Have to throw away fiberglass mortars

[Engineer Cat]

So really this is a bad on me because I didn't follow up after last years shoot. Usually the home owners I shoot the show for break down the show after I pull the firing modules from the dock. Well I went over there this week to start to prep for next month and found they left 25 fiberglass mortars in the racks on the dock for the ENTIRE YEAR. So not only did they get hammered with sun the entire year they also went through Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. They don't appear to be compromised in any way and still sound solid when tapping them against concrete but I'm not taking the risk of a malfunction.

This year I will be pulling the racks myself. :mad:

[Birdman]

Well that sucks but if they seem solid and the plugs are holding in place I would at least consider using them.....but that's me.However, the cost to replace 25 tubes isn't budget busting so it probably is better to be safe than sorry.

[jamisonlm3]

I think they'll be fine. Just think of all the fiberglass mortars that are set up in 1.3 shows that just sit out for a whole day or more before even being loaded or shot. How many times do they do that? I imagine some of them are fairly old and still going strong. If you think they're no good, check them out and even test one or two. If you still don't trust them, it's just like Birdman said.

[Scotty Rockets]

I’m certain they’ll be fine. Just inspect the plugs and no cracks. You should make it a habit to always check you’re fiberglass mortars, they don’t hold up as well as HDPE long term.

[Engineer Cat]

Hmm all good points. They aren't the ones that come with kits. They are the yellow ones. Yea I mean they look fine plugs and all. Testing a few of them would give me a good excuse to fire some fun into the air. lol

I'm trying to upload a picture from my pc but I keep getting an upload failed error.

[upNdown]

If it were me, I'd replace the tubes without a second thought. I mean $50ish vs safety? I'll spend the cash. But I have less experience than most of you, so maybe I'm just overly cautious.

[Icooclast]

If it were me, I'd replace the tubes without a second thought. I mean $50ish vs safety? I'll spend the cash. But I have less experience than most of you, so maybe I'm just overly cautious.

i am on your side, as i am not experienced enough to tell if there's plug damage, slight or otherwise same goes with cracks in tubes-tiny cracks i could easily miss... would rather spend on tubes than risk it. and i have had a shell blow up in an HDPE tube and it only blew off the plug and plastic base and only a little of the effect came out... not the same thing can be said about the cardboard. - so, i prefer HDPE, even if i have to get less tubes.. i am not cautious, that is for pansies, i am paranoid about something bad happening.

[Engineer Cat]

If it were me, I'd replace the tubes without a second thought. I mean $50ish vs safety? I'll spend the cash. But I have less experience than most of you, so maybe I'm just overly cautious.

Yea It's not really a cost issue, it's more of the fact that it's 28 days before my show and many vendors are stating anything ordered now probably wont arrive before the 4th.

[jamisonlm3]

If you're going to replace them, I'd do it ASAP. You don't have to replace them with HDPE. You can buy fiberglass mortars without the base. Since those aren't in as much demand as HDPE, they're usually ready to ship.

[Engineer Cat]

I'm going to test one of these this weekend but it looks like I'm able to upload pictures now so here is one of the tubes.

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