lake trail marking

[ezra]

any clubs out there ever use PEX for lake marking?
I was thinking it would work well for our lake trails the sticks dont last .
was thinking the oxygen barrier stuff from nibco is blaze orange and only $89 bucks for 100ft.
drill a hole stick it in ez .
would be about 6 bucks a pop but they should last
any one try it?
could get the deep red cheaper but I think the bright orange built for direct burial would be better any pipe fitter opinions on that?

 

[Woodtic]

You would have a hard time getting it straight and keeping it straight. It always wants to curl back up. They do make red conduit,used in fire alarm systems. The conduit wouldn't be effected by the cold,like a plastic product.

 

[Swampy]

Our club got a bunch of 1"x 8' cable guards (Orange) that WPS uses to guard their cables that hold telephone poles. We cut them in half and wrap the top 6" or 8" with "WHITE" reflective tape. Tried both red and white and found that white is more visible. We got a couple 1 1/4" auger bits with extensions so you don't have to bend over. Found that you only have to drill down about 4". Just enough to keep them standing. We still put construction barrels by intersections and trouble spots just for more visibility. Hope this helps.

 

[ezra]

You would have a hard time getting it straight and keeping it straight. It always wants to curl back up. They do make red conduit,used in fire alarm systems. The conduit wouldn't be effected by the cold,like a plastic product.

that is why we would use nibco. nibco is built straight and if u lay a roll in the sun it will go straight.
some of the others like shark bite if u lay in sun will coil up

 

[ezra]

Our club got a bunch of 1"x 8' cable guards (Orange) that WPS uses to guard their cables that hold telephone poles. We cut them in half and wrap the top 6" or 8" with "WHITE" reflective tape. Tried both red and white and found that white is more visible. We got a couple 1 1/4" auger bits with extensions so you don't have to bend over. Found that you only have to drill down about 4". Just enough to keep them standing. We still put construction barrels by intersections and trouble spots just for more visibility. Hope this helps.

what did u have to pay for them and where did u buy them

 

[pistons]

Our phone company bores in a plastic pipe that is about an inch and a quarter in OD. they have a bunch of random length ends that they may give away. It is orange in color and is real stiff.

 

[ezra]

my guess is clubs would be happy to take your scrap if not so stiff it would not bust off or bend over if a sled took it out. I can tell u it is amazing how many guys cant avoid a 4 ft 2x2 with a blazer on all 2 sides.
some just have to be a hole kids when they take out 5 in a row
and no u cant just wrap a steel pipe even though u would like to
I have a acquaintance who lost a lot of money for having a steel I beam frozen in the center of his well marked ice house a lot of money

 

[Swampy]

what did u have to pay for them and where did u buy them

I guess they just went on line and searched "guy wire markers"

Just found out they paid $2.85/ea for an 8' length. (2011) Got them from Border States Electric in Pewaukee, WI.

 

[Deleted member 10829]

We are struggling with the best way to mark lake trails too and I look forward to hearing more ideas.

 

[jdankos]

At Gull Lake near Brainerd MN. the clubs mark the lake trails every year and attach construction lights. I have never seen a problem. They appear to be 4x4's.

 

[ezra]

4x4 sounds like u will be brining the ice auger out.
only fear with 4x4 is someone clipping them and then the volunteer hours needed to change battery's. and if u don't get a battery changed or a light goes out and some one clips a 4x4 I can see the ambulance chasers having a hay day.
I was in a local club for yrs that is lake based tried for yrs to get them to invest in orange flashers for trail entrance points.
never happened
food shelf kept getting there checks though

 

[mtb1115]

I see a lot of clubs using PVC pipe that is made for sprinkler systems, it is the same as any PVC you see at the stores but it comes colored orange and it can be ordered in all diameters with 1" being typical for marking lake trails. I'm not sure of the cost but any plumbing supply can order it. You would need to apply reflective tape to it and if it floating was an issue a cap could be glued on or a shot of spray foam in one end would fix that. The PVC piping would break away in the event it was struck and not create an impalement hazard like metal would.