A new bowling ball is a pretty significant expense, so it’s hardly surprising that the patrons at our bowling center cherish theirs and try and take care of them as best they can. Proper maintenance of your bowling ball is just as important as the maintenance of any other piece of equipment you own—your lawnmower or your refrigerator would fall into disrepair if you never checked up on them, and the same is actually true of your bowling ball. A cracked bowling ball in Hampton, VA can be a real pain, so it’s important to understand the forces that can make it happen and how to prevent them.

Understand the forces at work

When bowlers visit Sparetimes with reports of cracked bowling balls, we can typically guess that storage has had something to do with the problem. A bowling ball that’s cracked in Hampton, VA usually got that way thanks to improper storage. Many bowlers just leave their balls sitting on the ground in their bags when they get home from the bowling center. That’s fine if it’s going to only be like that for a while, but what you need to understand is the physics of a sphere. A bowling ball is a dense, heavy object, and when it’s sitting on the ground, all of that weight is bearing down on that one small point. This can easily cause a crack due to this strain.

Preventing cracks is easy

If you want to prevent the type of crack described above, there’s one tip we always like to give our customers: just rotate your ball! If your ball is going to be stored for a long time, as it usually is over the summer when bowlers wait for fall leagues to resume, then it’s in your best interest to head down to the basement or equipment closet and just give it a rotation every few weeks. This ensures that the forces at work are dispersed and the pressure of the core pushing out on the coverstock is relieved. This will greatly reduce the chance of a cracked bowling ball in Hampton, VA.

Air exposure can be a problem

Another factor that usually contributes to a cracked bowling ball in Hampton, VA is prolonged exposure to the air. While bowling balls are cured when they leave the factory, this process can continue for a while. If you can keep your bowling ball’s surface insulated from the air, you’ll be in good shape to prevent it from cracking. The best way to do this is usually with a Ziploc bag or a garbage bag wrapped tight around it between uses.

Keeping your bowling ball serviceable for years to come is not a difficult proposition. Your ball can last for longer than you expect if you simply perform regular maintenance on a consistent basis. Bowling equipment is typically built to last with the proper care, so don’t hesitate to talk to the team at Sparetimes if you have questions about caring for your bowling ball. We’d be glad to offer our recommendations and advice!

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