New Mainline in Warm Weather

[SeanD]

I'm installing a 350' mainline this weekend and it's supposed to be 60 degrees. I've put up lines when it was way too cold (teens) before and regretted forcing it when everything sagged when temps got into the 40s. What affect if any will putting up wire and mainline in 60-degree weather be? Could things get too tight when temps drop really low?

Thanks,
Sean

[eagle lake sugar]

I installed all of my lines in the winter in 3' of snow, many days were below zero. As long as everything is tight and lashed properly it shouldn't be a problem. I'd much rather do it in the summer, it's a lot harder on snowshoes with stiff cold mainline.

[JoeJ]

I installed 18- 1" main lines totaling 12,600' in mid June 2013. I installed wire ratchets on both ends of both the mail line wire and the 1" pipe tension grips on each end pf the pipe. We pulled the pipe as hand tight as we could in the tension grips and that was it. We barley snugged the ratchets. In the 6 years since, there has not been a single snake in any of those main lines. The key is not to over tighten the pipe at 60 degrees due to the 70-80 degree drop for shrinkage to 10-20 degrees below zero.

Joe

[SeanD]

Great feedback. Thanks!

[bmbmkr]

I installed 18- 1" main lines totaling 12,600' in mid June 2013. I installed wire ratchets on both ends of both the mail line wire and the 1" pipe tension grips on each end pf the pipe. We pulled the pipe as hand tight as we could in the tension grips and that was it. We barley snugged the ratchets. In the 6 years since, there has not been a single snake in any of those main lines. The key is not to over tighten the pipe at 60 degrees due to the 70-80 degree drop for shrinkage to 10-20 degrees below zero.

Joe

Wow that's a big job! When you say you pulled the pipe tensioners hand tight, how do you mean? Using rope? Ratchet straps? Or just hook the tensioner and pull the pipe in between? I use the tension grips while putting my mains up but take them off after I get the pipe wired on and the wire ratchets tight. I have one line that's 300' of 3/4" CTS water pipe that I use for a pump line that keeps snaking on me, it's 18' up on the high end, and a pain to take down and re-wire every year. It was given to me, and still not worth all the work I keep putting in to it. CTS is some thick wall stuff too, it's rated for 250 psi. I should have sold that roll and bought two rolls of regular mainline but it was my first year and I didn't know better. And the compression fittings suck!! Both $$ and they don't hold under tension. I'm just curious for a few more details on how you tighten your ends.

[JoeJ]

Tension grip tightening: After we pulled the 1" pipe down the hill to the 1 1/2" mainline, we put a tension grip on the line, connected the 1" line to the 1 1/2" mainline, then put a hose clamp on the tension grip, hooked the tension grip to a wire and ratchet and snugged it up. We then loosely wire tied the 500' of 1" pipe to the wire. ( the property that I was installing the new woods in is dog leg shaped and 550 ' wide) At the top of the run of 1" pipe, we installed the tension grip on the pipe, hooked the tension grip to the end wire and ratchet, then one of my younger workers grabbed the 1" pipe and pulled the pipe through the tension grip as far as he could by hand. We then put the hose clamp on the tension grip to keep it in place and tightened up the tension grip ratchet just enough to start pulling on the grip. As I stated earlier this installation was done in June with 60-65 degree temperatures. I leave the tension grips on both ends in place permanently. Then there is no possibility of any line snaking

I will say that a year or so later, I was replacing some old 3/4" mainline at my sugar house woods with a new 1" line in 30 degree weather and I tightened the tension grips and ratchet too tight and the shrinkage late that winter pulled the 1" pipe off the SS Y that I had double hose clamps on both sides of the Y. I had to back off one tension grip quite a bit to do the repair.

For $30.00, I would put the tension grips on the pump line and be done with it for good.

Joe

[bmbmkr]

Thanks for the reply Joe.

I'm a visual learner, sometimes it takes a couple times for me to "get it".

Sean D, thanks for lettin me hi jack your thread!

Ben

[SeanD]

and the shrinkage late that winter pulled the 1" pipe off the SS Y that I had double hose clamps on both sides of the Y. I had to back off one tension grip quite a bit to do the repair.

Joe

Wow! That's the kind of thing I was afraid of.

[VT_K9]

We are in the process of putting up a 2" pump line, 400' about 16' in the air on telephone poles, and then putting up 1 1/2" vacuum line under that. I think I read somewhere that the preferred time is when the weather is 40-50 degrees, however I am sure it works outside the range because WE ALL PREFER TO HANG LINE IN DEEP SNOW IN THE COLD!!! It's the way it works a lot of the time. I was trying to time it right to hand the line this past fall, but we never saw a week or so of 50 degree weather.

Pull it tight and let it hand a day or so then go back and pull it again. I used to use the wire pullers. I use a prusik now. The prusik will slip a little when the pipe is cold and it is wet. I use a clamp to help hold it in place. I have not had any issues with kinking. The prusik can be applied mid line and removed very easily. it allows for leap frogging at the pulling end if your come a long runs out of wire.

Mike

[SeanD]

That's a handy knot for this! I didn't know it. Very nice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFHxQ5fiUvI

Sean

[GramaCindy]

Very nice! Thanks SeanD

[VT_K9]

We ran into a little challenge when it has been cold on our 2" pump line. We are going to add some wider exhaust band clamps to stop the prusik from sliding when the pipe is very cold.

Mike

[bill m]

VT_K9 What are you using for your prusik? Also how many wraps are you doing? Maybe one more wrap will keep it from slipping. I use different prusiks for different jobs. Some are 3.5 mm polyethylene, some are 5/16 rope and some are flat webbing.

[VT_K9]

I have two I bought from Amazon after using them in ropes training. Those are 8mm and 24" long I am wrapping the pipe twice. My Father made a few with some rope he had around (probably 8mm similar to paracord) and these are about 24" maybe 30" long. Again only two wraps.

I thought about trying some webbing I have to see if that will help. My thoughts on more wraps would be more surface area and maybe not as much tension transferred to the pipe on each wrap (kind of like the PSI of a single wheel truck vs a dually).

If you have some thoughts it would save the time of setting up the extra clamp. But when it is warmer and the prusiks are relatively dry they work great.

Thanks,

Mike