Question about rope storage
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Okay so this has been on my mind and I'd thought I'd ask and see if anyone has an informed answer. For most of the summer I have kept one of my ropes, a petzl Volta 9.1 mm 60 meters, in a black/grey Rubbermaid storage bin on my back deck. The bin is in shade all day except for a three hour span in the morning. Is it possible that UV rays from the sun might be infiltrating the bin and damaging my rope during those three hours a day when the bin is in the sun? Thanks for listening. |
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I'd be more worried about heat than sun. Especially if the bin is a dark color, it could turn into a solar oven for three hours a day. |
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Climb.tooth.radish wrote:Okay so this has been on my mind and I'd thought I'd ask and see if anyone has an informed answer. For most of the summer I have kept one of my ropes, a petzl Volta 9.1 mm 60 meters, in a black/grey Rubbermaid storage bin on my back deck. The bin is in shade all day except for a three hour span in the morning. Is it possible that UV rays from the sun might be infiltrating the bin and damaging my rope during those three hours a day when the bin is in the sun? Thanks for listening.Sun cannot "infiltrate" through a black/grey bin, unless the lid is off, or the bin has major cracks. Heat yes, but no UV exposure to be worried about. Both heat and UV exposure can have a negative effect on long chain polymers (which is what you should be worried about), but I can't quantify the effect of heat. A number of real-world (but unscientific) tests of UV exposed rope (which should be worse than heat) have shown that the effect over a limited duration, while certainly measurable, isn't immediately catastrophic. caimateriali.org/index.php?… |
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Thanks everyone. The bin does not actually get very, very hot inside, and since UV is not an issue I think my rope should be fine. |
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In my not-so-expert opinion, your rope should be fine. But might I suggest, if space is at a premium, swap that rope for a couple of jackets from the back of your closet--three hours of warm weather a day won't kill a jacket, and your rope could live indoors. |
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Imagine if you climbed in direct Sun, at altitude, several days per week! People do that you know. |
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Robert Cort wrote: Both heat and UV exposure can have a negative effect on long chain polymers (which is what you should be worried about),So lets assume it's a black box and he lives in Phoenix. I still don't see the inside getting much hotter than 160 degrees. Is there any data on the exact temp that could damage a rope? I bet it's quite a bit hotter than that. |
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Did what I did at one point. Contact the manufacturer. They reassured my decision. |