For most of us it’s a childhood dream to go and retire by the ocean. The attractions are numerous and powerful. Amongst them – great views, fresh air & lots of social, cultural & outdoor amenities.
However, on the downside, there are also strong salt laden winds which ruin turf, kill off many other garden plants, accelerate corrosion on vehicles and anything else made of metal, abrade paintwork and generally present a fairly efficient, source of abrasive material which gets into any moving parts.
In addition there are the high levels of ozone which are welcome for purifying the air, but regrettably, they also attack any rubber seals around the home or vehicles.
And finally, because the sand, rocks and water at the ocean are many times more reflective than almost all inland or city surfaces, they don’t absorb so much of the ultra violet light which occurs naturally in daylight. As a result, there’s a much higher level of ultra violet light by the ocean.
Now, ultra violet light in small regular amounts is actually of benefit to our health, just like ozone, there’s nothing it seems to like better than setting about any natural rubber parts it can find.
Altogether this explains why rubber Wiper blades have an even shorter working life than usual when they’re fitted to a vehicle which lives at the ocean. The salt particles wear down the rubber and act as grinding particles between the wiper blade and the windscreen. The ozone assails the rubber all around the clock, whether the Wiper blades are being used or not, indeed, whether the vehicle is being driven or not. This attack causes the rubber to turn inflexible, and its structure to break down. Additionally the higher levels of Ultra Violet light also attack the rubber and intensify its stiffening & break down.
Because of the above I invariably recommend Silicone Windscreen Wiper Blades to anybody living or regularly visiting the coast, particularly people with boats or other interests that take them into closer contact with salt water & ocean air. Silicone Windscreen Wiper Blades are totally unaffected by salt, ultra violet and ozone, as well as environmental pollution and many solvents contained in cleaning products.
A silicone blade in a traditional wiper blade goes a long way towards avoiding the problems caused by lifenear the ocean. Nonetheless, traditional Wiper blades have a metal frame with joints which are also prone to attack by the salt, causing rapid wear and corrosion of the joints. Therefore the ultimate Wiper blades for use near the ocean would be silicone Flat Wiper Blades, which unites a one piece jointless frame and a long life silicone blade.
Tags: Auto News