Wet, cold and dusty conditions
The same wall behaves differently in February.
Water
A thin film of water can improve a seal on a smooth surface by filling micro-texture. Standing water, running water or a saturated porous surface will not.
Wet dust is slurry, and slurry under a pad is worse than dry dust.
Cold
Rubber stiffens as it cools and conforms less well, so a cold pad seals worse. Cold also reduces battery output.
Keep the tool and spare packs warm between uses in winter.
Dust
Airborne site dust settles on both the pad and the surface continuously. On a dusty site, wipe immediately before every attachment, not once at the start of the shift.
Heat
Hot surfaces in direct sun can soften pads and accelerate ageing. Store out of direct sunlight.
At a glance
| Vacuum sealing | Degraded — cold pads conform less, slurry breaks seals |
|---|---|
| Recommended mode & tooling | Per the substrate |
| Limits on this tool | 40 mm max bit diameter, 200 mm max length, 145 mm max depth |
Common mistakes on this material
- Attaching over standing water or slurry.
- Using a cold, stiff pad straight from a freezing van.
- Cleaning once at the start of a dusty shift instead of before each attachment.