Restoring Repellency in Gortex Question
- Thread starter B. Miller
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The way Gortex works, IIRC, is that it is porous, and the pores (holes) are larger than water molecules, but smaller than water droplets. I believe that it is contamination with dirt and sweat and similar things that affect the effectiveness.
Years ago I bought some Gore-Tex Soap Revive from REI. I presume similar products are still on the market if this one isn't. You just wash your Gore-Tex in the soap and get it clean, then rinse.
Hope this helps, Walt
Years ago I bought some Gore-Tex Soap Revive from REI. I presume similar products are still on the market if this one isn't. You just wash your Gore-Tex in the soap and get it clean, then rinse.
Hope this helps, Walt
In all liklihood it isn't the Goretex that's "losing its repellency", but the DWR treatment of the facing fabric laminated to the Goretex membrane.
Goretex can fail if the pores get clogged. Washing it and using heat to dry or even carefully iron it can help. The most common problem I've seen is the exterior fabric;it starts to "wet out". If the goretex is still ok, the moisture will stay on the outside. Restoring the Durable Water Repellency treatment on the facing fabric usually involves using a commercial DWR product like Nikwax etc. Tectron works the best for me, but sometimes nothing works.
Goretex can fail if the pores get clogged. Washing it and using heat to dry or even carefully iron it can help. The most common problem I've seen is the exterior fabric;it starts to "wet out". If the goretex is still ok, the moisture will stay on the outside. Restoring the Durable Water Repellency treatment on the facing fabric usually involves using a commercial DWR product like Nikwax etc. Tectron works the best for me, but sometimes nothing works.
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IIRC, when I was in the military we were told not to use liquid detergent on our Gore-Tex gear as it would clog the pores. Powdered detergent and G.I. Soap would work just fine though....
This is based on my faulty memory though.
Spark
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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com
Insert witty quip here
This is based on my faulty memory though.
Spark
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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com
Insert witty quip here
I work in an outdoors shop in the UK and one of the most common queries is about reproofing breathable jackets.
What you should do is wash it in Non-Biological detergent (Biological does something nasty to the membrane), let it drip dry, then a cool iron to press the layers back together and then spray it (2 light sprays as opposed to one thick one) with something that is approved for breathable material (won`t block the pores). I think that there are some paste on reproofers, but a spray is far easier.
Goretex doesn`t degenerate at all. It either gets clogged or torn.
Good luck.
What you should do is wash it in Non-Biological detergent (Biological does something nasty to the membrane), let it drip dry, then a cool iron to press the layers back together and then spray it (2 light sprays as opposed to one thick one) with something that is approved for breathable material (won`t block the pores). I think that there are some paste on reproofers, but a spray is far easier.
Goretex doesn`t degenerate at all. It either gets clogged or torn.
Good luck.
Daniel L
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Try and find a treatment that is endorsed by Gore fabrics - in New Zealand we have Nikwax and ReviveX. Basically you need to wash the garment first (in hot soapy water if its dirty, not detergent) and then treat. The most important step is using a clothes drier to properly bond the treatment to the nylon outer - just follow the instructions on the bottle.
The goretex membrane can't "breathe" if the the nylon face fabric is soaked with rain, which is why having good water repellency (ie water beads off without soaking the fabric) is essential for good performance.
If the jacket is new, then just washing and doing the clothes drier (or warm iron) spin will "revive" the bond.
Daniel.
The goretex membrane can't "breathe" if the the nylon face fabric is soaked with rain, which is why having good water repellency (ie water beads off without soaking the fabric) is essential for good performance.
If the jacket is new, then just washing and doing the clothes drier (or warm iron) spin will "revive" the bond.
Daniel.
One kind of "dirt" which really isn't good for Goretex is fat, so if you eat food which might drip, be careful.
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Urban Fredriksson
www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/
"Smooth and serrated blades cut in two entirely different fashions."
- The Teeth of the Tyrannosaurs, Scientific American, Sep 1999
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Urban Fredriksson
www.canit.se/%7Egriffon/
"Smooth and serrated blades cut in two entirely different fashions."
- The Teeth of the Tyrannosaurs, Scientific American, Sep 1999