Introduction
An air hockey table’s durability may depend on several factors and features, but it mainly depends on how it is taken care of. Therefore its maintenance should be your top priority to avoid any disturbance and inconveniences during your game.
Why You Need to Replace Air Hockey Table Parts
A good quality Air Hockey table can last up to 8 years or even more if it is properly maintained and serviced.
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To maintain smooth gameplay and enhance the table’s lifespan, it may require replacing a few parts and accessories that may have gotten lost or may have worn out with use over time.
If you own a table or plan on it, keep in mind that it will indeed require some time and money to be spent on its maintenance.
What Could You Need to Replace and Why?
Even if you own a high-quality air hockey table, you will most certainly need to replace a few parts and accessories over the years to ensure its sustainability and durability.
There can be quite a few parts that require to be restored or touched up, but fortunately, we’re here to help make the process easier! We’ve listed down some things that you will probably want to upgrade:
- Pushers/Mallets: Mallets are an essential requirement to play air hockey, and you should note factors like durability, strength, and weight in contrast with the table in mind when considering replacing them. Lightweight strikers can be a real nuisance since they may not provide enough force to push the pucks, hindering smooth gameplay.
- Pucks: Pucks are very delicate and may easily break, wear out, lose their ability to glide smoothly with time, or even fly off your table during an exciting game and go missing. Luckily, replacing them isn’t very tough; in fact, it costs only a few bucks to replace a puck, and they’re even cheaper in bulk, which would be useful if you were to lose one mid-game. While getting a new puck, you might want to ensure that it doesn’t have any rough surfaces that prevent it from sliding effortlessly across the table and if the puck’s weight and size are compatible with your table.
- Score counters (electronic or manual): A scorekeeper is really of service during a competitive game, but it might need to be entirely replaced or need to be repaired if it breaks or faces some technical issue with use over time. If your manual scorer breaks, you could try fixing it or look for a more compatible design if it is irreparable. If your electronic scorer stops working, you should try replacing its batteries, check for wiring issues, and try changing the alignment of its sensors. If the scorer still does not work, you might want to contact its manufacturer or look for a new one. When looking for a new scorer system, factors like design and durability are important.
- Blowers/Fan motors: Air blower systems are a basic necessity to play air hockey since they provide airflow for the puck’s rapid movement. However, they can be quite expensive to replace. Blowers are mostly quite long-lasting, but they aren’t completely fail-safe and may require to be upgraded or repaired due to generally being worn out or breakage over the years.
Fan motors power the blower systems, and there could be issues with either. If your airflow is unusually weak, you could try cleaning dust and debris from your motor. However, if it has completely stopped working, try contacting your supplier to replace it and get the original model, if available.While replacing your motor, try finding one with similar air pressure and size to the original to be compatible with your table. A motor with massive pressure could make puck control really difficult, while one that’s too small could result in sluggish movement of the puck and disrupt gameplay. The larger the size of the table, the greater airflow is required. A tournament quality blower may cost a big puck, whereas one with low voltage is comparatively cheaper.
- Table legs: They are a fundamental part of the table since they provide support and help keep the playing surface even and upright. However, suppose your table leg is uneven, gets damaged, or goes missing. In that case, it is obviously not possible for the game to continue smoothly, and it is required that you replace it with either similar leg support by contacting your supplier or getting a suitable leg leveler to level the playing surface.
- Tabletops: The playing surface is obviously a very important part of your table, and it is rare that it will require replacement with proper cleaning and occasional maintenance. However, it is still a possibility. It may be possible to resurface it if there are just bumps on your table that makes it inconvenient for the puck to glide smoothly across, but you may have to replace it if there is heavy damage to the playing frame that is beyond repair.
- Screws/bolts/wires: These are small but important parts on the table that could disrupt gameplay. Therefore it is important to check for any loose screws or wires to avoid disturbance during your game.
Where to Find Replacement Parts
There are several places where you can find replacement parts if you are looking to refurbish your air hockey table. Depending on what you are looking for, it may not always be easy to find what you want, but you’re in luck since we’ve jotted down some places where you could try looking for them.
When looking for a replacement part, you should firstly check your table’s warranty since it is possible that your supplier could simply replace it for you or maybe help you find a similar product. If that doesn’t work, perhaps try finding the replacement parts at a local convenience or sports store. You could also try looking for them online since there’s a wide variety that you can check very conveniently on some websites we’ve listed here:
Conclusion
You should invest in a good quality, durable air hockey table to avoid the hassle of replacing parts ever so often. Try not to compromise on the quality of the table since saving a few bucks may cost you even more in the long term, and you may end up spending way more on replacement parts.
Proper maintenance and careful use of the table can also save you from repairing and replacing and cause products to last longer than they typically would.
However, if the damage done is beyond repair, do not distress, since finding replacement parts is not very tough, and using the resources provided in this article, you can easily find what you are looking for, and chances are, even get it delivered to your house.