Learned a valuable lesson!

[manningm]

Hi Guys and Gals,

Just in case`no one ever told you this before. Store your bowling balls in a cool place or at least one that is climate controlled. I have had to replace 3 bowling balls because they cracked due to heat. Living in Florida, I should have known better. Like Dr. Phil says "What were you thinking"!, it can get quite expensive replacing your arsenal. Lesson learned on my part.

Mike Manning

[mrbill]

I'll remember that, I also live in Fl and I keep forgetting my Bowling Balls in the trunk of my car.. I know not good,.....

[JAnderson]

Unfortunately, I've had balls crack in climate-controlled rooms as well. Friends that own and work in pro shops report the same. This problem has been pretty well documented on a number of other bowling discussion boards on the Internet as well. New, un-drilled balls do not seem to be effected.

The solution? I've read a number of theories, but nothing plausible and no controlled experiment. There does seem to be some correlation between infrequency of use and cracking incidents: balls that are unused for long periods of time are the ones that seem to crack.

Per the original post, abrupt change in temperature makes the most scientific sense. The shell and core of modern bowling balls are made from different materials which expand and contract at different rates. Core separation will cause a ball to crack. However, I can personally attest that it has happened to 3 of my bowling balls that were all in the house, on a ball rack, stored at a constant 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Coach 3G]

I've seen and heard of a good number of undrilled bowling balls cracking even in controlled temperature environments. Manufacturing processes aren't perfect by any means. I'd still think that drilled bowling balls would be more likely to crack, but just for the fact that heat changes the way a bowling ball reacts should be reason enough not to store them outside of room temperature if possible. If you must leave them in your trunk for a period of time, do your best to find parking in the shade, and get to the center early to allow them to cool off before you start bowling.