Who supplies clotheslines in Strathalbyn?
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Two different jobs, and most people only need the smaller one
When somebody comes in asking about a clothesline, it nearly always turns out to be one of two questions, and they want completely different answers. Either the line itself has gone slack and grubby and the frame is perfectly sound, which is a half hour job and about the cheapest fix in the shop, or the whole thing has rusted through at the joints and it is time to start again.
So work out which one you have before you go shopping, because a lot of people replace a whole line when all that had failed was 9 metres of cord.
Restringing a line that has gone slack
Poly plait line is what most people want for this, because it does not stretch the way old cotton cord does and it will not rust or stain what you hang on it. It comes by the length, so measure before you come in rather than guessing.
On a rotary line, run a tape along one arm from the centre out to the tip, then count the number of lines the frame is set up for and multiply it out, and add a bit for the tie-offs at each end. It is always more than people expect. On a fixed line running between two posts, measure the span and double it if you are running two lines.
Thread it, pull it up hand tight, then take up the last of the slack with a turnbuckle at one end rather than trying to pull it tight by hand. A turnbuckle lets you adjust it again in six months when it has settled, and it gives you somewhere to let the tension off if you ever need to.
One caution on a rotary frame. The arms are only as strong as the joint they pivot on, so do not keep winding the turnbuckle up to get a drum-tight line, because what gives way is the frame rather than the cord. Snug is right. Bar-tight will bend an arm.
Putting a fixed line in between two posts
If you are running a line off a wall or between posts, use a forged eye bolt at each end rather than a cup hook, because a cup hook opens up under load and lets go at the worst moment. Into masonry that means a proper masonry anchor, and into timber it wants to go into solid framing.
Where you are using wire rather than cord, a wire rope grip at each end holds the tail back on itself and a thimble stops the wire chafing where it wraps around the eye. That is the bit people leave off, and it is why a wire line usually fails at the loop rather than in the middle.
Setting a new post is a bag of rapid set cement, a hole around 600mm deep, and a day of leaving it alone before you hang anything on it. Getting the post plumb matters more than getting it pretty, because a post leaning 2 degrees out will pull the whole line sideways as soon as it is loaded.
If the frame itself is finished
When the arms have rusted through or the winder has seized solid, restringing it is money thrown at a frame that will not last the year. That is the point to come in and have a yarn about what would actually suit your yard, because the right size depends on how much washing goes through your house and how much room you have got to swing it.
Bring a rough measurement of the space and a photo on your phone if you have one. We will talk you through the options and what each one means for you, and nobody is going to push you into the biggest one on the list.
Shop related products
- Forged Galvanised Turnbuckle 6mm. The right way to take up the last of the slack.
- Forged Eye Bolt M12. For a fixed line, where a cup hook will eventually let go.
- Forged Galvanised Wire Rope Grip 6mm. Holds the tail back on itself on a wire line.
- Galvanised Wire Rope Thimble 6mm. Stops the wire chafing where it wraps the eye.
- Adbri Speedset Cement 30kg. For setting a new post and getting on with it.
Did you know we also stock poly plait clothesline cord by the roll along with the galvanised line hooks that go with it, and neither of those is listed on the website. Give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 with your measurement and we will tell you what is on the shelf.
You will find us at Building 2, 34-52 Milnes Rd, Strathalbyn, and we are open 7 days.
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I am still of the opinion that a line full of washing drying in the wind is one of the better things about living here, and I will defend the humble clothesline to anybody who asks.
Cheers,
Candeece
