Filament Life Study

We're sure most of our customers would be interested in extending the life of their filaments, although some simply replace them on a routine schedule. We would like to understand why a filament after being wetted and allowed to dry out, seems to have little water transmission or  stop working altogether. One observation is that the dried out loop tends to have some discoloration, which might point to some form of microorganism grew there - and possibly died there - after the water stopped reaching that area. This organism or its residue may reduce the water transmission to the point the filament can't keep up with the demand and simply dries out. Another possibility is that there is mineral deposit forming in the area, also reducing the water transmission to the point the filament can't keep up with the demand and simply dries out. 

In the Mold and Mildew Test initiated in early Feb 2020, we're not seeing any discoloration of the samples containing 3% hydrogen peroxide, leading us to believe the discoloration is mostly from micro organisms. We would not expect peroxide would control mineral deposits  - or that distilled water would contain much in the way of minerals. 

So, we've allowed a filament to dry out, and confirmed there is no water transmission in the discolored portion of the filament loop. We just began soaking in distilled white vinegar, which consists of 5 to 8% acetic acid (CH3COOH), water and trace amounts of other chemicals, and know to kill bacteria and viruses. We'll observe whether the discoloration is reduced or eliminated, and then re-test the filament.