Equipment maintenance.……………..

We all do respect our equipments, but I feel, we should again recall its maintenance. This knowledge is mostly given in a beginner book.
The proper maintenance of our equipment is critical to maintenance airworthiness. Taking a few simple precautions we can significantly extend the life of our canopy.
• Do not expose your canopy to more sunlight. Keep the paraglider in the bag until you are ready to fly and pack it up as soon as you can after flying.
• Do not expose your canopy in excess of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not store your canopy in your car, or in your trunk, or in the bed of a truck. Extreme temperature can also degrade the rubber bands used for the proper deployment of your reserve parachute.
• Never use a knot to tie a broken line together. It changes the line length appreciably and reduces the breaking strength significantly.
• Keep your paragliders dry. Paragliders are flight certified while dry & a wet glider may behave quite differently. If the canopy gets wet, dry it in the shade or indoors. Do not sore it packed up wet since it may weaken the fibers. If your paraglider gets wet in the ocean, you must flush the salt water out of the paraglider thoroughly, and then dry it thoroughly before packing it up. Crystallized salt may abrade and weaken your lines, and therefore the lines may need to be replaced if soaked in salt water.
• Avoid washing your paraglider with any soap or detergent; it is normally best to only use water. If dirt gets ingrained in the fabric then a mild non-abrasive detergent may be used with a soft sponge. Never scrub the canopy with anything other than a soft sponge or cloth as you may damage the lightweight fabric and the UV coating.
• Do not make any attempt to repair the glider yourself. All repairs should be done by a qualified repair technician. An exception to this rule is small tears in the fabric that are not located on high-stress areas may be repaired with special self-adhesive rip-stop nylon sail repair tape. Do not walk on or kink the lines.
• Avoid dragging the canopy along the ground.
• Do not pack up the canopy on hard surface with objects that could cause puncture damage (rocks, sticks, thorns, etc.).
• When storing your glider for extended periods, loosen the ties to reduce the stress on the fabric and allow better air circulation.

(Reference- PARAGLIDING: A Pilot’s Training Manual)