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How to clean LPG lines


pwind

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Hi,

I wonder how you clean your LPG lines ?

Since years I use to clean my dyneema lines just by keeping the winder under fresh water for 10 seconds.

Now I have LPGs, and last week-end they were so full of sand and mud that I decided to unwind the 120" lines in a plastic box with fresh water. I changed the water 2 or 3 times, let the lines for a few hours, then let them dry on towel for one day (without heating).

Any better advice ? Would hydrochloric acid be more efficient ? :huh: ...

Note : I fly above/under salt water.

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I don't know how well this works with LPG but this is what I do at the end of the day when flying in sand.

With my Shanti lines I pull the lines through my fingers as I wind them up to get the sand off.

It is slow but it sure keeps my over 10 year old lines in good shape.

Basically what you do is pull a meter through your fingers. Wipe my hand on my Jeans. Roll up that meter. Keep repeating.

I have never washed my lines. I would think washing would be a good addition to wiping the sand off.

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I don't know how well this works with LPG but this is what I do at the end of the day when flying in sand.

With my Shanti lines I pull the lines through my fingers as I wind them up to get the sand off.

It is slow but it sure keeps my over 10 year old lines in good shape.

Basically what you do is pull a meter through your fingers. Wipe my hand on my Jeans. Roll up that meter. Keep repeating.

I have never washed my lines. I would think washing would be a good addition to wiping the sand off.

I think, that when winding the lines, they run between finger and thumb, but the idea of doing anything more, is, after all these years, quite amusing. The next rainy day flying does it for me. <grins>

<humour> I wonder if the chlorine and other chemicals in the public water supply might damage the lines in some way... </humour>

Felix

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Here are a few data points (Engineering background showing, sorry)

I made some winders of wood finished with spar varnish. The spar varnish did not set up well, so I wiped it with paint thinner, and sanded until smooth. Then, I added my lines.

Well, on the first flight with the lines they were so sticky they sung like violin strings when twisted. Forget 10 twists, after about 3 they were locked. Now it was time for emergency action.

I strung the lines out and wiped them with paint thinner on a bit of rag. Then I wiped them with "sewers aid" and wrapped them on a regular plastic winder. The next time out, they were slipperier than sn** ... well, very slippery.

Having rescued the quad line set from disaster, I felt very good. But I wondered about the solvent's effect on Spectra. So I placed a snippet of LPG line in paint thinner, and a snippet in alcohol (denatured, not Scotch). After about a week, I checked the line snippets, and neither showed any degradation from the solvents. That's not to say you should soak your line-sets in either solvent for a week, but only to say that a vigorous wipe with either solvent to remove sticky stuff should not hurt them.

So, if washing in water does not restore the original slickness to your Spectra lines, do not be afraid to wipe them with a solvent, and then apply "sewer's aid". I have not found that the sewer's aid causes the lines to pick up noticeably more sand at the beach. I recommend it. Expensive little bottle, so dab a few drops on a small rag and run it over your lines while they are strung out.

BTW - that is "sewer" as in one who sews, not as in waste disposal. <_< Search the forums for more info and sources.

Fair winds. :)

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Thanks for your great answers, at least even experienced flyers like John use tap water, so it probably is sufficient in most cases.

Revo-Barcelona, thanks for the link !

johnnmitchell, sure it works but packing my 120" will take too much time, or probably too lazy... But yeah, you are right :)

Felix, it appears that it might probably damage the lines under certain conditions : "polyethylene usually can be dissolved at elevated temperatures in aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene or xylene, or in chlorinated solvents"

HedgeWarden, so you found that paint thinner (acetone (CH3)2CO or similar) + sewers aid (silicone-based [si(C2H5)2O]n or similar) + spectra/dyneema lines (probably ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (C2H4)n or similar) = magic slippery ? :w00t:

Do not know what happen, maybe these guys could explain. Thanks for this, I would not have had the idea to try this !

I have a set of dyneema lines (I bought these as LPGs) that won't take more than 6 loops, a bottle of acetone and a teflon-based lubricant. Next time I will try to mix all of this and see the results. :bones:

BTW I found this while looking for sewers aid, do you think it might help ? Or did your already try it (not for sewing, of course) ?

LPG lines are impressive, 15 loops and no blocking ! First time I tried these I lost the direction to untangle, neither one nor the other was the blocking one :lol:

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I better clarify-- :blink:

The "paint thinner" I used was Mineral Spirits - NOT toluene, acetone, or one of those strong solvents. I used it only because through carelessness I got traces of spar varnish (probably dust) on my lines, similar to coating violin strings with rosin. Otherwise, unless you have something like pitch or tar or other sticky schmutz, I would suggest only tap water. I would not trust those more active solvents around my lines, although they may be ok. Denatured alcohol would probably be similarly effective and safe, depending on "where your lines have been." :kid_smartass:

The "sewer's aid" can usually be obtained at fabric stores. It is expensive, but four or five drops on a small cloth is enough to polish a 120' line set, if you string your lines out first (no need to separate the four lines - even doubling over to eight lines in a batch is fine.) If you use gobs of it, you will not only go broke, but also probably pick up some sand/dirt. Don't try applying to lines on a winder for these reasons.

The thread lubricator in your question's link is not particularly useful, IMO, for flight lines. Just use a small patch of cloth - 3/4" x 2" for instance.

Whether sewer's aid actually improves the slipperiness beyond the original slipperiness of new lines, I don't know. But it certainly helps lines that have been abused.

Next year, I expect you to have enough experience to tell us how to keep one's lines tip-top. :lol::P

Fair winds.

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