Can You Ride A Hoverboard On Wet Pavement? (Read This First)
Hoverboards are common, and they aren’t inexpensive, so maintaining them should be a high on your priority.
You buy a hoverboard and want to try it out in all weather conditions and know the outcome. You see people riding it out when it’s dry, and even have a few friends do that.
However, you wonder if you can take yours out on wet pavements and it will be fine, or if it will result in damaging it.
While it depends on your hoverboard and the pavement’s wetness, there are better options than riding it on wet surfaces. Some hoverboards can withstand a little water without damage. However, if the water is too much, it can damage your hoverboard components like the battery or motherboard. Sometimes this damage can result in you spending a lot on the repair.
In this article, I’ll explain if you can ride your hoverboard on wet or snowy pavements. I’ll then further explain if they are water-resistant and if you can ride them in your street.
By the end of this article, you’ll know if you should take your hoverboard out on your wet pavement. You’ll also know the right time to ride without damaging it.
Can I Ride a Hoverboard on a Wet Pavement?
No, you cannot ride your hoverboard on wet pavement. Although riding your hoverboard on pavements is illegal, many people still do it.
So when riding on pavements, avoid the wet ground as the water can damage the hoverboard. You might be lucky, and the damage is minor, or not so lucky, and it is fatal.
However, you should avoid water when riding on pavements. The hoverboard manufacturers didn’t design it to be ridden on wet surfaces as it is an electronic device.
Electronic components can get damaged by water, and you want to avoid damaging your expensive hoverboard by riding it on wet pavements.
However, sometimes you cannot avoid water puddles on the pavement, maybe after rain. What you can do in that situation is you should check the IP rating of your hoverboard.
This IP rating will help you know if your hoverboard will get damaged by puddles. However, it is sometimes inevitable to avoid riding on wet pavement because you cannot control the weather.
For example, you’re riding your hoverboard on the pavement, and it suddenly starts raining; you can’t escape the rain then.
You can quickly find a shed to hide under the rain, so the rain doesn’t enter your hoverboard components. You can also wrap it in a waterproof bag to keep it safe.
If the rain does enter and damage the components, even if your hoverboard is still under warranty, it won’t cover it.
So you have to spend extra money fixing your hoverboard. So do not ride your hoverboard on wet pavement.
Are Hoverboards Water Resistant?
Hoverboards are water resistant, but their level of resistance differ from one another. That means the rate at which one hoverboard can withstand water on them differs from another.
For example, if you have an IP54 rating, your hoverboard is protected from water splashing from any direction.
It doesn’t mean you can ride the hoverboard in the rain without consequences because it is water resistant. It only means water, to a certain extent, will not damage the hoverboard.
If you ride it in water that rain, know that your hoverboard will get damaged. Your hoverboard being water resistant doesn’t make it waterproof.
The materials used to design the hoverboard aren’t waterproof, and riding it in water will damage it. It can even result in a fire explosion, so avoid this scenario.
So it is essential to know your hoverboard’s IP rating and what water it can resist.
The table below shows some standard IP ratings for liquid in your hoverboard and what it means.
| IP Rating | Details |
|---|---|
| IP00 | It might have water resistance, but it isn’t guaranteed. |
| IPX4. | It protects it from all angles against water spray. |
| IPX5 | It protects it from puddles, light, and constant rain from all directions. |
| IP34 | It protects it from wet ground, light, and infrequent rain from all directions. |
| IP54 | Protection from all angles of water spray. |
| IP55 | It protects it from constant rain, light rain, and puddles. |
| IP65 | It protects it from constant rain, light rain, or puddles. |
| IP67 | It protects it from constant rain, light rain, or a little submersion. |
Can You Ride a Hoverboard on a Snowy Pavement?
No, you cannot ride your hoverboard on the snowy pavement as your hoverboard won’t work well. That is because you need a smooth and flat surface to ride a hoverboard.
Also, the law doesn’t allow riding your hoverboard on the pavement. Yet, even if the pavement is snowy, people ignore this restriction and ride on pavements.
So, if you want to go ahead and ride your hoverboard on snowy pavement, this is for you.
Know that there will be bumps on snowy pavement that can quickly drain your hoverboard battery, and you won’t enjoy the ride.
Also, on this rough pavement, the hoverboard won’t work well because of the hoverboard’s wheel motor.
The motor needs heavy torque to move, and the battery can’t produce that on the snowy pavement.
Asides from that, when the snow starts melting, there’s moisture, and riding your hoverboard on a wet surface isn’t advisable. Therefore, riding your hoverboard on snowy pavements isn’t good.
Also, if water gets into your hoverboard’s internal components, it can damage the sensor, battery, or motherboard, putting the hoverboard out of work.
It doesn’t mean you cannot ride your hoverboard on snowy pavement, although the manufacturers didn’t precisely design it for snow.
It’s just that snow can damage your hoverboard more easily. However, you can see people riding their hoverboards in snow, so snowy pavement shouldn’t be a problem.
You must be careful and protect your hoverboard so the moisture does not seep into its internal components to damage it.
Also, when you get home, you should wipe the leftover snow from the hoverboard to avoid moisture seeping into it. Ensure the port is dry before connecting your charger to it.
Then store it in a warm place. Also, ensure your hoverboard rating is at least IPx4 before taking it out on the snowy pavement.
Although people ride hoverboards in the snow, you shouldn’t ride yours if you have a choice, so you can keep it functioning correctly.
Can You Use a Hoverboard on the Street?
According to the law, using your hoverboard on the street is illegal. Therefore, the only legal place to use your hoverboard is private property with the owner’s permission.
For you to use it on the street, it has to adhere to the rules binding vehicles, which isn’t possible for a hoverboard.
You can’t register or have a driving license for a hoverboard, so you have no right to use it on the street.
One of the reasons why the hoverboard isn’t allowed on the street is because it has no insurance coverage in case of an accident. So there’s no one to hold responsible for the damages.
Although your hoverboard will work fine on the street, it is against the law unless you want to face the penalty of going against it.
Either you pay a fine for not adhering to the law, or the law enforcers will seize your hoverboard. Although cases, where the law punishes people for riding their hoverboards on the street, are rare.
It is better to err on caution and follow the rules than to be apprehended for a minor offense like riding your hoverboard on the street.
It is not only on the streets that you can’t ride your hoverboard but even on pavements, parks, or public places.
