humidity and temperature effects on poly strings

[zaskar1]

i have a question about how the effects of temperature and humidity on poly strings
i have 3 wilson prostaff 97 racquets that i string at 50# with luxilon alu power fluro
when i went to maui, i took one racquet that i had just strung up

i just measured the tension in my 3 racquets, the tension had dropped a bit from initial tension
but the one that was 2 months old, the other two, 3 months, and one month old were about the same. the it dropped 5# more than the other two.

the 3 month old string job felt dead, so i was going to restring
however, i was surprised to see that the 2 month old was that loose.
the strings in that racquet feel like they still have poop!

could the warmer and more humid weather in maui have caused the loss in tenion? the temperature there was about 80
here in the SF Bayarea its been around 60-70.

i know that gut strings are affected severely by humidity and temperature, but i thought poly was kind
of unaffected

any comments are welcome

z

 

[fuzz nation]

Poly is plastic. Think about how plastic becomes more soft and pliable when it's warmed up. In fact, it's often recommended that replacing grommet sets in racquets can become a much easier job after soaking the new set in hot water. On the flip side, this string can turn rock hard when played outdoors in the cold weather - below 40 F or so. I like to drop tension in my syn. gut string beds by 4-5 lbs. when playing in the cold, but I have no idea what tension changes work best for poly in colder or hotter conditions.

I doubt that humidity has any affect on poly. Newer natural guts also have coatings that have earned them a reputation for being much more resistant to degrading when exposed to humidity or damp conditions.

 

[zaskar1]

Poly is plastic. Think about how plastic becomes more soft and pliable when it's warmed up. In fact, it's often recommended that replacing grommet sets in racquets can become a much easier job after soaking the new set in hot water. On the flip side, this string can turn rock hard when played outdoors in the cold weather - below 40 F or so. I like to drop tension in my syn. gut string beds by 4-5 lbs. when playing in the cold, but I have no idea what tension changes work best for poly in colder or hotter conditions.

I doubt that humidity has any affect on poly. Newer natural guts also have coatings that have earned them a reputation for being much more resistant to degrading when exposed to humidity or damp conditions.

i double checked the install dates on my poly strings, actually they are 2 months, 6 weeks, and one month
the 2 month old string job is dead, meaning less snap and pop. i checked the tennis warehouse video on poly strings and they recommend changing them out every month, as they said the poly strings will go dead in about a month.
i guess that 6 weeks to 2 months is it for me.
as i have my own stringing machine, its not a big deal to restring every two months.

i think that the 6 week old string job with the loose strings is just probably due to excessive usage. strings still have a little pop, but definitely i can
tell that they are looser. guess that i will use that racquet when i serve and volley. if i get use to it, perhaps i should drop my desired tension
down a few #.

btw, all racquets have new grommets, good suggestion from FN, the 2 month and 1 month i installed them, and the 6 week string job was a brand new
racquet.

as a new shipment of strings is coming in this week, i guess i will be restringing two of them

with the mens 18 season starting up, i will need new strings for playing against all these younger guys!

z

 

[esgee48]

Higher temperature do two things. Make the plastic polyester more elastic and when hitting the ball, make the deformation more prone to permanent elongation. This leads to tension loss. Higher humidity does not affect the string, but does affect the ball. They become heavier forcing the player to swing harder or aim higher. The impacts will tend to kill the string quicker if it is not dad yet. 3 cents.

 

[CopolyX]

Snip from ashway.... understand that different string materials react differently to weather conditions (don't forget about n. gut also). Nylon, for example, is hygroscopic: that is, it absorbs moisture, which adversely affects tension-holding properties. Think cooked spaghetti versus raw. Polyesters are somewhat less hygroscopic, but only polyketones are impervious to moisture. However, temperature and humidity are not the only things that affect tension-holding properties. Polymer chemistry also plays a major role.
http://www.ashawayusa.com/TennisTip6.php
Also don't forget about your balls, like esee48 mentioned!