POLAR HRM PROBLEMS!

kju52

Hi from Germany,

Does anybody experience problems with their Polar HRM, I own the FT 60 and it is driving me... Nuts !
It freezes all the time or goes to 00% heart rate (which i knew if that were the case, well techincally THEN i wouldn't know anymore .. :happy: )
however, i have taken care of it (as recommended in the instructions). it wasn't out in the sun, i rinse it after use, i wash it frequently (no, not the sensor - the strap only)
i thought the battery might be low but i haven't had it for too long and in my opinion it shouldn't be dying already. i might be wrong, though.

Anyone who owns the same HRM or another Polar and has the same problems? When did your battery first die? Or any maintenance tips?

Thanks in advance

aquarabbit

I've never had problems (although I've only had mine for a short time), but I had heard of this happening to other people and researched a bit to find out how to avoid it. Instead of wetting the strap with water, some people use spit (but complain that it dries to fast) or the gel that they would use for an ultrasound (complaints were that it was harder to find), and then I came across using KY lubricant. Easy to find and it works awesome. I don't know if they have KY in Germany, but maybe try just a regular lubricant (unscented and unflavored so that you will reduce the risk of getting a rash). That's the solutions that I've heard anyways. I hope there are more on here in case I have trouble with mine in the future!

paulperryman

Hi from Germany,

Does anybody experience problems with their Polar HRM, I own the FT 60 and it is driving me... Nuts !
It freezes all the time or goes to 00% heart rate (which i knew if that were the case, well techincally THEN i wouldn't know anymore .. :happy: )
however, i have taken care of it (as recommended in the instructions). it wasn't out in the sun, i rinse it after use, i wash it frequently (no, not the sensor - the strap only)
i thought the battery might be low but i haven't had it for too long and in my opinion it shouldn't be dying already. i might be wrong, though.

Anyone who owns the same HRM or another Polar and has the same problems? When did your battery first die? Or any maintenance tips?

Thanks in advance

i have had to have a HRM replaced b4, cant recall which model but it was a hand me down so i didn't get a replacement of that one, bought a brand new FT4 and within 2 months it was faulty too, so yes it's not uncommon if you take it to a place that sells them or contact Polar directly i'm sure they will be happy to help you out, THey told me the sensors are abit hit and miss asfar as reliability, or if you managed to bend it there's is little wires and they can break easily which is weird since it comes folded up in the retail box, anyway both mine kept registering i was dead or would go spastic the other end of the scale.

The fault is unlikely to be the watch itself since thats really just a watch, straps however are not indestructable, if you have one that you are able to replace the batteries in the band that would be the best first thing to try, they take watch like batteries, if not the band will need to be replaced at the least which is free if your unit is within 6 months old i think no questions asked.

I contacted them which for me they have a distribution center in my city in South Australia so i could go to them directly, they said the issues are common and replaced the unit free of charge and gave a brand new warranty to boot so give that a try if you can locally otherwise a service center will be able to do warranty enquiries

There's no need to wash them with soap like it suggests, pretty sure any chemicals can't be good for the sensitive nature, you only have to rub the area under the sensors when rinse them with warm to hot water and you only need some water on the sensor area b4 using, just enough to wet the sensors is enough the rest is done by you sweating naturally.

My current one has worked alot better, even wore it all day long twice since i've had it to test my baseline Heart Rate over a 24hr period, a couple niggles but 98% it's been stable

__Di__

Kju, just found the following on a review from somebody else:

soak in in a hot water and vinegar solution for two minutes and then rinse it in hot water, to clean the connectors

that might help.

paulperryman

oh and as the manual sais don't leave the sensor connected to the strap when not in use, that will just drain the battery