Gasoline and climbing line

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jzack605

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So i already know my companies policy, and the manufacturer told me the same. Discontinue the line of it is exposed to gas because they did not know the effect of gas on climbing line.

but I did some research and there seems to be some gray area. Some are claiming no effect with studies backing that and other manufacturers saying it’s fine.

the line is brand new 180’ 1/2” notch. I felled a small maple that unfortunately didn’t go the way I planned. Fortunately the only casualty was a 1gal can of mix; which sprayed gas all over my line that was laying nearby. It didn’t soak it, but The line definitely has some spots that smell like gas as I fed it back into the rope bag.

my instinct says trash it, but it hurts being only a few months old. Any other opinions?
 
The problem is that we don't know 100% what materials make up the rope. If the manufacturer says "polyester" does that mean 100%, or only 94.44%?

Polyester is quite resistant to gasoline at low temperatures (60 degrees F), but not at elevated temperatures (150 degrees F). The reaction temperature is probably somewhere in between. We can't rule out the idea that additives in the gasoline (e.g. oil or a stabilizer) may lower the reaction point because we don't know everything about the additives.

It would be crazy to tell you anything other than, "We don't know if the equipment you will bet your life on will be OK or not."
 
I actually just realized the rope is Yale and not notch. 150’ of XTC 16 strand for what it’s worth. Made of polyester
 
Im not a climber. That being said i would not want my life dangling from a rope that may be bad from gas being splashed on it. I know it would suck but just use that rope for something else and get a new one. Our lives are worth more then a rope would be.
Just my 2 cents.



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So i already know my companies policy, and the manufacturer told me the same. Discontinue the line of it is exposed to gas because they did not know the effect of gas on climbing line.

but I did some research and there seems to be some gray area. Some are claiming no effect with studies backing that and other manufacturers saying it’s fine.

the line is brand new 180’ 1/2” notch. I felled a small maple that unfortunately didn’t go the way I planned. Fortunately the only casualty was a 1gal can of mix; which sprayed gas all over my line that was laying nearby. It didn’t soak it, but The line definitely has some spots that smell like gas as I fed it back into the rope bag.

my instinct says trash it, but it hurts being only a few months old. Any other opinions?

Hi jzack, we had a presentation from someone that worked for Teufelberger at our 2014 arb conference in New Zealand. I distinctly remember the message that petrol, diesel and bar oil had little to no affect on the strength of the climbing lines we use, as I have discarded several climbing lines over the years due to contamination from fuel. I just had a quick look and search on the Teufelberger website, but can't find any information there, likewise on the history search of speakers at the conference, but if you're interested enough, I suppose you'll find something if you keep looking. Personally, I find old habits/beliefs a bit hard to shake, and am uncomfortable using a climbing lines that have been soaked in fuels. New climbing lines are cheap compared to the value of life!
 
I'd be more worried about bar oil and I'm not worried about that at all.
 
I actually just got 120’ 1/2 Samson arbormaster. I was looking through the “manual” that comes with the line and according to Samson themselves there is no strength loss when exposed to gasoline. B3448F25-A49F-4841-80B8-AD96ACD01422.jpeg
 

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