Infiltration

HillbillyHorus location: Charlottesville Virginia Gender: Male Im in ur government, killin ur d00dz \| \|	Sewer Manholes < on 10/21/2005 8:55 PM >

	I was just wondering, I've seen sewer pipes before in my town, and it seems like they're all just metal pipes running underground, just like water or telephone pipes. I'm sure there are one or two walkable sewer systems around town where sewage from one neighborhood collects, but I don't go into those so I wouldn't know. What I'm wondering is, if sewers are just tiny metal pipes, howcome there are 4' wide manholes? It would be kind of weird to have a huge manhole for a little tube, don't you think? I did once pop a manhole with a crowbar, a sewer manhole, but it went down too deep for me to see. I'm also curious because some of the manholes on the sides of hills are raised up on platforms, many of which are made of stone, which tells me that some of the older sewers are stonewall (I know of one drain which is stonewall too). I'm not planning to go in, just wanna know what to expect when I open this thing. You can't fall off a mountain.

Random location: Richmond, Virginia Gender: Male Partially Retired \| \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 1 on 10/21/2005 9:08 PM >

	Well it is a MAN-hole, gotta be big enough to toss a worker down. North of the city, sewer manholes lead to a small shamber, with the sewage running through a tiny trough in the bottom, becoming a small pipe at each wall. Don't get your hopes up because of the stone risers. Just for fun, the Random Manhole Check Procedure: 1) Make sure no one is watching. 2) Drop down on top of manhole. 3) Sniff holes in cover. This tells you if it's sanitary or storm. 4) Drop small object through hole, listen. This tells you depth/size. 5) If it's good, pop manhole. If it's not, get up and dust off. [last edit 10/21/2005 9:08 PM by Random - edited 1 times]

drainpunk \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 2 on 10/22/2005 5:06 PM >

	I think I found one quite big yesterday. Although not sure whether it's sewer or drain; didn't open any covers. But I'd assume it's sewer. At least it's big enough to walk in almost normally, but if it's sewer I'm not sure if I'll go in. And how do I know it's big enough to walk in almost normally without opening any covers or stuff? That's because I saw the pipe from outside by a river.

HillbillyHorus location: Charlottesville Virginia Gender: Male Im in ur government, killin ur d00dz \| \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 3 on 10/22/2005 5:22 PM >

	I was actually just in the woods ready to pop the mother, just to see what was underneath, but I forgot my crowbar. It's only a few blocks from my house, so I'll go back later today when I can find the thing (my old manhole key snapped, piece of junk). You can't fall off a mountain.

justin416 Gender: Male \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 4 on 10/25/2005 12:53 AM >

	You might want to avoid these places unless you really know what you're doing.. unless you want to end up dead Sulfur Dioxide and Methane will kill you quickly. Be careful.

HillbillyHorus

location:
Charlottesville Virginia
Gender: Male

Im in ur government, killin ur d00dz

Re: Sewer Manholes
<Reply # 5 on 10/25/2005 7:48 PM >

Posted by justin416
You might want to avoid these places unless you really know what you're doing.. unless you want to end up dead

Sulfur Dioxide and Methane will kill you quickly.

Be careful.

I wasn't planning on going in. I was just going to climb down a little ways, see what it's like, take some pics, etc. I know sewer exploring is very dangerous.

You can't fall off a mountain.

casperthesheet

location:
Ottawa, Ontario
Gender: Male

Re: Sewer Manholes
<Reply # 6 on 10/25/2005 11:47 PM >

Posted by Random

Just for fun, the Random Manhole Check Procedure:

1) Make sure no one is watching.
2) Drop down on top of manhole.
3) Sniff holes in cover. This tells you if it's sanitary or storm.
4) Drop small object through hole, listen. This tells you depth/size.
5) If it's good, pop manhole. If it's not, get up and dust off.

Hee Hee...I used to drop things into the sewers when I was a little kid. We could see our reflection in the water and I always tried to convince everyone it was someone looking back at us. Oh, the memories.

HillbillyHorus

location:
Charlottesville Virginia
Gender: Male

Im in ur government, killin ur d00dz

Re: Sewer Manholes
<Reply # 7 on 11/6/2005 1:26 AM >

Posted by Random
Well it is a MAN-hole, gotta be big enough to toss a worker down. North of the city, sewer manholes lead to a small shamber, with the sewage running through a tiny trough in the bottom, becoming a small pipe at each wall. Don't get your hopes up because of the stone risers.

Yeah, I opened one today. Just a 3 small (maybe 4 foot) tall RCPs, intersecting in a "T" shape, with troughs at the bottom with sewage running through. I didn't climb down (it was about 20 feet), so the pipe may have been a good deal taller. There was actually a ledge 10 feet down, where there was a manhole collar with the manhole laid to one side.

You can't fall off a mountain.

true_infinity location: Rockford, IL. Gender: Male Jerk of the Year \| \| \| \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 8 on 12/3/2005 7:29 PM >

	Hello all! im an explorer in the NW 'burbs of Chicago but im very new to most aspects of draining and the like, since everything ive done up to this point has been above ground. the other day i was checking out an abandoned house in my area, and on the side of the house there is a flat concrete slab about 5'x5' and about 6" to 8" taller than ground level. the cover was of a style that ive never seen anywhere else. it is approximately 24" in diameter, and, instead of the normal manhole covers that are recessed into the ground to be flush...this one is at least and inch high, and appears to fit OVER a flange of some sort. ive attempted to research the company who's name is stamped on it, but it appears as though they are long gone...no info on the internet, and i work in the city they were based in and i've never heard of them. adding to that, the house is probably in the area of 100 years old. the only ideas i had were along the lines of an early bomb shelter or mebbe even an outside cellar/basement access...because if it was utilitarian i thought it would have the little mouse hole dealy they use to lift them up, this one is completely solid, no holes. i figured i could ask this here rather than starting a whole new thread, seeing as how this was already on the topic of manholes. i will prolly post some pix of it in the next day or so, ive got to move this gigantic rock (200+ lbs) thats sitting on it, then i can get a full on photo, any help on what it might be or tips on researching the company ( elgin mfg co. elgin, ill.) would be greatly appreciated. ciao ~b Leo1: You cant just wander around Gary going into old buildings! Theres plenty of crackheads that will bust you in the mouth for that camera, then run a train your ladyfriends. Me: I like Gary, I think its nice, aside from the lack of eats on a Sunday afternoon. Leo2: Yeah, its really nice...until we find three dead strangers in an...abandoned...thing.

Vapor Gender: Male \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 9 on 12/3/2005 7:56 PM >

	It could potentially be a septic tank. How far away is the house from others?

true_infinity

location:
Rockford, IL.
Gender: Male

Jerk of the Year

Re: Sewer Manholes
<Reply # 10 on 12/3/2005 8:47 PM >

Posted by Vapor
It could potentially be a septic tank. How far away is the house from others?

the house is maybe 20-25 feet from the sidewalk...the concrete platform is approximately 15 feet off the west side of the house (left as facing front). another point that i realize might be worth mentioning is that about 5-8 feet off the front of the house, is a 'crete slab about the same size, but its flush with the ground. this slab has a hole about five inches square cut straight through it (about a 6-8 inch thick mind you), through this hole i can vaguely see a room of some type, but it looks like its full of rubble. i also have a couple pix of that i think. currently my wife is photoshopping a few shots (horrible camera and lighting) but you should be able to get the basic idea...i will be posting those in a few hours since currently im at work, so my time is somewhat limited.

thanx for your input!

~b

Leo1: You cant just wander around Gary going into old buildings! Theres plenty of crackheads that will bust you in the mouth for that camera, then run a train your ladyfriends.
Me: I like Gary, I think its nice, aside from the lack of eats on a Sunday afternoon.
Leo2: Yeah, its really nice...until we find three dead strangers in an...abandoned...thing.

Freak location: Usually Alaska, now MSP. Gender: Male Hypocrite \| \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 11 on 12/4/2005 2:24 AM >

	It's probably a septic tank, or possibly a root cellar or storage area. Get a crowbar and pry the lid off, out of all the manhole opening tools I've used, the standard crowbar is still the most useful. Most sewers in the US are boring pipes partly full of liquid poop. They might go somewhere interesting, but the challenge of walking through the poo makes it less worthwhile. There's actually an incredibly cool site here in Minneapolis which has only been visited a few times, because it requires walking several blocks through fast moving sewage. If you're lucky enough to live in Washington DC or some other old East Coast city, look for Paris-style sewer (Or "Ninja Turtle Style") with sidewalks on the sides of the flow: http://www.sewerhi...bma/1914_bma09.jpg Turn off the internet and go play outside. http://spamusement...hp/comics/view/137

HillbillyHorus

location:
Charlottesville Virginia
Gender: Male

Im in ur government, killin ur d00dz

Re: Sewer Manholes
<Reply # 12 on 12/4/2005 3:28 PM >

Posted by Freak
If you're lucky enough to live in Washington DC or some other old East Coast city, look for Paris-style sewer (Or "Ninja Turtle Style") with sidewalks on the sides of the flow: http://www.sewerhi...bma/1914_bma09.jpg

I went back down there a few weeks ago, this time with a friend, a rope, and my normal gear. We climbed down to the ledge (huge-ass spiders in there), and the tunnels arent RCPs but rather round stone pipes, made of smaller stones than the drains in town. They looked to be pretty old. I didn't end up even going into the sewer proper, because the drop down the second manhole shaft was around five feet, and there would be nothing to hold onto to pull myself back up.

You can't fall off a mountain.

MindHacker location: Suburbs of DC Gender: Male If you spot a terrorist arrow, pin it to the wall with your shoulder. \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 13 on 12/5/2005 4:23 AM >

	Re: The room thing. I heartily recommend a mirror of some sort to get a better look around down there. With a mirror on a stick and a flashlight you can learn alot more about the room, perhaps other entrances or hints to the ones you know about. "That's just my opinion. I would, however, advocate for explosive breaching, since speed and looking cool are both concerns in my job."-Wilkinshire

true_infinity location: Rockford, IL. Gender: Male Jerk of the Year \| \| \| \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 14 on 12/5/2005 10:52 PM >

	here is the picture of the manhole cover, i will be opening this bad boy up as soon as i have some time free in the next week or so. not sure what it is, but all the input is appreciated! ~b Leo1: You cant just wander around Gary going into old buildings! Theres plenty of crackheads that will bust you in the mouth for that camera, then run a train your ladyfriends. Me: I like Gary, I think its nice, aside from the lack of eats on a Sunday afternoon. Leo2: Yeah, its really nice...until we find three dead strangers in an...abandoned...thing.

HillbillyHorus location: Charlottesville Virginia Gender: Male Im in ur government, killin ur d00dz \| \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 15 on 12/6/2005 1:58 PM >

	I'd open that thing. It looks interesting, but it probably does just lead to a septic tank or the sewers (I've seen some weird old manholes around the older sections of town, but I doubt they're anything but sewer or steam). Oh yeah, and sorry for posting that story twice. I thought I hadn't. You can't fall off a mountain.

aplz

location:
Neo-Berlin (Kitchener)
Gender: Male

When The Detail Lost Its Freedom

Re: Sewer Manholes
<Reply # 16 on 12/6/2005 5:45 PM >

Posted by Random
Just for fun, the Random Manhole Check Procedure:

1) Make sure no one is watching.
2) Drop down on top of manhole.
3) Sniff holes in cover. This tells you if it's sanitary or storm.
4) Drop small object through hole, listen. This tells you depth/size.
5) If it's good, pop manhole. If it's not, get up and dust off.

Indeed.

This is probably the most obvious way to look, but if your manholes look like the ones in my city (below), it makes it easy. There are two holes, simple put a light over one of them and look into the other one, or use a camera with a long exposure time. The holes shown on this one are about 1 inch wide, just big enough to look into.

click to view

[last edit 12/6/2005 5:47 PM by aplz - edited 1 times]

HillbillyHorus location: Charlottesville Virginia Gender: Male Im in ur government, killin ur d00dz \| \|	Re: Sewer Manholes <Reply # 17 on 12/6/2005 11:18 PM >

	Nearly all the manholes here have the two-hole configuration. The manholes aren't exactly like that, but same concept. You can't fall off a mountain.

RobA

location:
Ontario
Gender: Male

Re: Sewer Manholes
<Reply # 18 on 12/7/2005 8:06 PM >

Posted by aplz
There are two holes, simple put a light over one of them and look into the other one

I did that walking the dog the other night, I know where a 4' storm sewer with allot of flow comes out and was trying to follow it to the source. I kept going up the streets, kneeling to peek in one hole while beaming my new LED pocketlight down the other. By the end, even my dog had figured out the routine and would sit down every time we came to the next manhole cover.

One thing of note was all the manholes were in pairs, one storm and a few feet over one sewer.

Still not sure though where the main storm sewer flow came from as it appeared to vanish between one manhole and the next...

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