Initial Inspection/Disposal Criteria
- Inspect fabric and webbing for any holes, cuts, tears, or burns. Tears less than ½ inch can be repaired. Tears or cuts longer than ½” render the item unserviceable.
- Inspect for any area of abrasion that has weakened fabric beyond repair.
- Inspect for any webbing that is cut, burned, or abraded beyond economical repair.
- Inspect each leg. If either leg has more than five patches, remove from service.
- Chaps should be removed from service if not labeled with specification USFS 6170-4F, 4G, or 4H or are not certified to NFPA 1977-05.
- Inspect all molded nylon hardware for dirt, cracks, breaks, and proper function.
- Return to stock if item does not show any signs of use and passes visual inspection.
- Refurbish if the item needs to be cleaned and/or damage can be repaired economically.
- Dispose of item if it fails initial inspection.
- Dispose of item if wood chips and sawdust are evident inside the layers at the bottom of the chaps.
- Dispose of item if the first layer of yellow Kevlar has a cut that is more than 1 inch long.
- Dispose of item if improper repairs have been made, such as patch jobs that stitched through the Kevlar.
Refurbishing Procedures
A. Cleaning
- Allow any mud or loose dirt to dry and then remove using a stiff-bristle brush. If stains remain, wash as recommended below.
- Remove light oil and dirt stains by brushing with a Citrosqueeze® solution, brush with a bristle brush, rinse thoroughly and hang to dry.
- For heavier oil or grease soak in a Citrosqueeze® solution for at least 4 hours, brush with a bristle brush, rinse thoroughly and hang to dry.
DO NOT MACHINE WASH OR DRY.
DO NOT USE BLEACH TO CLEAN FABRIC.
DO NOT PRESSURE WASH.
B. Repair
- Repair burn holes and cuts.
- Use Seam Grip® to repair holes or cuts in the nylon shell.
- To repair holes less than ½ inch in length, apply a dot of Seam Grip® over the hole and allow the Seam Grip® to dry.
- Allow chaps to dry for at least 12 hours before using.
- Replace burned, abraded, or cut nylon webbing with like items.
- Replace broken or nonfunctioning hardware.
C. Testing for Performance
- Retest all replaced hardware. The hardware should function easily with little force being applied and no difficulty in the release.
D. Repackaging
- Pack 10 each in NFES #002007 carton (24” x 16” x 16”).