A welding helmet is indeed quite effective in protecting you from the heat produced while welding. But at times, there might arise an issue regarding whether you can see through the welding helmet or not.
Suppose, you’ve got a welding helmet that’s too dark or blocks vision due to something else, and you might have been dealing with the problem of not being able to see through the viewport while doing the wielding work. If so, this article will provide you with a few proven solutions to this issue.
In this article, I’ll talk about the options that you can consider to make your wield helmet let you see clearly. So, keep on reading.
Which particular type of fix is suitable for your helmet is subject to the type of the helmet itself. Additionally, the specific reason why your helmet doesn’t work well is also an important factor when choosing a fixing module. Both the factors vary from case to case. The fixing modules will generally only require you to press a button, but in some cases, you might need to replace the shade, filter, or battery too.
Nonetheless, if you can correctly identify the cause of the problem and the type of tinting of your helmet, it’s quite possible to fix most of these issues.
There are quite a few issues that can impact the visibility factor of your welding helmet. Let’s discuss these issues and find out the solutions to them:
Most types of welding helmets these days have some kinds of auto-darkening features. If your helmet isn’t an entry-level one or an older model, its viewport’s tint will adjust itself for you to see through it while working. But the fact is that even if these systems function, they can create some productivity issues.
You might figure out that the helmet isn’t effectively protecting you from welding rays and heat, or that it’s protecting you pretty well but becoming too dark for you to see through. Either way, you’ll not be able to see what you are doing.
Now, let’s look at the causes and fixes regarding these issues :
If the issue is a simple one, an easy and quick solution will work for it, and it’ll get you back to work with little to no disruption. As for a serious issue, a new helmet or a professional repair of the existing one may be needed.
To detect if your helmet has the issue of darkening way too fast, you may conduct a sun test every once in a while. This test will determine whether or not the helmet gets dark too fast. If it does, it might be due to a faulty battery. Instead of replacing the battery right away, you can try fixing the issue with light sensitivity adjustments.
If the sensitivity has been too high, it might be just draining the battery all the way. Setting the sensitivity to a lower level may fix the issue and increase the running time of the batteries.
This problem can occur independently apart from everything else. It may happen even if you have set the helmet to the highest optimal visibility there is. In this case, the first thing you need to do is to check if the helmet is just dirty. If yes then simply cleaning it will fix the issue.
Welding helmets in general have a high potential of collecting dust. These particles accumulate over time which can obscure your view. It is recommended to clean the lens quite often so that the visibility doesn’t get affected.
If cleaning doesn’t solve the problem and the visibility remains poor, the lens might need to be replaced. You don’t need to replace the entire helmet as long as the lens is right in place.
If you figure out that you need to turn your head to get a view of what you are welding, chances are there that the issue is related to the size of your helmet’s lens. You can fix this issue by opting for a wider lens. That way, you’ll get clearer visibility and no disruption while welding.
Here’s an exclusive tip for you – you don’t necessarily have to use the default lens of your helmet. There are various types of replacement lenses available in the market that you can use if your default lens doesn’t serve you well.
Feel free to use any wider lens appropriate for the model of your welding helmet. These wider lenses expand the field of view and that’s why you won’t need to turn your head anymore to see what you are doing.
Quite a few problems regarding welding helmets arise from an inappropriate fit. If the helmet doesn’t feel okay after you wear it, it can cause you trouble seeing through the viewpoint properly. You can fix this issue by tightening up the straps so that it fits you well.
In a more serious case scenario, your welding helmet is perhaps broken and not reliable anymore. However, this is not a usual case and doesn’t happen to most people. Generally, poor fitting is what causes the problem. So, it’s always wiser to check if the size of the helmet is right for you before you put it on and begin working.
And if it somehow doesn’t feel right while welding, remember to adjust it and tighten the straps accordingly. Whenever it feels too tight, loosen it up instead. And if nothing works, just get a new helmet that best suits you.
While welding helmets getting too dark is a vast and frequent problem most people are dealing with, some might confront the complete opposite. It’s more frequent in cases of industrial-grade, advanced projects that the helmet often gets too bright. If it happens to you, don’t be upset with your helmet right away. There might not be an issue with it.
You might be able to fix the problem by setting your lens to a darker level of shade. It’s natural for high-end projects to produce a little brightness. Simply readjusting the lens to a darker shade when necessary is all you need to do. And do not forget to revert the settings when you’re done.
Eye strain is a problem that doesn’t have a mechanical fix for it. It occurs due to overusing your eyes while working. Whenever you feel that your eyes have been overused, take a back seat and have some rest. Stop working and relax.
Eye strain or fatigue often develops due to not using a darker shade of lens. If the tint isn’t turned on fast enough, you may have an issue there. The fix is to simply decrease the response time. The response time is a feature that determines how quickly your lens darkens. A longer response/reaction time means that your helmet doesn’t tint quick enough.
To resolve the matter, you can set the reaction speed to a rate that is suitable for your body’s response time. The ideal response rate for welding helmets varies from type to type. For an auto-darkening helmet, the recommended speed generally lies between 1/2500th to 1/3600th of a second.
If the darkening of your helmet keeps turning on and off, the issue might be related to the battery. If the darkening filter is shaky or stops working, the side sensor light is flickering, the problem might be a faulty battery. In these cases, you need to replace the battery.
The battery replacement task isn’t something hard for you to do. You can check the product manual for instructions. This scenario doesn’t mean that your helmet is damaged, so you don’t need to replace the helmet as a whole. But if you can’t remove the battery in any way, you have to replace the entire helmet.
Related Questions:
There are a few possible reasons which you might not see while welding. Some of the common and frequent problems that impact your visibility in such cases include your helmet getting too dark, dust particles or dirt accumulating on the helmet, not having a wide enough viewport, the helmet not fitting you well, and so on. Your visibility might be affected by one of the reasons or multiple of them.
To solve the problem you have been facing, you need to determine the actual cause behind it first. Without a proper diagnosis, it’s not easy to tell how many of the possible instances there are in your case and what the causes are. Once you identify the root cause(s), there are methodic solutions to most of these problems.
The typical range of darkness for welding helmet shades falls between 8 to 13. But for some particular models, it can be from shade #5 to 9. Exactly how dark your welding shade should be is subject to what kind of helmet you have as well as the model of it. On top of that, the type of your welding project also determines the required darkness of your shade.
To get a clearer idea regarding this matter, you can read the manufacturer manual and welding safety standards set by organizations such as ANSI and CSA W.
There are particular ranges for different welding processes and the current levels associated. You should follow the shade range that best suits your gear and purpose.
There are a few typical symptoms of welders flash such as light sensitivity, eye fatigue, blurred vision, mild to severe pain, watery eyes, bloodshot eyes, etc. Flash burn can occur even if you take complete precautions and all the protections. It is generally quite treatable without much hassle and lasts from 1 to 3 days.
You are recommended you abstain from welding during this period and give proper rest to your eyes. If you don’t feel any better after 3 days or if the condition keeps worsening, you must seek medical help immediately.
Use the adjustment knob on your helmet to adjust the shade settings. If you’ve got an auto-darkening helmet, you can find the adjustment knob on the left side of your helmet. This knob will allow you to adjust the shade of darkness based on the particular welding you are performing. There are different recommended intensities of darkness for different welding processes.
I personally recommend you start with using the darkest shade for your particular welding for greater safety. If it gets too dark while working and you can’t see through it, you can reduce the intensity depending on the situation.
After adjusting the darkness level, make sure to adjust the headband of your helmet so that it fits you well. Put the helmet on and tighten or loosen up the straps according to what fits you.
It is not at all recommended you use sunglasses for welding purposes. Doing so can lead to severe eye damage. The entire idea of sunglasses being good enough to protect you while welding is a mere myth. Sunglasses are way lighter than the minimum safety level required for welding purposes.
Welding produces extremely intense light and heat that requires heavier and more comprehensive protection than what sunglasses can serve. And not only sunglasses, but safety goggles also can’t protect you if you use them without a welding helmet.
You always need to wear a welding helmet in every possible case. These helmets specialize in proper protection during welding, while sunglasses or safety goggles do not. And you don’t even need sunglasses or safety goggles with a welding helmet.
I strongly recommend you abandon the idea of using sunglasses while welding due to the extreme risk associated with it. No matter what, safety comes first.
You can use the sensitivity adjustment knob on your helmet to adjust the sensitivity. Make sure that the sensitivity level is just right because it’s the most crucial adjustment for you to make. Adjusting it to the right level depending on the type of your weld will give you full protection while working.
Generally, the pre-programmed sensitivity setting that the welding helmet comes with should serve you best. But if you feel that you need to adjust it by yourself according to your specific requirement and comfort, you can use the knob to do it.
Welding helmets are a must-have every time you weld something. There is no other way to protect yourself well without them. If you can’t see through the welding helmet, try to figure out the actual cause and fix it. Do not keep welding wearing a faulty or improper welding helmet because the risks associated with doing it are gigantic.
Hopefully, this article has informed you about all the effective fixes for the most common and frequent welding helmet visibility problems. You are now better prepared to deal with whatever comes your way while welding.
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