Check out these links to find out more about rope.

Rope Life Factors For Your Safety

Know you Knots or Hitches

Discard Point - when to retire your rope

Knots Can Reduce Rope Strength

Use Rope Properly

Storage of Rope

Discard Point - when to retire your rope

When? - - "before it breaks".

Unfortunately, there are no definitive rules nor industry guidelines to establish when a rope should be retired because there are so many variables that affect rope strength. Factors like load history, bending radius, abrasion, and even chemical exposure most often in combination make retirement decisions difficult. Inspecting your rope should be a continuous process of observation before, during and after each use.