How do you know when to dry out?

[jayjacque]

During summer non-rainy or non-snowy months, do you still need to dry some breaks out? And if so, how do you know which ones need it? Because of the warmer temps, most breaks are cooperating more, but then there is always a stubborn one for whatever reason. Is that when you slide the bridge off and use the moisture evaporator, or can you just tell visually before you start that a break has trapped moisture? How do you guys decide?

It seems like drying everything out if not needed makes for unneccesary work and may make some breaks start to run, but on the flip side nothing with moisture would slip by you.

Up til now I've been selective, only using it if there was damp air or it had just rained. Even in the winter, on sunny days I was more prone to just fill without drying out.

[Brent Deines]

You never know when someone has just washed their car, so the weather cannot be the only factor you consider when deciding to dry out a break or not. When in doubt, dry it out! Someone else came up with that phrase, but I think it is very appropriate.

I think I have a pretty good eye for moisture contamination in a break, and use a probe to flex the break prior to repairing as that helps me to see if there is any fluid movement in the break, so I often don't use a moisture evaporator in good weather, but I know plenty of other technicians that use it on every break just to be sure, and I certainly can't find fault in that.

One of my fellow Delta Kits windshield repair trainers recently did some testing to see if the moisture evaporator would remove resin mixed with water from a break. Aside from some crackling as the vapor from the mixture hit the heating element it worked great. I throw this in just to let you know that even if you start to fill a break with resin and then discover that there is water contamination, you can, and should, still dry it out and start over.

[screenman]

Hey who is nicking my phrases, I should have put a copyright on it. The other day we talked of magnifying glasses, these are a great help in trying to see moisture, yes you certainly can get moisture out once you have started to fill, we found it best to do it before though, in our test's it needed greater amounts of heat. Interesting point, the other day I was demonstrating to a trainee how water and resin did not mix, after showing the two in the same glass I left the glass on the side just inside the workshop door and the resin which had settled in the bottom of the glass with the water on top sort of crystalised into a hard opaque substance, to my mind for some reason this was interesting, I know sad old git.

[Brent Deines]

Sorry about that screenman. One of my employees was trying to claim it, but I knew I had heard it before, just couldn't remember where or when. The credit's all yours so you can call off the dogs.

I agree, best to remove water first, but it's nice to know that it can be done after mixed with resin if necessary.

[harrellbenjamin]

My answer is easy(screenman made me a believer) I remove moisture any time I repair a w/shield period.

[rowdy13]

I know its been discussed before, but do you actually touch the glass using the Dry Star, or just hover above it slowly moving it around in a circular motion?

[harrellbenjamin]

do a search for the thread Drystar and there is reams of info on it.Personally I heat until red ,release button and apply to damage for 18 sec. repeat as necessary.

[Brent Deines]

Yep, this one has been beat to death, and I think I must be the only one on the planet that heats the element red hot and holds the button down while placing the unit flat against he glass for the full 20 seconds. Like Ben said, go back and read the other posts on this subject and then decide who you want to listen to. There certainly is no consensus as to the best practice.

[GlasWeldTech]

I use mine the same way and time as Brent does. Been good to me for many years this way but I ALWAYS WONDER IF THIS IS THE ONE..

[screenman]

It is nice to have some excitement going.