Tag: climbing

Heavy-Duty Line Vac Air Operated Conveyors Climbing to New Heights

Published on by codybiehleLeave a comment

During this COVID-19 shelter in place circumstance, as an avid outdoors man (specifically I do a lot of rock climbing), things have been frustrating to say the least. In the Cincinnati area with all the climbing gyms closed down climbers are flocking to their local crag to get that last climb in for the foreseeable future. My local crag is Red River Gorge in Rodgers, KY. As the climbing season has now ended due to this pandemic the season of indoor (aka at home) training has began to ramp up with everyone hitting their hang boards and starting harder work out routines in their free time. It came to my mind that now is the time to also check out my old gear and see what needs to be replaced.

Climbing gear needs to be strong, durable and light weight so that the gear does not fail you in your time of need. If properly set up, a climbing rated carabiner can withstand a force of 24 kN or 5395 lbs. Every bit of climbing material needs to be taken care of and replaced when the time comes. When your life is hanging by the gear that you use durability and maintenance is the difference from dropping or not dropping from a cliff. But climbing equipment isn’t the only thing that you want to be strong and durable; you also want your material handling equipment as well.

Climbing a 5.10d “Return of Manimal” at the Bruise Brothers Wall in Muir Valley

At EXAIR we strive to make strong, durable, and maintenance free compressed air products. One such product is our Heavy Duty Line Vac air operated conveyor; the Heavy Duty Line Vac is a stronger and more durable version of the standard aluminum Line Vacs. The body and cap of the Heavy Duty Line Vac is made out of a hardened alloy which provides abrasion resistance. This means that it can withstand materials such as sand, salts, steel shavings, tumbling and blast media, etc. They are available from 3/4″ through 3″ and are used with identical sized hose, tube or pipe. 

Heavy Duty Line Vac

The Heavy Duty Line Vac is also designed to lift heavier material and move it farther and/or higher. Materials such as steel shot, garnet and ground glass are common. More power also increases the distance materials can be conveyed. Heavy Duty Line Vacs convey 6 times farther than standard Line Vacs. 

Male NPT Threads make permanent and rigid installation into a piping system a breeze

The Heavy Duty Line Vac also comes with either smooth connections or threaded connections. The smooth connections allow for our reinforced PVC conveyance hose to attach to the ends using a standard hose clamp. If a flexible hose is not appropriate for your application the threaded connections allow the line vac to connect to a hard pipe. Both types of connections are interchangeable to fit your conveyance needs.

If you have questions about our Heavy Duty Line Vacs, or would like to talk about any of the EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Products, feel free to contact EXAIR and myself or any of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.

Cody Biehle
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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The Perseverance to Help Out

Published on by codybiehleLeave a comment

A couple of years ago I got to spend some time with my dad rock climbing in the North Cascades in Washington. My eyes were set on a very easy 5.9 big wall multi-pitch route called Prime Rib of Goat on the Goat Wall in Mazama. The route that we climbed was 1300ft of vertical cliff and one of the most popular beginner routes for getting into large climbs. Both my dad and I are knowledgeable when comes to climbing and were looking for a nice relaxing day on the wall. This is how that relaxing day turned into a crazy rescue…

The trip started out as any normal climbing trip would, an early 6 am flight as we had to get all of our climbing gear through airport security. Once the plane landed, we picked up our rental car and the gorgeous 3.5 hr drive up I-5 along the bay and straight on through the North Cascade National Park. Mazama is a small town with a population of only 158 people located on the East side the Cascades. Once we reached our destination and set up camp, we decided to do a little warm up on the wall to try and beat the stiffness and fatigue from a full day of travel.

Pitch 7 of the Prime Rib of Goat on the Goat Wall

The next morning, we woke up a little on the late side (around 7:30 am) got a light breakfast and set out for our goal the Goat Wall. The wall was a short 3 miles outside of town with a not so easy 1-mile hike in 95°F temperatures up a Scree field (basically hill of loose rock at the base of a mountain). Once we reached the base, we loaded up our gear onto our harnesses and started climbing to the first set of anchors (this is what is known as a pitch in climbing terms). Pitches 1 – 6 were fairly straight forward and easy going, water was rationed to ensure that we wouldn’t get dehydrated but at the same time wouldn’t run out of water.

By around 4:00 pm we had reached the halfway point at the top of pitch 6; this is where we ran into two people who were also climbing the same route as us but moving at a much slower pace. Luckily the were two trees that were growing on the cliff so we decided to take a small lunch break in the shade. Around a half hour later I shouted up the cliff to see if the two people had moved on yet; when I heard nothing we started climbing pitch 7. To my surprise the group ahead of us were still sitting at the top of pitch 7.

Pitch 7 of the Prime Rib of Goat on the Goat Wall

Turns out that the group had a 40 pound pack with them which was unusual for the single day climb on an easy route that could be easily terminated if needed. After another 10 mins of waiting we decided help them haul this pack of theirs up the wall. It was slow moving up to Pitch 8 and they had run out of water and our water was running low. By the time we had finally reached pitch 9 with all the people things had started to get worse for the group that we were assisting; fatigue and dehydration had brought them to the point of a mental break down.

At this point my dad and I decided to share the last bit of water we had with them and to turn around and bail on the last 3 pitches. It was a slow process moving back down the way we had come and try to keep the group calm; the sun and heat was really starting to take a toll on our bodies. Our lips were cracked and blistered and our mouths had quit producing saliva but we kept trudging on. A relief from the heat came around the time when the sun had set around the top of pitch 4 and from that time onward, we were descending down the cliff face into what seemed like a black abyss.

Finally, we were able to set foot on the ground and low and behold the friends of the group we helped had hiked to the base looking for their friends and they brought water we could all drink. We didn’t get back to the campsite until 1:00 am. The next day my dad and I decided to pack up and head to the coast because we were done climbing.

Here at EXAIR we like to bring that same kind of enthusiasm and perseverance to help you solve your compressed air issues. We will walk you step by step in getting you either the right part or solving any of your technical issues and won’t leave you high and dry.

If you want to talk about any of the 16 different EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Product lines, feel free to contact EXAIR and myself or any of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.

Cody Biehle
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Getting Better All The Time

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that the week following the third Sunday in June is when I write about my annual Father’s Day Weekend Camp out…this week is no exception. My best friend and I treated our wives to a guy-free weekend at home while we and our sons:

*Watched the full moon rise from a hilltop near Malabar Farm on Friday night.
*Kayaked the Clear Fork River.
*Fished a couple of ponds at the farm (to no avail.)
*Gigged for frogs at a couple of other ponds (results below.)
*Had frog legs & scrambled eggs for breakfast.
*Hiked and climbed to the top of Big Lyons Falls at Mohican State Park.

With the exception of watching the full moon rise (and maybe the unsuccessful fishing expedition), NONE of this would ever have happened when we started this tradition nine years ago with two six-year olds and a four-year old. It’s hard to believe that, now that our whole party pretty much passes the height/weight requirements, we’re looking for a campground with zip lining nearby for our 10th annual camp out next year. It looks like my fear of heights is going to be confronted by my fear of being ridiculed by my teenage sons. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on which one wins out.

As time passes, we all have to “step up our game”…I’ve heard it said that if you’re not constantly improving on what you do, you’re actually getting worse, because it’s a given that others ARE improving on what they do, and it’s going to leave you in the dust, even if you are just as good as you were yesterday.

cc optionsEXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems are a prime example…over the years, we’ve gone from two sizes (1,700 and 2,000 BTU/hr) to nine (from 550 to 5,600 BTU/hr). To the original NEMA 12 (oil tight/dust tight, indoor duty) rated systems, we’ve added NEMA 4 (splash resistant, indoor/outdoor) and NEMA 4X (corrosion resistant, indoor/outdoor), so our Cabinet Cooler Systems are suitable for installation just about anywhere your enclosures might be.

High Temperature options are available for installation in areas with ambient temperatures up to 200°F (93°C). Non-Hazardous Purge systems maintain a slight positive air pressure to prevent internal contamination of enclosures located in particularly dirty surroundings. 316SS construction systems are available when the higher alloy is specified for food service, pharmaceutical, or particularly harsh/corrosive environments.

Oh, and all of these multiple-award-winning products are in stock and ready to ship today.  If you’d like to see if an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System is the solution to your electric/electronic enclosure heat problems, give us a call.  We’ll even throw in a free AC Sensor if you order before the end of July.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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