[TowerTalk] wrapping a big grip on phillystran

[Vic]

Regarding grips & Phillystran -- 

Just completed an installation here with 55N & Phillystran .. I "chickened out" and used a professional tower crew, as they could do in two days what would take me months to accomplish ... couple items I learned while watching -- 

Be sure the end caps are installed & taped with Scotch 33 or 700 before the grips are wrapped   --- the installers showed me pictures of a broadcast tower where at over 1k feet the Phillystran almost completely failed probably due to water seeping into the stran & a lightning strike .. no way to know for sure, but the "blowout" was pretty impressive in the pictures -- speaks well for the product to still hold together -- and the removal & replacement was not an easy job as that was some hefty stuff and required the installation of the corona head with epoxy .. 

As mentioned in this thread, they also showed me it does help to have little tension on the Philly while wrapping --

Also use a wire "wrap" at the end of the grip to prevent ice from loosing the grip ... they used about 5 turns (about 6 inches) of #14 insulated copper wire and then twisted tight to chinch at the joint ... I was told "ty-wraps" may work fine, but in their experience some black ty-wraps may not be totally UV proof & may crack & break within a year or two -- not to bash the country of origin, but ty-wraps of question were made in China & sold in discount stores --- hence, the use of the twisted wire because if the wraps do not came not in a bag, you don't know how good or bad they might be  -- the crew said ice will slide down the Philly and is possible in a couple of hours to almost open the grip end ... same process applies to regular EHS or "stran" as they called it .. again pictures of another broadcast tower with a loose guy, the busted ty-wraps, and ice on the ground convinced me plastic wraps may not be the way to go .. 

The only comment from the crew was, they had never worked any Philly as small as what I was installing as most of their work with Phillystan is within the broadcast industry and much larger .. made me feel "Philly challenged" ... :- )) 

Cheers de Vic //