Should I SOAK my TRIMMER LINE in water? WE Called STIHL to find out!

The trimmer line is made out of nylon which is hygroscopic and in order to process nylon (extrude it) the material must have the moisture dried out of it pre-process. Then in order to make the nylon less brittle, the moisture should be re-introduced into the line/part that has been molded/extruded. With nylon being hygroscopic, it will absorb the moisture like a dessicant. I have worked in plastic injection molding for 30 years.

Back when I was working at GM, I had a job that involved pushing a plastic nut into a hole in the firewall, using an installation tool that was basically a long steel rod with a rubber knob on the end. The nut was for screws that secured the shifter cables as they passed through the firewall. The nuts became extremely difficult to install after a while, actually giving me a “ tennis elbow”. They tried heating the nuts with a heat lamp but it didn’t work. Then one of the engineers called to supplier and they told him the nuts required some watering from time to time. I always wondered why they came wrapped in a plastic bag inside a cardboard box! So whenever a new box of 10,000 nuts came in I dumped a cup of water in the bag. Problem solved!

I dont know about the Trimmer line, But i did soak Myself with Beer one Friday night and went to work on Saturday and i can tell you that Trimming was killing me all day! (This also is just Opinion and not Science tested!)

I leave mine in a bucket with a tiny hole for the line to come through in my open trailer to keep direct sunlight on the line. Every so often I put some water in the bucket to build humidity in said bucket. I do notice the line doesn’t fracture or split as much

White cable ties turn yellow and fail because they dry out quickly. That's why I always get the black UV rated zip ties. Great video!!

Hi, really interesting, but how long does the “water’s effect” last? For example, I let the line soak for two days, than I feed the trimmer head. Than, how long can the line stay in the head before I have to soak it again? I hope I’ve explained well my question. Thank you.

Great video Mr. Chip. Never knew any plastic could be “revitalized” by soaking it in water. Learn something new everyday. Thank You for the information. Have A Productive Day! 🛻🚤🏖️

My first trimmer mower over 20 years ago, you bought the heavy line as straight pre cut sticks in a clear poastic tube with a tight cap that had a sponge in the tube that you kept wet.

Never had a problem with line breaking the first summer i had my stihl trimmer. After the first winter string broke immediately every time after being in the garage for a season. Soaked it for 2 hours. And been soaking it for about 12 hours prior to use. No breaks. Use all string

It returns the elasticity to the line. A product engineer said for home owners he uses a zip lock bag with a tablespoon of water to allow it to be in a humid environment. folks go not have to get crazy about it.

Great advice, i am trying to use an old reel of what was good quality strimmer line and its very brittle , will do tonight

It's still good to soak new line just to be on the safe side. Because some of this line sits in very hot warehouses for no telling how long till it gets shipped to the suppliers all over the US.

Good information. I may occasionally put the line out in the rain occasionally

Nylon (not just trimmer line) likes to have moisture in it because it makes it tougher and more resistant to impact (though technically it does reduce the tensile strength slightly). However, you can't process nylon with the moisture in it because it forms bubbles when you try to melt the plastic. Degrades it, too. So they dry it out first, manufacture the trimmer line and may or may not reintroduce the moisture afterwards. Nylon is really hygroscopic, though, so I suspect this only matters in really hot and dry climates.

Polymers are hard because of their molecular structure. To make them "plastic" a plasticizer which is essentially a solvent which is volatile is added. The volatile off-gasses causing the polymer to return to its hard and brittle structure.

The biggest thing is store it in a cool place. I used to keep mine in a small outside utility building, got hot as hell out there in the summer, and my line would sometimes break off up in the bump head which was a beech. It becomes brittle. Keeping it in the sun, same thing. Think dark corner of garage, basement, what ever, just keep out of the sun or heat the best you can. Soak it, then put it back in the sun/heat, you have not accomplished chit.

I'll have to try this I have a old roll of .095 about 3 years old now I noticed just this year not the string on the spool but my weed eater after it's installed and being used it's splitting on the ends it cost to much to just throw away and I'm not using the safety guard so it's not the cutter causing it to split

Cool, Thanx! Personally, I use 12 year old single malt scotch, revitalizes the line & I get a buzz...it's a win win.

The whole spool or just a working length? I tried this with a cut length and it was much better but as a domestic user the spool would dry out over time through limited use so I will continue to trim say 15' and leave it in a bucket of water for a couple of days before use and I think that will work fine

The answer is yes and it also applies to the polycut blades(which if you look carefully come with some water in the bag from the factory)