Gore-tex and heated clothing.

[Sooty09]

Its heated jacket time again. This year I have a new jacket to wear over my heated Gerbing jacket, My old Gore-tex liner started to let damp through. I started to wonder if the heated jacket was the cause of the problem as I noticed an old Hein Gericke catalogue had a warning notice about using heated grips.

The following quote is from page 203 of the 2007 catalogue.

"It is a little know fact that grips should not be turned up too high when used in conjunction with gloves employing a waterproof and breathable membrane, such as Gore-tex. Excess heat can reverse the polarity of the membrane and allow water to penetrate the gloves"

Is this fact or fiction? or just Hein Gerick's get out clause for returned leaky gloves. The 2009 catalogue makes no mention of this, but if its true can a heated jacket cause problems for Gorte-tex jacket liners?

 

[Deleted Member I]

I thought the heat from inside make it work??

I remember someone say heated grips on gore-tex gloves make them leak as the heat is outside.

Do a search and see.

 

[kirk71]

no it is correct, the membrane relys on the heat from your hand to allow the sweat etc to travel through, as does the membrane in any garment.
when you apply a heat greater than that on the inside, it can indeed have the reverse effect:
Goretex works in the same way as a spiders web. Water beads over the top of it and doesn't passs through it. If you don't regularily wash Goretex they will leak as the dirt between the pores will absorb the water and it will pass through the material. If you use heated grips it increases the chance of they leaking for this reason, the pores are a standard gap if you use heated grip the whole material expands hence making the gap bigger for water to pass through and the water droplets will pass through the material .

 

[Padge]

can a heated jacket cause problems for Gorte-tex jacket liners?

To answer your main question.. The heated jacket won't cause any problem.. It should actually help if anything..

If jacket is leaking, you get a 5 year gearantee from Goretex (hein gericke is only 2 years)... Although I havn't heard of anyone going direct to goretex.

 

[kirk71]

If jacket is leaking, you get a 5 year gearantee from Goretex (hein gericke is only 2 years)... Although I havn't heard of anyone going direct to goretex.

Hein gericke items come with a 2 year warranty on either stitching, poppers, waterproofing (Sheltex membrane), zips etc etc
any clothing purchased from Hein Gericke that uses a Gore-Tex membrane has a 5 year waterproof warranty direct with gore-tex
what that means is if you believe a garment that incorporates a gore membrane is leaking, then return it to your local hein gericke with proof of purchase and they then have to send it to Gore-tex to be tested.
if found leaking you will be supplied with a new garment.
this is restricted to jackets and pants as they do not have the facility to test gloves or boots, but HG can use the services of another testing company for those.
Gore will be the first to tell you that "any" soft clothing garment using a Gore liner "Must" be washed occasionally to allow the gore-tex to remain waterproof. usually on a 30 degree heat with a soft textile wash ie nikwax.

 

[John Armstrong]

The only problem happens when the manufacturer of the jacket etc and Gore differ on what the problem is. Not HG's stuff btw