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VariousInstances
 |  | Decomposing Floors
< on 1/24/2012 4:21 PM >
|  | | | I'm hoping to head up to a new spot but according to a few sources the floors are in pretty poor shape. Can anyone who has experience with this sort of thing provide me with safety tips?
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Astro
       
Usually naked
location:
The Delta Quadrant
Gender: Male
Resistance is Futile
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 1 on 1/24/2012 4:39 PM >
|  | | | My advice to you is watch for beams/studs and walk along them, tread lightly and be careful.
When I am around floor that is not safe I walk slowly and don't make any unplanned movements, especially if its not on the first floor of a place. Take a step and gradually put your weight down on it, if it starts to give in a bit, let off of it. There is no need to risk breaking a leg for doing something you could have prevented if you were careful.
[02:33:56] <Valkyre> Astro your whole life is ruled by the sentence ' life is better without clothes on'
[22:16:00] <DSomms> it was normal until astro got here
Astro: Patron Saint of Drains |
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SuchundFind
location:
San Antonio, Texas
Gender: Male
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 2 on 1/24/2012 6:15 PM >
| | | | Wear shoes that will give you some protection.
So flip flops might be the wrong thing to wear.
I wear shoes with steel caps, and similar soles, so that it doesn't matter what I am stepping on, I will be safe.
As Astro said, try to walk on the beams.
Try to test the wood you are stepping on before you put your full weight on it.
I also wear long pants, so in case it collapses on me, the injuries will be minimized.
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Savage Light Studios
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 3 on 1/24/2012 7:18 PM >
| | | | I also recommend a walking stick, to probe unsafe areas... and the tone of a floor will change as it becomes unsafe (the sound of tapping will change)
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ahhntzville
location:
Boston
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 4 on 1/24/2012 7:31 PM >
| | | | When in doubt, look up. If you can see the sky, or if there is an obvious water-related ceiling failure, the floor is probably bad too.
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Captain_Slow
The infamous Buttram Manfist
location:
Dallas, Tx
Gender: Male
Obviously capable of mediocre things.
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 5 on 1/24/2012 8:11 PM >
| | | | Get a fat friend to go first
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NCBuilder
location:
Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 6 on 1/24/2012 9:15 PM >
| | | | The floor will generally be stronger near the walls where the walls are attached to the floors, or in the case of balloon framing, vice versa.
If the floor is warped, you may be able to see where the joists are. Walking on the joists is safer than walking between them.
Also, if you find a board or plank lying around, it can help you get over some of the weaker areas. Don't use it as a bridge, but as a walkway that spreads your load.
[last edit 1/24/2012 9:17 PM by NCBuilder - edited 1 times]
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sticksandstones
location:
Seattle, WA
Gender: Female
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 7 on 1/24/2012 10:16 PM >
| | | | Posted by Captain_Slow
Get a fat friend to go first
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(looks around.....) DAMN......I'm the fat friend, ain't i?! lol
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Weirdlig
Gender: Female
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 8 on 1/25/2012 12:46 AM >
| | | | Never get too close to an indoor cliff no matter how tempting. If you really have to sneak past a sinkhole, stick close to support beams you can tell are there do so slowly. Barely put weight down with each step, listen to what the sounds tell you.
One piece of advice on what not to do is something my dumbass friends and I saw as rational when we were 14. Don't stress test the floor--we were throwing shit into the center of a questionable room to see if it was safe. Not only did it tell us nothing and call attention, my buddy fell through up to his thigh and we had to pull him out.
[last edit 1/25/2012 12:46 AM by Weirdlig - edited 1 times]
http://www.flickr....irdlingphotography |
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AnAppleSnail
location:
Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
| |  |  | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 9 on 1/25/2012 2:14 AM >
| | | | Wood floors: Look up. The ceiling will tell you more than looking at the floor will. If the ceiling shows water damage, you'd best believe the floor is bad. Look for windows and other water entry points. Water is the main anti-wood thing. Dry rot is slower and rarer, and tends to have pretty warping.
Floor joists are sometimes enough to hold you up on a weak floor, but even they can be weakened enough to not hold you. Know what is below you. 3 feet to dirt? A sub-basement? 60 feet of high-bay factory? Use some sense, and know the cost of falling through.
Concrete: Hard to eyeball. Watch for cracks and sitting water, as this exposes the rebar that often supports failed concrete. Avoid demolished things, floors that feel odd, and be ready to back the hell up.
Catwalks: Fucking bad news. Welds can pop and look normal. Grates can shift or bend and drop under a footstep. Metal can fatigue and beams can rust through; same for grates. Check the condition of metal where you can, and pray where you can't.
You NEVER 'have' to cross a bad floor. "Testing" a floor will only prove that it won't hold stomping, never that it will hold you.
Achievement Unlocked
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MrSivalls
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
I'll be a-surfin' in yer blood on Saturday night
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 10 on 1/26/2012 3:14 PM >
| | | | Floors and stairs can and many times do collapse with little or no warning.
Concrete and concrete stairs as well as objects anchored to it are especially notorious for doing this. The fasteners corrode and snap with no warning. Be extra careful when dealing with aged, weather exposed concrete structures. Even pros have been killed like this.
If a collapse happens you will not be able to avoid taking the plunge more than likely and the risk of serious injury is high, including impalement. Don't risk falls that have no chance of survival such as at the top of silos.
Beware of covered holes with each step you take, always.
Never explore a strange structure in the dark without good and extra lighting! Always bring water.
When in doubt, back out, and live to splore another day.
Your security measures were inadequate.
How unfortunate for you. |
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WEKurtz
location:
Western MA
Gender: Male
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 11 on 1/29/2012 11:11 AM >
| | | | If you're gong in alone, call someone dependable to say when you are going in and what time to panic.
Call again when leaving
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CatAndTie
location:
Southeastern PA
Gender: Male
LifeInDecay. com
| | | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 12 on 1/29/2012 1:38 PM >
| | | | http://www.uer.ca/...urrpage=1&pp#post0
Stick close to the walls; this is normally where the support would be strongest if any. Don't ever trust your weight totally on sketchy floors or steps though. If you know a floor has support beams, walk along those. If there are handrails, use those to take some weight off the floor. Walk slow and shift weight slowly.
"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." - Andre Gide |
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Asher0719
location:
MSP
Gender: Female
The World Abandoned
| | Re: Decomposing Floors
<Reply # 13 on 1/30/2012 5:44 AM >
| | | | As many members said look for support beams, look for water damage/mold, tread lightly, only move when you have to and keep close to the walls. One more tidbit I'd like to add is: don't stay in one place too long when walking across weak floors. The floors probably haven't held a lot of weight in a while, so staying in one place for an extenuated period may prove to be too much. My advice is tread lightly but move at a steady pace (don't stop to take a photo unless you really have to...and sometimes you just do).
~Asher |
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