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Wet verses dry SRT rope ?

G

Geoff R

New member
I had an interesting but quick discussion about SRT rope at the weekend where it was recommended by someone I respect that it is always better to use SRT rope damp (eg wetted and drained the night before if necessary for pitch one)  rather than bone dry.

Advantages as I understood them were

low chance of glazing 
consistency
slightly slower ride (if using less than 10mm rope ?)

Could anyone elaborate a little further on the wet verses dry issue on medium to long pitches using a Stop assuming you had the equal option to SRT with either. 

Thank You  :)


PS I dont want to resurrect the Stop v Rack issue  :down:
 
Used a new, wetted Mammut 10mm on the big pitch in Rowten a few weeks back and the Stop wouldn't stop at all!
Def agree with the wet to avoid glazing point. Our centre ropes get trashed running through Stops when dry.
 
The only advantage Im aware of is the glazing (heat) issue. Also make the rope easier to handle (knot) and as such - a recomendation.

I try and dunk ropes on the walk in/at the entrance where possible.

Not at all sure that a wet rope gives a slower ride - quite the opposite in my exprience.
 
The first time I went down Titan I thought... why have they left this big puddle here?  :-\

That thought soon went out of my head when i realised what a good job it was doing of saving the rope from glazing, which on a pitch that long is a real issue.  :bow:  :clap2:
 
The only other consideration is that a wet rope will be a little weaker than a dry rope - but I would not worry too much about that - the advantages of having a wet rope, as outlined above, would outweigh this factor.
 
possibly another consideration to take into account is wet rope is heavier, so you may want to carry to the entrance dry before making damp
 
The worst combination though is a partially wetted rope, which provides a very uneven descent! Puddles in my experiance tend to wet the rope in this manner, a torough soaking in a river is better. Any pitch where there is spray on some of the route, definetly thoroughly wet the whole rope beforehand for an easier ride.
 
Agree with everything posted so far ... wet your ropes before use, preferably by a complete dunking in a stream. It'll make them easier to handle and much less likely to glaze. I have also found it makes the rope less likely to burn your hand and, therefore, makes people less prone to abseiling out of control.
 
badger said:
possibly another consideration to take into account is wet rope is heavier, so you may want to carry to the entrance dry before making damp
Click to expand...

I agree, so I tend to carry the rope dry but take a 5 gallon drum of water to wet the rope at the entrance just incase there arent any stream or big puddles near by.  Works for me everytime. :thumbsup:
 
And a five gallon drum would only be appropriate if the pitch was measured in feet. In metres you would surely have to use a 25 litre drum javascript:void(0);
tease (or something like that javascript:void(0);
unsure- my maths ain't up to it at this time of day).
tease

Scoff

BPC/ CDG
 
Scoff said:
And a five gallon drum would only be appropriate if the pitch was measured in feet. In metres you would surely have to use a 25 litre drum javascript:void(0);
tease (or something like that javascript:void(0);
unsure- my maths ain't up to it at this time of day).
tease

Scoff

BPC/ CDG
Click to expand...

I disagree.  My local timber merchant has no problem understanding what I want when I ask for 5 lengths of "three by four, 4 meters long". Five gallons IS therefor suitable for wetting up about 200m of 7/16" rope.  I think. :-\

Sorry I was born in the 70s - its all such a muddle :confused: (Blame Thatcher for taking my milk away :chair:)
 
Big Jim said:
Scoff said:
And a five gallon drum would only be appropriate if the pitch was measured in feet. In metres you would surely have to use a 25 litre drum javascript:void(0);
tease (or something like that javascript:void(0);
unsure- my maths ain't up to it at this time of day).
tease

Scoff

BPC/ CDG
Click to expand...

I disagree.  My local timber merchant has no problem understanding what I want when I ask for 5 lengths of "three by four, 4 meters long". Five gallons IS therefor suitable for wetting up about 200m of 7/16" rope.  I think. :-\

Sorry I was born in the 70s - its all such a muddle :confused: (Blame Thatcher for taking my milk away :chair:)
Click to expand...

Pah! Why is everyone going on about feet and inches!

Surely pitch lengths should be measured in fathoms?

Instead of the 5 gallon drum have you considered taking a packet of dehydrated water? Much lighter!

 
paul said:
Instead of the 5 gallon drum have you considered taking a packet of dehydrated water? Much lighter!
Click to expand...

My son can help you there. He relieved a school mate of ?1 for a 500ml bottle of water (part drunk) with the tag line 'if you dilute it, there's enough here to fill a bath'
 
kay said:
paul said:
Instead of the 5 gallon drum have you considered taking a packet of dehydrated water? Much lighter!
Click to expand...

My son can help you there. He relieved a school mate of ?1 for a 500ml bottle of water (part drunk) with the tag line 'if you dilute it, there's enough here to fill a bath'
Click to expand...

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: That lad will go far  :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Actually, let me know what the postage is and I'll have a couple of bottles off him myself.
 
Interestingly there was a study done on wet and dry ropes with Stops at White hall derbyshire, It was found that with a dry rope on only a short pitch of 15m ish the heat generated from friction came alarmingly close to the melting point of the rope!!!!  But with a wet rope is was well within the temperature range. Hence why your ropes are getting glazed - your stop is near melting rope point!!! Worrying when your on a pitch like Titan, if on a dry rope you dont want to stop for too long as it will be melting that point more than others!! :doubt:
 
It isn't really anything new that stops get hot.

The place I've seen worn rope the most is on the bar pot rope rigged during a winch meet at gg after a week of heavy use.

The damage was at the bottom of the pitch so I guess people aren't getting off the rope quick enough.

On a cold trip a nice warm stop is a fun thng to hold.  ::)

Ian B.
 
theFerret said:
Interestingly there was a study done on wet and dry ropes with Stops at White hall derbyshire, It was found that with a dry rope on only a short pitch of 15m ish the heat generated from friction came alarmingly close to the melting point of the rope!!!!   But with a wet rope is was well within the temperature range. Hence why your ropes are getting glazed - your stop is near melting rope point!!! Worrying when your on a pitch like Titan, if on a dry rope you dont want to stop for too long as it will be melting that point more than others!! :doubt:
Click to expand...
Yes the glazing is melting. 
I read somewhere that nylon rope has an amazingly low conductivity so that whilst the outside is melting less than a mm in the temperature is almost unaffected.
 
Thanks everyone

I must remember to take 5 gallons with me up hill to wet my rope  :clap2:

Seriously, its been useful feedback and thank you  :)
Id not previously thought to wet rope before use, as I read it reduced strength and added weight, but it makes good sense as Ive been concerned that glazing would become more and more likely as we increased our confidence, pitch lengths and speed  :(

If anyone could recommend a rope type and size for 80+m that's my next purchase  :) 

 
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