.

Off course I am happy my boss doesnt make me wash the school kites - opposed to many others in the past - but I think I will keep happily rinsing my own kites.