Wear and tear and products life.
(Product = Inflatable products for waterparks.)
Please note that PVC products are consumables. They are subject to normal wear and tear. PVC products are affected by many factors that can affect their life. The life of products in use can therefore vary significantly.
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The lifespan of products in some water parks can therefore be, for example, 12-24 months. In contrast, in other water parks, customers can destroy products in, for example, 3 months, or in exceptional cases, even a few weeks. The lifespan of the products and time of wear and tear of products therefore is not a manufacturing defect.
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Justification:
1. Mechanical wear – contact of products with sharp objects:
– Dragging of products by customers on concrete surfaces.
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2. External influences that cause aging and degradation of the material:
– UV radiation. Long-term exposure of products to direct sunlight causes degradation of any PVC material.
– Chemical degradation. One of the factors is, for example, the chlorine component, which must be present in the pool water for disinfection. Chlorine compounds gradually degrade the material.
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Each pool can have a different chemical composition. Some pool owners have found that there are other ways to disinfect pool water which do not use chlorine. These methods can use ozone, salt, silver and copper to reduce or completely replace chlorine, although these options tend to be more expensive than chlorine.
The chemical composition of the water is also affected by mineralized water along with chlorine compounds. Urine that gets into the pool water reacts with chlorine. A chemical reaction occurs, which creates chemical irritants called chloramines (NH₂Cl) and others such as cyanogen chloride (NCCl). The method of disinfection affects not only the health of water park visitors, but also the lifespan of the products.
The chemical composition of the water is also affected by mineralized water along with chlorine compounds. Urine that gets into the pool water reacts with chlorine. A chemical reaction occurs, which creates chemical irritants called chloramines (NH₂Cl) and others such as cyanogen chloride (NCCl). The method of disinfection affects not only the health of water park visitors, but also the lifespan of the products.
In open pools, these chemicals are diluted much faster by the surrounding air. In closed and poorly ventilated swimming pools, the concentration of these substances in the air can be much higher.
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The result of the action of these chlorine compounds is that the material is gradually damaged and degraded. The damaged material gradually becomes brittle. Over time, cracks may appear in the weakest areas of the material. The thinnest and weakest points on products are welds.
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