Are you a fancy hoverboards rider?
Do you like to ride hover board experience in rainy season for fun?
Have you been caught up in a dare game where your friends ask you to compete in hoverboard riding in the rain?
If yes, you may have wondered whether hoverboards are water-resistant. Apart from the fun-filled game, hoverboard riding is a great exercise that helps in developing your muscles and posture. It also gives you refreshment commuting on road.
Hoverboards function well when kept and used in the recommended conditions. You may think of trying new techniques and surfaces when riding your hoverboards. I suggest you to read the instructions on the right conditions to ride your hoverboard safely.
In this article on can you ride a hoverboard in the rain, we will talk about
- Whether you can ride hoverboard in rain or not
- Risks or benefits associated with hoverboarding in rain
- Best practices to maintain hoverboard and let the hilarious self-balancing scooter last for long time.
Can you Ride a Hoverboard in the Rain?
The answer to this question is NO. Hoverboards are electronics that have a motherboard and a battery. These two parts do not function well when exposed to water and other liquids.
Also, the rain comes with both mad and slippery surfaces. Apart from your electronics, these conditions may be dangerous for you as you ride. These conditions give room for injuries from falls.
In 2015 and 2016, CBS notes of the emergency department reported a total of 26,854 hoverboard fall injuries. No doubt, you don’t fancy losing your teeth or getting an injury in the name of fun.
Source: NCBI
According to hoverboard injury statistics, in 2015 and 2016, fractures constituted 40% of the total injuries. Bruises and strains constituted 17% and 13% of the hoverboard injuries, respectively. Thus, you can avoid being in these statistics if you ride your hoverboard in dry conditions.
Source: NCBI
So, keep the hoverboard dry always and try to ride it on terrains that are not watery. You can also ride hoverboard on grass but keep in mind that grass should not contain any water.
What Happens If Your Hoverboard Gets Wet ?
At some point, you may be lost in the riding adventure in the middle of a wet surface or rain. So, how does water affect your hoverboard? Well, the motherboard and battery are likely to be affected the most.
Apart from causing dampness, dirty water can deposit debris on the motherboard. If it is not cleaned and dried immediately, it’s bound to be dysfunctional. I recommend using alcohol in cleaning this part.
The lithium-ion battery stops working if it is exposed or submerged in water. Extended periods of exposure to wetness can lead to irreversible damages. Therefore, you should embrace dry conditions for your hoverboard to avoid damaging it.
What you Should do If Your Hoverboard Gets Wet ?
With the uncertainty of weather in the current environment, you can get surprised by the turn of events. The day may look sunny and calm, and suddenly it starts raining heavily. In this case, your hoverboard can get wet.
You may think all is lost, and that is the end of your hoverboard. Fortunately, there are measures that you can take to save your hoverboard.
Here are a few steps to save your wet hoverboard.
- Switch off the hoverboard
When you realize that your hoverboard is wet, you should turn it off immediately. The action will reduce further damage as the electrons will stop flowing. Thus, this places it in an inactive form.
- Remove the battery
Battery disconnection will reduce any further damage. Your battery plays a significant role in the hoverboard’s operation, and you wouldn’t want it to get spoilt. Therefore, it is crucial to disconnect it and maintain its dryness.
- Assess the hoverboard’s condition
After switching off and disconnecting the battery, you need to identify the extent of the wetness. Using a screwdriver, disintegrate the access panels covering the electronic area. Then check out the extent of water accumulation to determine the type of repair required for your hoverboard.
- Dry the electronic
Once you identify the affected areas, you should dry them out. I suggest you to be fast but careful when doing this to minimize the chances of increasing damages. I recommend using a soft towel during the drying exercise.
The soft towel may not completely dry the areas, and as such, the hoverboard may have some moisture trapped in its parts. I recommend that you place these parts in an open and dry area to allow the moisture to escape. The exposure will take 1 to 2 days.
If the battery, motherboard, or any other electronic part falls into a pool, you can dip it in rice for 24 hours. The trick works by allowing the rice to absorb all the water from these parts. If you are lucky, this trick can save your hoverboard.
- Assemble the parts
At this point, you will be eager to know whether your tricks worked. Therefore, you should assemble and switch on the hoverboard to check whether it’s functioning.
Why Hoverboard Doesn’t Suit to Wet Surfaces ?
Consider the care you give your smartphone and laptop at all times. These gadgets are not 100% waterproof, and as a result, you prefer to keep them dry. Similarly, a hoverboard is an electronic device that you should handle with care as wet surfaces affect its functioning.
Are hoverboards water-resistant? The answer is NO, as most hoverboards have IPX4 water resistance. The extent of their exposure to water and wet surfaces determines their level of damage.
Your hoverboard’s motherboard is the most crucial part of the device. It controls the functioning of the hoverboard, but it doesn’t work in wet conditions. Therefore, its destruction hampers you from riding.
Besides, the battery powers the gadget to move around. Similar to other electronics, the battery operates well in dry conditions. Even if all the other parts are functioning well, you can’t ride your hoverboard if the battery is non-functional.
Tips To Maintain Hoverboard For Best Performance
You should do the following to keep the hoverboard running for long time.
- Do not go out with hoverboard while it is raining
- Always clean the hoverboard after riding it in dirt
- Do not ride hoverboard in slippery and muddy surface
- Turn off the hoverboard after using it
- Charge the battery according to the company catalogue recommendation
- Troubleshoot hoverboard every month of using it
- Do not go to uneven terrain unless yours is an all-terrain going hoverboard
Final Verdict
By now, you have your answer to the question, “can you ride your hoverboard in the rain?”
It would be best if you do not expose your electric gadgets to water. In case of accidental exposure, I advise that you switch off the hoverboard, remove the battery, check out the
situation, dry out the affected parts and then keep them in the open to get rid of the hidden moisture.
Better still, you should avoid rain and wet surfaces altogether. You shouldn’t go through the stress of repairing and replacing gadgets in the name of adventure in the rain. I recommend that you love and treat your hoverboard as your smartphone or laptop by keeping it dry.
Given these tips, you can increase the durability of your hoverboard.
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