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Server Time:
2024-05-14 01:38:41
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 Captain_Slow
     
The infamous Buttram Manfist
Location: Dallas, Tx
Gender: Male
Obviously capable of mediocre things.
 |  | Drain experts-
< on 5/31/2012 12:25 PM >
|  | | | Got a quandary for you. I'm a pretty veteran drainer but I still never seen anything like this. Highxfive and I are in a decent sized drain, kind of out in the middle of nowhere, and we notice that all along the ceiling, every 100 feet or so there are foot wide RCPs that dump into the drain. Again, nothing too out of the ordinary. Some are trickling, some are dry. Anyway, as we are heading back, we pause to look at some crawdads, and we're almost right under one of the RCPs coming in via the ceiling... Then, very, very suddenly we hear the sound of gurgling, rushing water, and have just enough time to look at each other before the RCP above us started GUSHING water, huuuge amounts of water, probably a few hundred gallons a minute. We turned and beat it for the outfall, and got out safely, then waited for it to stop and then very quickly worked our way through the system back to the truck...
So what the hell was that? My first thought was that a nearby business used water in a manufacturing or cleaning process and would dump it into the drain, but I'd say at least 50 or 60 thousand gallons hit the system, and I don't think there was a clogged pipe or anything because the water was way too clean and had a faint chemical odor...
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RevSM
 
Location: South Central Texas
| |  | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 1 on 5/31/2012 1:23 PM >
| | | | I've been in a tunnel under downtown before that did a similar thing but from a side tunnel and it raised the water level a couple inches but wasn't nearly as much as you described. I have no idea what it was. In your case I could see it being manufacturing but in my case it doesn't seem likely. I'd be interested in hearing other people's thoughts on the subject. Manufacturing? Illegal tap? I dunno.
Tetanus for Breakfast!
http://www.shatteredshutter.com |
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metawaffle
  
King of Puns
Location: Brisbane!
Gender: Male
Purveyor of Fine Lampshades
| | | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 2 on 5/31/2012 2:00 PM >
| | | | That's not uncommon here, actually. This was the tail end of one such event (I had run back down the tunnel, but didn't get my gear ready in time before it stopped)
Occasionally there'll be a kind of chlorine-esque smell about it, which suggests it's at least treated, but it could really be anything - maybe air conditioner condenser dumping?
http://www.longexposure.net |
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Crypton
Gender: Male
| | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 3 on 5/31/2012 2:10 PM >
| | | | I believe few of Charlotte fountains are drained this way into the drains.. but not couple thousand gallons.
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WillieMcV
Location: Underneath Upstate Ny
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 4 on 5/31/2012 2:18 PM >
| | | | I think I've had that happen before in a drain under a zoo. Check topside for unusual stuff in the area. Fountain, zoo, who knows, something with an unusual amount of water to dump.
"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash." -George S. Patton
WillieMcV on Flickr: http://www.flickr....otos/65805109@N08/ |
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junkyard
Location: LaCrosse, WI
Gender: Male
Strategic Beer Command where the metal hits the meat.
| | | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 5 on 5/31/2012 2:25 PM >
| | | | Well its not a condenser. Is there a pool nearby? I would still assume that would dump to sewer. Possibly flushing fire hydrants, but that still sounds too small.
I drink gasoline for breakfeast and beer for dinner!
Any problem can be licked with a case of beer and a few sticks of dynamite.
Strategic Beer Command ruling the desert since 1995 http://www.strategic-beer-command.com |
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RevSM
Location: South Central Texas
| | | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 6 on 5/31/2012 2:25 PM >
| | | | There are a few buildings with big swamp coolers that might dump water into the tunnel that I'm talking about. Sounds like a reasonable explanation for my tunnel at least.
Tetanus for Breakfast!
http://www.shatteredshutter.com |
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musket boy
Location: Maui
Gender: Male
It smells like your grandpa and your feet stick to the floor
| |  | | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 7 on 5/31/2012 2:51 PM >
| | | | i worked at a train yard once that had its own independent storm drains, all the rain water was collected in a tank and once a week we would check to make sure the water was clean and then pump it into the city storm drain system, if the water was contaminated it would be pumped into hazmat trucks instead
uering |
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\/adder
Location: DunkarooLand
Gender: Male
I'm the worst of the best but I'm in this race.
| | | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 8 on 6/1/2012 6:13 AM >
| | | | Could also be an illegal hookup from a car wash or laundromat
In one of the more well known Midwest drains, water rushes in from a pipe at a regular interval at the same time of day, every day. If you can figure out the interval, you can use it to scare noobs.
"AHH THE DRAIN IS FLOODING WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" ...
...actually that could be inspiration for another buttram.
"No risk, no reward, no fun."
"Go all the way or walk away"
escensi omnis... |
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wranglerroadhead
Location: San Diego/LA
Gender: Male
Safari Kay
| | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 9 on 6/1/2012 6:25 AM >
| | | | I know someone in another post mentioned that this sometimes happens when some types of street sweepers go by, but the amount of water you describe seems multiples of tens off. I would tend to say a fire hydrant being tested or something along those lines.
When I am in drains connecting to sanitary sewers, stuff like this has happened. Supposedly, mechanical gates can open or close to change flow patterns. In your case I am assuming it was not a type of sanitary discharge.
My bet is on one of the businesses emptying some type of storage tank, or the fire hydrant hypothesis.
"It's nothing, only the smellz." |
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Captain Stormy
Location: Chicago mostly. Sometimes Minneapolis.
Gender: Male
SO TIGHT THAT IT CHAFED
| | | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 10 on 6/2/2012 5:44 PM >
| | | | If it were a sanitary discharge there would be ni question as to what it was-- he would have known right away.
I've witnessed this in a few drains, though in a smaller volume, where dry side pipes around 18-24" started gushing full blast for about 10 minutes before stopping. Never figured it out.
http://www.urbex12.com |
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Captain_Slow
The infamous Buttram Manfist
Location: Dallas, Tx
Gender: Male
Obviously capable of mediocre things.
| | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 11 on 6/3/2012 1:58 AM >
| | | | Posted by Captain Stormy
If it were a sanitary discharge there would be ni question as to what it was-- he would have known right away.
I've witnessed this in a few drains, though in a smaller volume, where dry side pipes around 18-24" started gushing full blast for about 10 minutes before stopping. Never figured it out.
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We were kind of out in the boonies, and within 20 minutes of it happening we were topside, they weren't testing a hydrant and there were no roads for a street sweeper. And no, definitely not a sanitary discharge, lol. I seriously doubt that it would be an automated floodgate, as the pipe was only maybe a foot wide, seems like something with a floodgate would be a bit bigger, I dunno. We do know that directly above the drain was a large distribution center, and the was the only business or residence anywhere nearby. The only thing I can think of is they dumped something, the water did have a very light chemical smell to it, but the tank holding it must have been HUGE, and capable of draining very, very quickly
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RescueMe1060
Location: San Francisco
Gender: Male
Radioactivity, its in the air for you & me
| | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 12 on 6/3/2012 7:47 PM >
| | | | Posted by junkyard
Possibly flushing fire hydrants
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I agree with this theory. Your PW crew might have had multiple hydrants open at once, a water main might have broken topside somewhere, or the amount of water flow only seemed like it was a ton b/c you panicked and had to run out to the exit.
San Francisco water had a valve break a few days ago and it was enough water to make a mini flash flood and cause damage.
http://www.flickr....rescueme1060/sets/
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RescueMe1060
Location: San Francisco
Gender: Male
Radioactivity, its in the air for you & me
| | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 13 on 6/3/2012 7:49 PM >
| | | | Posted by Captain_Slow
the water did have a very light chemical smell to it, but the tank holding it must have been HUGE, and capable of draining very, very quickly
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whoops, didn't see this. did the water smell like chlorine? do you have any nearby pump stations or water tanks?
http://www.flickr....rescueme1060/sets/
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Captain_Slow
The infamous Buttram Manfist
Location: Dallas, Tx
Gender: Male
Obviously capable of mediocre things.
| | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 14 on 6/3/2012 7:52 PM >
| | | | Posted by rescueme1060
whoops, didn't see this. did the water smell like chlorine? do you have any nearby pump stations or water tanks?
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No, it smelled more acrid like a cleaning chemical, and no, no pump stations nearby.
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The Drummer
Location: Ottawa, Canada
| | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 15 on 9/9/2013 3:46 AM >
| | | | with an electrical distro station above, it could very well be liquidy filling from a transformer.
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SodoSyco
Gender: Male
| | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 16 on 9/11/2013 8:28 AM >
| | | | Sorry that was me. I peed in the storm drain again.
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Therrin
 
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: North of Chicago, IL
Gender: Male
*Therrin puts on the penguin-suit
| | | Re: Drain experts-
<Reply # 17 on 9/11/2013 8:46 AM >
| | | | Posted by The Drummer
with an electrical distro station above, it could very well be liquidy filling from a transformer.
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Transformers (and sometimes other large electrical switchgear) these days are usually filled with mineral oil; in the old days they used PCB's, but those are supposed to have all been replaced. They use some other mixes too, but special mineral oil is about the most common right now.
Also, I don't know about your guy's electrical substations and switching yards, but all of the one's I've worked at/with, the transformers don't typically hold THAT much oil, nor have a means of draining it THAT quickly. Maybe a few hundred gallons per unit, depending on size.
Also, when they're drained, they have to be drained / pumped into holding tanks. If you were to just open them up, they'd dump all over the ground in the substation or switchyard. There's no collection system that would route the fluid to a central pooling point, and certainly not to drain it out underground.
So that one, I think, is off the table....
I've actually had the same thing happen to me while draining under Los Angeles with another guy from the forum here. We were in a pretty decent sized drain, at the heading just before an intersection, and I was standing under an overhead incoming RCP that was maybe 16-18" diameter.
While we were talking and I was looking up I heard that sudden "wooshhhhh-ROAR" noise and stepped back several paces just in time as a huuge gout of water came pouring down out of the ceiling.
When we walked away from that area 10 or 15 mins later it was still going. No idea what it was, we were trying to figure it out at the time as well.
Here's an idea.
Perhaps yours is piped in from a facility further away, which might be in a more industrial area, so that if they need to dump off water, they don't flood the more industrial/city tunnels when they do it?
Dunno man.
Give a person a match and they'll be warm for a minute, but light them on fire and they'll be warm for the rest of their life. =) |
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