Just an open question, what length / Dia' steel cable is needed for replacement? O.G.

Bump;
I have a turfer cable / no charge!
will measure the length.
O.G.

another bump. :thumbup:

We have a length (30m+) is your cable stainless, galvanised, or otherwise? others may discount it but I know the value of good Turfur cable :thumbsup::thumbsup:

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A proper Tirfor cable is an assembly made from non-galv'd wire with an eye at one end and a taper at the other. It's a wire core cable which does not compress (and is less flexible) than a fibre cored cable (which would be common for winches etc - the fibre carries a lubricant). The Tirfor action would chew any galv'ing off the cable.

OG - If what you have is a geniune Tirfor cable then it would be a waste to use it as a zip wire. What diameter is it? I know a man looking for a cable for his (which is half-inch IIRC, and the 3/4 cable for my own Tirfor won't fit it).

I always understood that one of the problems with fibre cored cable in a situation like this was damp retention by the fibre causing corrosion from the inside.

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I'd agree, I was not saying that wire cored rope wasn't suitable, just that if what OG has is a genuine Tirfor cable with the eye splice at one end and the taper at the other, it would be a waste to use it as a zip wire when it's possible to buy suitable cable off the reel. (The taper on the end of a proper Tirfor cable is quite difficult to make, and makes a major difference to how usable the cable is).

Having said that, as I have already said, the choice of cable is a lot less important than ensuring there is a regular inspection regime in place.

Probably the most important thing is to get a qualified person to commit to installing " once and for ever" anchors.
Stainless, resin or whatever has proven satisfactory in slate.

Then move on from there.

The anchors are fine. Just the cable needing changing.

Probably the most important thing is to get a qualified person to commit to installing " once and for ever" anchors.

Even if the Anchor's *did* need re-installing, I very much doubt anyone "professional" would put their name to it anyway, given the nature of the place. There are plenty of people capable of doing a professional job with resin bolts, no need for "papers" to install bolts, you just need to be methodical about what you are doing.

The reason is probably not that someone installed them incorrectly, (I haven't seen the problematic equipment myself, going off of what is said here and elsewhere) but more likely that although expansion bolts appear to work just fine at first, over time the repeated loading and unloading of the anchor is damaging the surrounding slate, causing it to cone out or delaminate.

Stainless, resin or whatever has proven satisfactory in slate.

Resin anchors in Slate, see above.

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A proper Tirfor cable is an assembly made from non-galv'd wire with an eye at one end and a taper at the other. It's a wire core cable which does not compress (and is less flexible) than a fibre cored cable (which would be common for winches etc - the fibre carries a lubricant). The Tirfor action would chew any galv'ing off the cable.

OG - If what you have is a geniune Tirfor cable then it would be a waste to use it as a zip wire. What diameter is it? I know a man looking for a cable for his (which is half-inch IIRC, and the 3/4 cable for my own Tirfor won't fit it).

prety sure I'm close enough to let you view it Nick. P.M. phone or e-mail will contact you, Ric'

We replaced the zip line on Saturday with a new 9.5mm diameter steel cable.

The bolts and hangers at the top end and the general rock around them all appeared to be in good condition and so I replaced the ties but kept the bolts.
I added a new bolt and hanger at the far end and tied back to this one as well as 3 existing hangers, all of which appeared to be in good condition.
We did not install the steel pulley on to the new cable as we thought the cable would see less ware and tear if everyone used their own pulleys (which they should all be armed with for the trip), the plastic or aluminium wheels you get on the standard 'basic' pulley will be more friendly on the new, smaller diameter cable.

We also replaced the fixings and bolts for the wire bridge over the next chamber.
The broken ties (which the aluminium walkways hangs off the main cables with) have been replaced with 7mm cord. I intend to replace the remaining ties at some stage as they are all in poor condition.
You can now cross safely and without getting your feet wet.

At some point I hope to return to replace the continuous pulley system for the canoe in the Chambers of Horrors.

The first two abseils all appear to be in good working order although I wonder what condition the bolts are actually in for the first abseil as I believe they are the original ones, probably more than 15 years old..??? Unfortunately one cannot test them without rendering them useless. They are still nice and tight and as there are two of them sharing the load, I don't believe there is an immediate issue but would like to replace them on the next visit.

Just a reminder to all who plan to take the through trip to respect the cost and effort given in maintaining the equipment and only allow one person at a time on each obstacle.

Thank you,
Speedycaver. :thumbsup:

Hey Speedy, how are you.
How long are you back in the UK for?

Nice to see you posting on AN

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Hi Roy. I'm doing OK ta.
Glad to see you're still developing lamps, good work.

Guess I'll be in the UK till I go on holiday next...! :blink:

Only posted here cos I thought people should know what's happening with the CRTT equipment.

Top effort Speedy! Can we contribute to the cost of the bits? Could paypal you a suitable amount...
Cheers, Pete

Awesome job Speedy ........

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Ian

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Thanks Pete and Ian.
No contributions necessary my friend, I am simply happy to help out with my favorite playground. :flowers:

You could have waited a week or so! :lol:

The April Cambrian Caving Council Newsletter (just about to go out) has a nice article saying the zip line is damaged and suggesting CCC may be able to fund a group to fix it. Its too late to change it now so I guess the July edition can say its fixed!

Dave