[TowerTalk] Rusty Guy Wires

[Roger (K8RI) on TT]

On 3/8/2014 11:40 PM, Mark Robinson wrote:
> This might sound silly but I wonder if there could be some sort of 
> electrolysis going on up there which is damaging the galvanizing on 
> the higher guys. The higher guys are more likely to be in a much 
> higher volts/meter field than the lower guys.

It's much windier "up there" than at ground level which would normally 
keep wires drier, but it's also colder which causes condensation.  
Condensation keeps wires wet, but often there isn't enough liquid to 
collect and run off.
"I wouldn't think" this would normally be a problem with just a hundred 
feet or so, nor would the increased angle. I do know that winds, 
temperature, and humidity can vary widely that last 500 feet or so, when 
landing an airplane.
However much depends on local climate and terrain.

73

Roger (K8RI)



>
>
> Mark N1UK
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Maki" <lists at oakcom.org>
> To: "towertalk" <towertalk at contesting.com>
> Sent: Saturday, 08 March, 2014 6:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Rusty Guy Wires
>
>
>> On taller towers (500' or more) we often see rustier hardware near 
>> the top then near the bottom. I always assumed that the air was more 
>> corrosive up there on average. Well I guess that must be a given :-) 
>> Not sure why that would be though.
>>
>> -Steve K8LX
>>
>> On 3/8/2014 4:04 PM, Donald Chester wrote:
>>
>>> In recent years, the guy wires on my tower have become what may be
>>> dangerously rusty, and I plan to re-guy. The tower is 127' tall with
>>> four guy levels, one every 30 feet.
>>>
>>> The rust pattern is very interesting. The guys at the top two levels
>>> are far more rusty than at the bottom two, even though all the guy
>>> cable came from the same roll. I could probably get by with the
>>> original bottom sets of guys for many more years, but the top two
>>> definitely need replacing, sooner not later.
>>>
>>> The only reason I can possibly figure for the differences in the rust
>>> pattern is that the slope of the upper guys is much steeper, and
>>> water would tend to run down the the wire and stay in contact with
>>> the metal for longer, whereas the lower guys are closer to
>>> horizontal, enough that water would tend to drip off instead of
>>> running down the wire all the way to the end. The amount of rust is
>>> nearly the same on the top set and next one down, and nearly the same
>>> for the bottom set and next one up, but the difference between the
>>> second and third guy level is tremendous.
>>>
>>>
>>> Don k4kyv
>>
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