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Archives : UV curing lamps

A Cure for Windshield Repairs in Cold Weather

The best cure for cold weather is to avoid it all together, but that’s probably not possible for people who live in many parts of the country. Especially the way the weather has already impacted most of us so far. Winter is definitely here and with it comes the extra challenges of getting your windshield repairs to cure properly in cold weather. You really don’t have to do anything special to get good curing results – just a little more of what you already do!

To fully cure your repairs in cold weather all you really need is a little extra patience and preparation. It’s a fact – windshield repair resin takes longer to cure in cold weather. This is due to several factors. For starters, the voltage output of the vehicle’s cigarette lighter or power outlet may be lower in cold weather so the UV curing lamp receives less power, and therefore the output is less. Also, when your UV lamp bulb is cold, it does not emit as much UV radiation as it does when it is warmed up. And, last but not least, resin that is cold doesn’t cure as quickly as resin that is at a warmer temperature.

Take precautions to ensure your cold weather windshield repair cures thoroughly and properly by slowing down a little and giving your repair more time to cure. You should plan on adding an extra one to two minutes to the curing cycle. Also, warm up the UV lamp an extra minute or two before you begin the cure. And when you’re traveling between jobs, keep the UV lamp where it can stay warm – such as inside the vehicle with you.

Cold weather is also harder on your UV bulb because turning the power on and off on a cold lamp makes the bulb work harder. It is a good idea to test your UV curing lamp at the beginning of the cold winter months and again when winter is over to insure that the output of your lamp is still up to par. To test the power of your lamp take the following steps:

• Turn your lamp on and allow it to warm up for around 2 minutes.
• Place a drop of pit filler on a piece of glass and place a film tab over it.
• Put the UV curing lamp over the pit filler for 30 seconds.
• Pull the film tab off of the pit filler; it should be dry and solid to the touch.

If the pit filler takes longer than 30 seconds to cure, than you should replace your UV bulb. If you can’t escape the cold weather, the next best solution is to outsmart it! Allow each windshield repair just a little extra time to cure when it’s cold and they’ll cure like it is summer every time!