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Sherlock
location:
DC Area
Gender: Male
 |  |  | Drain....Sewer?
< on 5/11/2006 7:14 PM >
|  | | | Okay today I opened the manhole cover in my neighborhood, despite the writing on the manhole cover saying sewer. I didn't go in. What is the difference between a drain and a sewer. How do you tell the difference? Drains just drain water right?, but then how do you know what kind of thing your entering?
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PAWolf
      
Not from Pennsylvania
location:
KCMO
Gender: Male
We haven't located us yet.
| |  | |  | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 1 on 5/11/2006 8:26 PM >
| | | | I have a manhole exactly like that in my backyard and it also has a bird waterer sitting on it. The small sidepipes draining down are from nearby homes. If you flush the toilet in my house you can run down to the manhole and hear it come out one of those pipes. Sewers or Sanitary Sewers (meaning it's got poo in it) are almost always slimy and grey on the bottom like in your pic. Sanitaries in newer suburban areas generally aren't big enough to walk inside but drains are. Before things like environmentalism came around cities just mixed drain water and sanitary sewer water in the same pipe that went to the river. A lot of older cities have areas still setup like this.
Make Beer, Not War. |
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Twystr
location:
39.2N, 104.17W Elev. 6535ft
Gender: Male
Gimme Biggah Drayyyyynes!
| | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 2 on 5/11/2006 11:02 PM >
| | | | Posted by Sherlock
Okay today I opened the manhole cover in my neighborhood, despite the writing on the manhole cover saying sewer. I didn't go in. What is the difference between a drain and a sewer. How do you tell the difference? Drains just drain water right?, but then how do you know what kind of thing your entering?
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That is most definately a sanitarty u got there... Close it up and go find a real drain 
"The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either."
-Ben Franklin |
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mattsb2000
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
location:
San Bernardino
Gender: Male
Your house is gone, your leg has been raped.
| | | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 3 on 5/12/2006 12:42 AM >
| | | | I always wondered what the inside of one of those looked like.
Now I know. Thanks for sharing.
Ghettotech
<Opheliaism> you are officially more of a sick fuck than ghost killa |
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Hunter_11
| | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 4 on 5/12/2006 1:14 AM >
|  | | | Just look in the drain. If you see turds floating around and it smells like shit then it probably is a sewer. But sometimes it can be a drain, since most sewer systems are built to overflow into the storm drains instead of overflowing onto the streets.
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Sherlock
location:
DC Area
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 5 on 5/12/2006 4:40 AM >
| | | | Yeah, I figured when I read 'sewer' on the manhole that it was a sewage pipe, but I was still curious. Im right next to a lake and havent found any big drains either so I was curious to at least open it up and see if it could possibly be one.
[last edit 5/12/2006 4:42 AM by Sherlock - edited 1 times]
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rz350
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
location:
toronto
Gender: Male
The looniest, zaniest, spontaneous, sporadic Impulsive thinker, compulsive drinker, addict
| | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 6 on 5/12/2006 5:09 AM >
| | | | put some boots on and go for it.
ducky 999 |
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chadwimc
| | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 7 on 5/13/2006 2:42 AM >
| | | | STUPID MOVE ALERT!!! Entering a sanitary sewer is one of the most dangerous spots! The levels of methane gas will quickly overpower your senses. The poo and ammonia smell is not the most dangerous part. The gas will get ya!!! Ever wonder what those yellow hoses the guys working in the street are for? The hoses are blowing air in...
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Hunter_11
| | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 8 on 5/13/2006 5:30 PM >
| | | | A lot of storm drain manhole covers do say "sewer" on them. But if you have even the slightest doubt that it's not a storm drain and is in fact a sewer. DO NOT go in it. I had a friend that thought it would be cool to check out one of those. His stupidity got him a trip to the hospital after he passed out in the sewer and got a concussion when he fell.
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rz350
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
location:
toronto
Gender: Male
The looniest, zaniest, spontaneous, sporadic Impulsive thinker, compulsive drinker, addict
| | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 9 on 5/14/2006 9:33 PM >
| | | | Posted by chadwimc
STUPID MOVE ALERT!!! Entering a sanitary sewer is one of the most dangerous spots! The levels of methane gas will quickly overpower your senses. The poo and ammonia smell is not the most dangerous part. The gas will get ya!!! Ever wonder what those yellow hoses the guys working in the street are for? The hoses are blowing air in...
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Yah it is a bit dangerous. But this hobby is about risk. read up on sewers, and go for it if your willing. Plently of people have done it before you.
ducky 999 |
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Wabbit
location:
Twin cities, Minnesota
Gender: Male
Go Silly Rabbit!
| | | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 10 on 5/15/2006 4:56 PM >
| | | | The nose knows. If it smells like shit, it probably is.
-wabs |
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siologen
location:
Melbourne, Australia.
I Go Where The Drains Are
| | | Re: Drain....Sewer?
<Reply # 11 on 5/16/2006 5:21 PM >
| | | | The smell will be the first indicator. A sewer smells sickly sweet, if not plain rotten, wheras a storm drain smells dank and earthy.
The other way if telling is the atmosphere. A sewer will be misty and very damp, wheras storm drains usually have drier atmospheres.
Sewers usually operate near full capacity. A sewer pipe, or indeed tunnel will normally have a lot of fast flow. Often, sewer tunnels large enough to walk thru will have too much flow to facilitate actually doing so. Storm drains, be they a 1ft diameter pipe or a 16ft diameter main trunk, will normally(unless its raining) have only a small amount of water flow comparitive to the pipe/tunnels size.
Combined systems are very common in a lot of cities.
Toronto for example has a largely separated system. You'll encounter wet weather sewer overflows in storm drains, but they will be designed to overflow only during heavy rain.
A city like Vancouver on the other hand hasa combined system, where almost all drains carry sanitary and storm
Exploring sewers is risky, but as long as you can gauge the risks you should be ok. Dont go exploring a 10ft diameter pipe thats half full of flowing water for example.
Bottom line: If your city has separated system, then go for it. If not, prepare to explore poo flavoured tunnels.
S///
Big Drayyynes!
http://siologen.livejournal.com Blog |
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