How to use Delta's Evaporator

[WinkyTheWindshield]

I just picked up the evaporator from Delta. I just wanted to ask my fellow techs who are more experienced with this tool than I am for some advice.

What are some:

-Do's and don'ts

-Tricks from the trade

-Specal techniques that you found were effective

-Or really just any information you can give me regarding this tool that will help the quality of my repairs, and can prevent me from making a costly mistake (I'd rather not find out the hard way).

I have inquired information by posting topics in the past, and you were all very helpful. I just wanted to take the time to thank everybody who contributes to this post before-hand.

Happy Holidays

[Kgobin]

With the Delta Kits moisture evaporator, you do not want to leave it on the glass for more than 20 seconds. Typically, it should remove all moisture within those 20 seconds.

[SGT]

Recommended Practices

1. Pre heat the evaporator til cherry red.
2. If using to warm the windshield use in a circular motion around the damage with the element on the glass. Use a temp sensor to monitor temp. if possible or if it is to hot to keep your hand on let it cool down.
3.If using to dry out, put the evaporator element directly on the glass for 20 seconds. Let glass cool down. If needed repeat until moisture is no longer present.

Alternate method that I use for drying out is to keep the element once heated off of the glass about 1/16th to 1/8 inch, just minimal. I feel this will help lower the odds of the possibility of damage spreading during the process. It may require an additional dryout cycle to achieve the same results as the DK reccomended practice though.

[WinkyTheWindshield]

Has anybody had an experience where the damage spread from using the moisture evaporator-- by either following the product recommendations or using their own methods? If so, could you please explain the elements or variables that probably provoked the spreading.

Thanks again,
--Winky

[glassgeek]

To understand the dynamics of failure under heat, you must consider that based the starting surface temp and the ambient temp outside, the amount of heat is determined by several factors. Temp, stress, and break type are all factors. In addition, Heating the glass above 120 degrees can damage laminate according to PVB mfg's.

I will follow up in the future with more specific content.

[SGT]

Not sure anyone could provide with certainty when a crackout will happen. There may be factors present that you physically can not see such as stress so all we as technicians can do is take a necessary precautions to minimize this possibility. Even if all precautions all taken, no matter how skilled you are, at some point in my opinion you will have this happen.

You have asked has this happened to anyone. Yes it has happened to me, I do not keep a tally but I believe 2-3 times. This is extremely minimal in comparison to the number of completed repairs. One common denominator in the couple I have had is the way the tip of the leg or crack looked. They all were blunt and looked like this I . Becuase of that, I wanted to minimize the possiblity of crackouts and came up with my previously mentioned alternate method which keeps an air gap between the glass and the element. It may not be as efficient as recommended practices though as it may take additional cycles to dryout.

[Brent Deines]

That's interesting as it can get to over 120 degrees in Arizona and the glass is much hotter than that.

To understand the dynamics of failure under heat, you must consider that based the starting surface temp and the ambient temp outside, the amount of heat is determined by several factors. Temp, stress, and break type are all factors. In addition, Heating the glass above 120 degrees can damage laminate according to PVB mfg's.

I will follow up in the future with more specific content.

[GlassStarz]

I have a hand held ir thermometer on days here where the outside temp is 115f + I saw it read 200f (its max temp) several times this summer I touched the glass and left skin once and in the video brent showed in a previos post the cook it to 700 celcius during mfg im thinking 120 is to quote my old gramp "A bunch a Hooyey)

[glassgeek]

I have a hand held ir thermometer on days here where the outside temp is 115f + I saw it read 200f (its max temp) several times this summer I touched the glass and left skin once and in the video brent showed in a previos post the cook it to 700 celcius during mfg im thinking 120 is to quote my old gramp "A bunch a Hooyey)

As they say, you don't know what "you" don't know! SAE

[Frank EU]

Am I right to think that the 12 Volt Moisture Evaporators do not come with guidelines? I do clearly remember that ours did (and we do have ordered at least 30+).
They may not come from the manufacturer (Hi, how are you?) including the info, this I do not know for sure, but it would be a good thing for the suppliers to include some ''how to use'' information -just to eliminate misunderstandings.