Cleaning Rope

Discuss vertical caving, equipment, & techniques. Also visit the NSS Vertical Section.

Moderator: Tim White

Cleaning Rope

Postby BryantG » Sep 27, 2013 10:32 am

I recently purchased a brand new length of 11mm PMI pit rope and its inaugural cave trip got it very dirty. What is the easiest and safest way to clean the rope? Any advice is appreciated! Thanks.
User avatar
BryantG
Infrequent Poster
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Oct 14, 2012 12:25 pm
Location: Arkansas
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby snoboy » Sep 27, 2013 11:11 am

Soak it, rinse it.
snoboy
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 179
Joined: Apr 6, 2009 10:05 pm
Primary Grotto Affiliation: BC Speleological Federation
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby GroundquestMSA » Sep 27, 2013 11:19 am

Pressure washer or car wash seems quite popular. Search the forum a bit and you'll find a lot of discussion on this topic.
User avatar
GroundquestMSA
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 1384
Joined: May 5, 2011 1:32 pm
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby Chads93GT » Sep 27, 2013 1:01 pm

I pressure wash at the car wash to get the most of it, then I throw it in my GLASS LENSE front loader.no soap.
User avatar
Chads93GT
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 2294
Joined: Jun 24, 2008 1:27 pm
Location: Missouri
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby Shane S » Sep 27, 2013 3:26 pm

I bought a large bucket at a farm supply. I fill it up with water and drop the rope in forming loose coils around the bucket. I then let it sit for about 30 min and then splash the water around some. No soap. I have a soft bristle brush I can hit the rope with as well. If the rope is really dirty I may have to re-fill a time or two. My fear with a pressure washer or car wash is that residual soap remaining in the plumbing could coat the rope and cause corrosion. It wouldn’t take much. I have thought about purchasing a small pressure washer and never putting chemicals in it. Having it dedicated to cleaning caving gear.
User avatar
Shane S
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 116
Joined: Mar 7, 2013 1:15 pm
Location: Cartersville GA
Name: Shane
NSS #: 64742
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Clock Tower Grotto
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby UnderGroundEarth » Sep 27, 2013 3:52 pm

It's a little pricy, but you could also purchase a Bokat Rope Washer. Just hook it up to a water hose and pull the rope thru.

http://onrope1.com/store/index.php?p=pr ... &parent=17
Unearthly Beauty Lies Underground for those who Venture In!
www.flickr.com/undergroundearth
User avatar
UnderGroundEarth
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 537
Joined: May 17, 2006 3:39 pm
Location: Jasper, Tennessee
Name: Kelly Smallwood
NSS #: 58745 RL,FE
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Sewanee Mountain Grotto
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby Carl Amundson » Sep 27, 2013 9:32 pm

I use the Bokat Rope Washer most of the time, it works really well.
I have also used a pressure washer. They work great and will not damage the rope.

I have a friend that takes his ropes to the local laundromat and washes it in a large front loading washing machine.
User avatar
Carl Amundson
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 681
Joined: Nov 8, 2006 11:27 am
Location: Berryville, Virginia
Name: Carl Amundson
NSS #: 50213
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Front Royal and Tri-State Grottos
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby Scott McCrea » Sep 27, 2013 9:42 pm

I have a rope washer and a pressure washer, but most of the time, when it is appropriate, I just spray the coil or mound of rope with the garden hose to get the chunks off and hang it to dry.
Scott McCrea
SWAYGO
User avatar
Scott McCrea
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 3198
Joined: Sep 5, 2005 3:07 pm
Location: Asheville, NC USA
NSS #: 40839RL
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Flittermouse Grotto
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby paul » Sep 28, 2013 2:50 am

Ther are a couple of DIY solutions on this thread: http://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=7622.0
paul
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 513
Joined: Dec 9, 2005 7:46 am
Location: Peak District, UK
Name: Paul Lydon
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby tamarmole » Sep 28, 2013 12:09 pm

Plan A: Make a tube out of Astroturf (fake grass), hold tube together with cable ties, feed rope into said tube, plonk the whole lot in a bucket (an old bath is even better - you can leave the rope to soak ) and pull rope through until clean.

Plan B: Stick rope in duvet/quilt cover bung in washing machine.

I tend not to use any detergent as I am not too sure what it does to the rope. (I have heard both pros and cons)

The one thing I would suggest is that you clean your rope at the earliest opportunity after your trip. Before you put it away run the whole length through your hands to make sure there are no nicks or dings
tamarmole
Occasional Poster
 
Posts: 31
Joined: Sep 1, 2013 12:03 pm
Location: Tamar Valley U.K
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby NZcaver » Sep 29, 2013 3:12 am

As previously discussed here on the forum...

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3543
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6815
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10089
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12612

For mild washing I would use a hose (if available) or dump the rope in a creek or waterfall. For more serious washing I generally use the spray wand at the car wash, and periodically chain it and run it through the washing machine on gentle cycle. I find running a rope back and forth laboriously through a tube of bristles is a PITA.
User avatar
NZcaver
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 6367
Joined: Sep 7, 2005 2:05 am
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Name: Jansen
NSS #: 50665RL
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby OpenTrackRacer » Oct 2, 2013 5:54 pm

Wait... you're supposed to clean your rope?

:yikes:

Opps!

Mike
Underground Explorers
California Abandoned Mine Exploration
http://www.undergroundexplorers.com
User avatar
OpenTrackRacer
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 189
Joined: Jul 1, 2008 1:05 am
Location: San Diego, CA
Name: Mike Schriber
NSS #: 65042
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Southern California
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby Extremeophile » Oct 3, 2013 10:02 am

I got a Beal Rope Brush and some supplies at the hardware store to make my own semi-automated rope washer. The brush goes inside a length of PVC tubing with a tee that allows direct connection of a garden hose. I run the rope through 3-4 times and then soak it in a bucket of hot water for decon purposes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIEFxmEUYBM
User avatar
Extremeophile
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 761
Joined: Dec 7, 2009 7:37 pm
Location: Littleton, CO
Name: Derek Bristol
NSS #: 34941
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Colorado Grotto
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby hank moon » Oct 7, 2013 5:39 pm

I have been told that a pressure washer can damage rope by forcing contaminants into and/or through the sheath. I have not seen any testing to verify this. Petzl warns against using them in their instructions for use (see below). Anyone have emperical info on this topic?


Image

hank
User avatar
hank moon
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 610
Joined: Sep 7, 2005 9:52 am
Location: Salt Lake City
  

Re: Cleaning Rope

Postby GroundquestMSA » Oct 7, 2013 6:04 pm

User avatar
GroundquestMSA
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 1384
Joined: May 5, 2011 1:32 pm
  

Next

Return to On Rope!

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users