As with any tool, there could come a time where your helmet doesn’t work or can depreciate. It might be too dark or could cause eye strains which can cause serious health concerns. If you have ever thought, “Why is my auto-darkening welding helmet not working?” you might not be alone.

Learning how to fix an auto-darkening welding helmet is essential so that you get the most bang for your buck.

Welding helmets have come a long way from the past and can now automatically darken.

They’re highly effective for welders and body shops. With it, you can weld and be more productive because you don’t have to constantly lift the helmet to check on your work’s progress. Here are 6 common issues that you can troubleshoot to maintain the quality of your welding helmet.

Most Common Issues and How to Fix Them

Lack of Visibility

Even if your welding helmet has the best visibility imaginable, there is likely to come a time when you go to wear it and can’t see out of it. It’s a common issue, but there is a solution.

In most cases, you need to clean the helmet. If your view is obstructed and you can’t see what you’re welding, it means the helmet isn’t clean.

While wearing the helmet, it has probably gotten dusty and dirty. Take a few moments to clean the helmet thoroughly, including the lens.

If that doesn’t help, the lens might be damaged and cannot work as it should. You should replace your lens; if you’ve had your helmet for years, it might be time to consider a new one.

Too Much Darkness

While your welding helmet is designed to darken to the right consistency and shade automatically, you may find that, with time, there is too much darkness.

If you use it frequently, you may want to do a sun test periodically.

If you notice that the helmet darkens too fast or too much, it might be a faulty battery. However, before you replace the battery, you may want to adjust the controls on the outside and inside your helmet. Many times, the sensitivity is set too high.

Feeling of Unreliability

Sometimes, when you put on your welding helmet, it doesn’t feel like its own right. This can be frustrating and worrisome, especially if you’ve already started welding.

In most cases, the problem isn’t anything serious. It just means that you need to adjust the helmet.

To do this, tighten the adjustments on the headband until it fits snugly but still feels comfortable. It might take a few tries, but you can continue welding once it is comfortable and feels secure.

Can’t See What You’re Welding

If you have clear visibility but can’t see what you’re welding, you may feel upset or anxious about work. You may wish you had some more width so that you didn’t have to turn your body or head constantly to see the edge of what you’re welding.

In many cases, this is an easy fix. Most manufacturers make a variety of lenses for each particular welding helmet. Therefore, you can purchase a different lens that’s wider. Once it’s installed, you can get a better view of what you’re doing without turning your body and head.

Too Bright

When you start working on more advanced welds, the torch or the weld might seem too bright. This is a scary and alarming situation for many reasons.

It shocks you initially because you may worry that the automatic darkening feature has stopped working or that you did something wrong. In most cases, there is no need to be alarmed.

It is normal for you to experience more brightness for industrial-grade or advanced welds. If you experience too much brightness and have an auto-darkening helmet, you likely need a different shade.

Most helmets come with multiple shades. Most people recommend using the darkest shade possible, but many welders consider a lighter shade to help them see better. This is suitable for beginners, but you need to change the shade when you start practicing more advanced welds.

Eye Strain

Sometimes, you may experience eye strain if your helmet doesn’t turn dark fast enough. If this happens, most welders think that the helmet is failing and need a new one. Usually, this isn’t the case.

If you do get eye strain from your helmet, it likely means that you’ve got higher reaction time settings than you need.

Reaction times that are higher mean that your helmet reacts more slowly. To get a faster reaction time, adjust the speed to 1/10,000 of a second; some helmets go up to 1/25,000 of a second.

This information should be listed in the owner’s manual. It should also provide information on how to adjust the reaction time. If it doesn’t, you can find online tutorials or contact the manufacturer directly with questions.

Conclusion

As you can easily see, many things can go wrong with your welding helmet, which is why you must know how to fix an auto-darkening welding helmet regardless of what might go wrong.

In this way, you can be sure that you get the most usage out of the product, keep it in good condition, and it does what you need it to do.