Empty reels end up outside on most cable jobs, and for a season that is usually fine. Longer than that, or without a cover, and it starts to cost money. The failure is rarely the material and almost always the storage arrangement.
What a season does
A UV-stabilised reel outdoors for a season loses some surface sheen and nothing much else. An unstabilised one chalks noticeably and starts to lose surface strength. Both are usually still serviceable; one is visibly aged.
Water does not damage PP. What water does is fill the hub bore, and a bore full of water sitting for months grows things and, in winter, freezes and splits things. That is the real problem with outdoor storage and it is a geometry problem.
How to stack them outside
Flange to flange, lying flat, on a level surface, with the bores roughly vertical so water drains. Stacks on the ground sink into soft ground and lean; put them on bearers or on a pallet.
The bottom reel in a stack carries the weight of everything above it, and it is the one that takes a set if the ground is uneven or the stack is tall. Cap the height and level the base.
Covering them
A tarpaulin is the cheapest intervention by a wide margin and it solves both the UV and the water problem. It needs to be secured – a loose sheet in wind abrades the top of the stack and flaps until it tears.
Ventilation matters less for PP than for steel, but a cover that traps water against the reels is worse than no cover. Slope it so water runs off.
What to check before reusing them
Feel the flange rim. Springy is fine, brittle is not. Then look down the bore for water, rust staining from a stand, or anything growing. Then check the hub for cracks, which is the serious one.
The surface test and what UV damage looks like is described in can cable reel flanges warp in direct sunlight.
When to bring them in
If reels are going to sit for more than a season, or if the site has hard winters, store them under cover. The cost of the space is less than the cost of the reels, and it removes the freeze problem entirely.
What a season outside costs you
Add it up honestly: the reels that come back chalky and have to be retired, the time spent drying and inspecting, and the occasional one that is simply not usable. Against that, the cost of covered storage or a tarpaulin.
In most cases the cover wins by a distance. It is one of the few packaging decisions where the cheap option is also the correct one.
Security
Reels left outside are reels that go missing. A compound is better than a stack by the fence, and for anything valuable the cost of the storage is less than the cost of the loss.
What to do with the bottom of the stack
The bottom reel takes the load and sits in whatever water is around. Put it on a pallet and check it first when the stack comes down – it is the one most likely to have taken a set.
What we can do
We supply compact plastic cable reels and will tell you which grades tolerate outdoor storage and for how long. Tell us whether your reels live outside – if they do, we will specify for it and tell you what to cover them with.