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619 online
Server Time:
2024-04-29 19:35:33
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 MindHacker
   
Location: Suburbs of DC
Gender: Male
If you spot a terrorist arrow, pin it to the wall with your shoulder.
 |  | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 20 on 11/16/2009 7:11 PM >
|  | | | If you can, go down drains, not up them.
Skateboard > wagon. A wagon will try to steer itself up every wall it can, and it's much much more work, despite the larger wheels. I'd imagine a longboard would be even better, but never had the pleasure.
"That's just my opinion. I would, however, advocate for explosive breaching, since speed and looking cool are both concerns in my job."-Wilkinshire |
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busby
Location: New Paltz
Gender: Male
| | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 21 on 11/18/2009 10:16 PM >
| | | | Even though a skateboard is much more practical, imagining wagoning down a drain seems pretty cool...although bringing it back up would suck and wipe outs could be pretty bad.
"Those who search the past are the ones who know the future"
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spoonifur
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Gender: Female
| |  | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 22 on 11/20/2009 4:17 AM >
| | | | Posted by MindHacker
I'd imagine a longboard would be even better, but never had the pleasure.
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I'm about to build a longboard, and it really does seem like a good thing to drain with. Though, they can get bulky, and I couldn't imagine having to drag one out of a manhole cover if you had to. Though if that wasn't an issue at all, I would totally take a longboard. (I'm building one soon, so maybe I'll make it drain proof. hmm.)
You know where this is going... http://flickr.com/photos/spoonifur/ |
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Plincoman
Location: LaBelle, Fl
Gender: Male
| | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 23 on 7/11/2010 2:42 AM >
| | | | Posted by AnAppleSnail
With a skateboard, on your stomach, you can go in any pipe that will fit your shoulders. Airflow is a huge problem at this size, and you cannot turn around. I don't care who you are, you'll have to be able to go backwards as soon as you're in a space smaller than from the front of your knee to the back of your bum. However, you'll get much more mileage from a cheapie board if you modify or replace the wheels to have larger ones. RCP seams tend to be about an inch big here, which is big enough to catch stock wheels. Rocks in the middle of the pipe will generally stop any wheel not twice their size - so watch out for pebbly tubes. Also, anything on the floor and bigger wheels steal height above the deck, so watch your head, shoulders, and elbows. Good luck! Wear a headlamp and don't suffocate in there.
EDIT:
Other techniques:
4': Wear cloth gloves with padding and use your hands. Frogwalk and take breaks.
3': I'm 6'4" so this is a true crawl for me. Take breaks frequently.
2': Slither or roll. You'll get wet while resting unless you have a board to rest on.
Bring water in a flat container. To rest in a drain, I am comfortable as long as I'm not straining to hold a position. Plant a foot on one side, turn so your back is against the pipe, put your bum on that heel and relax all the muscles in that leg. If you don't fall over, you're doing it right. Switch sides about every 2 minutes. If you have a drain board, you have a dry seat.
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what about a mountain board? (google it if you dont know what the are)
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AnAppleSnail
Location: Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
| |  | | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 24 on 7/11/2010 2:53 AM >
|  | | | Posted by Plincoman
If you have one laying around, yeah. But drainwater is bad for wheel bearings, so your mileage may vary. You want wheels, bigger is better if it fits inside the pipe.
what about a mountain board? (google it if you dont know what the are)
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Achievement Unlocked
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mikmac
 
Location: Knoxville
Gender: Female
| | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 25 on 7/11/2010 6:34 AM >
| | | | Take tylenol extra strength before you go. Also being 5'0 tall helps 
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Urban-Explorer
Location: Hell's Drain
Gender: Male
| | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 27 on 7/27/2010 8:40 PM >
| | | | I did 1 drain so far & loved it, I started at the creek entry & was able to stand straight up for a bit, then once I get in a bit further, the tunnel got more smaller, so bent knees and all, I did it.
Main Site: urban-explorer.co.cc
Forum Gallery: ue-gallery.co.cc |
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relik
Location: 44.26126°,-88.41502° (Appleton, WI)
Gender: Male
There is no truth, Only a perspective.
| | | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 28 on 9/23/2010 5:02 AM >
| | | | when i was a youngster i discovered the skateboard trick. i took it one step further and duct taped a 'boogie board' to the top for comfort. also a flashlight to the front (i did not know about headlamps).
oh, reminiscing. hah.
"When it rains, just find bigger drains." |
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AnAppleSnail
Location: Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
| | | | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 29 on 9/23/2010 6:49 PM >
| | | | Posted by relik
when i was a youngster i discovered the skateboard trick. i took it one step further and duct taped a 'boogie board' to the top for comfort. also a flashlight to the front (i did not know about headlamps).
oh, reminiscing. hah.
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Careful, you'll start feeling WAY too old.
Achievement Unlocked
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relik
Location: 44.26126°,-88.41502° (Appleton, WI)
Gender: Male
There is no truth, Only a perspective.
| | | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 30 on 9/23/2010 8:31 PM >
| | | | Posted by AnAppleSnail
Careful, you'll start feeling WAY too old.
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well, i'm just about 24, so i do feel pretty old. hah. compared to the past at least. well, duh.
"When it rains, just find bigger drains." |
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cowtownclimber
Location: Fort Worth
Gender: Male
e^(i*Pi)+1=0
| | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 31 on 9/24/2010 1:24 PM >
| | | | I did my first draining this weekend and learned one thing. That is a serious leg workout.
I saw the opening and walked in. I told myself I would just take a peek since I was alone. I had seen pics from the inside of this particular drain before and didn't see anything that looked really unsafe but still, I was alone. I wound up walking all the way through to where it dumped out into this little lagoon. I noticed when I went in that there were 2 tunnels that were parallel to each other but when I came out there was a third tunnel. I had not known about this one.
In I went, just going to take a peek. I went at least a mile and maybe closer to 2 down that one and never did see any sign of it ending. It started as a square and then turned into a round tunnel that gradually got smaller and smaller. Not knowing how deep this thing went and being by myself I decided to head back and save the rest for another day. By the time I got out of there my thigh muscles were on fire. It was a lot of fun though.
I even did a little side tunnel that was 2-2.5 feet round and I had to belly crawl through it for about 50 feet. It wound up just going to a little dump chamber under a curb drain but it was still cool. Any other tips you guys might have, especially safety related, would be awesome for a total drain n00b like me.
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AnAppleSnail
Location: Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
| | | | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 32 on 9/24/2010 2:28 PM >
| | | | Posted by cowtownclimber
I did my first draining this weekend and learned one thing. That is a serious leg workout.
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Yep! Someone used to (creepily often) ask me how I stay in shape since I don't jog anymore. I took them draining and they stopped asking that...
I told myself I would just take a peek since I was alone. |
Fat chance!
In I went, just going to take a peek. I went at least a mile and maybe closer to 2 down that one and never did see any sign of it ending. It started as a square and then turned into a round tunnel that gradually got smaller and smaller. Not knowing how deep this thing went and being by myself I decided to head back and save the rest for another day. By the time I got out of there my thigh muscles were on fire. It was a lot of fun though. |
That's normal for drains - they usually do just get smaller as you go upstream. But not always...
Any other tips you guys might have, especially safety related, would be awesome for a total drain n00b like me.
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Clasping your arms behind your back in drains you have to stoop in helps keep your spine straight, avoiding some back pain. Bend at the hips instead of the knees, and take frequent breaks (There's a way to squat in a pipe, dry and relaxed, maybe leaning to one wall). In a drain tall enough to stand upright in, drainwalk. 3 steps on one side, step across the water, 3 on the other. So:
L |\/|
R|\/|
L |\/|
|\/| R
|\/|L
|\/| R
L |\/|
R|\/|
L |\/|
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That keeps your ankles from being turned out all the time, and keeps you out of the slime.
Drain Safety:
Check the weather. If you die from a drainflood due to local rain, you asked for it.
Be alert for trouble. Listen for things - a manhole KA THUNK is ok, but if it keeps going there's a problem. Sudden rushing water, increases in flow, or changes in the wind can be problems. Check yourself too - suddenly rising heartbeat or breathing indicates low oxygen. Fuzzy thinking does too.
My rules: Mostly common sense. Still,
Check the weather. How far away do you check it?
Know the terrain. Are you creeping up a major flood basin? How far away can rain fall and soak your shoes?
If nobody's with you, make sure someone will come looking for your mangled corpse within a few hours of your planned exit time. This should be a reliable friend.
No airflow, don't go. If you can't feel wind in the pipe then you KNOW there's not a supply of fresh air. Decay and breathing alone can make the air dangerous in still pipes.
Check drain condition. Corrugated metal pipe floors (with holes in them) can let go, dropping you ankledeep into jagged metal. That hurts! Boots are a plus. Same goes for stuff washed into the drain, like shopping carts, barbed wire, logs, snakes, and so on.
Listen. There's a particular sound for "Gushing torrent of death" and "garden hose output from 8' in the air." Either one is worth noticing. Also other sounds matter. Listen to what your body's telling you. In some places it'd take a specialist medevac crew a few hours to get to you, assuming you can even get phone signal. If you can't go any further and get out under your own power in reasonable safety, turn back until your'e ready. If you do this (Call emergency services for a dangerous rescue because you were unprepared) then hang up your drainshoes and go be a tourist.
Pay attention. If you DO hear signs of a drainflood, you have to get out of the water's path. Know how far back you passed a ladder or other place to be up above the water. Gambling on an upstream escape is no good. HOPEFULLY a surprise drainflood won't fill the system, so you'll just perch on a ladder for a while.
Lights. How many flashlights do you bring? Bring more. When I go alone, I bring 2 or more good lights with good batteries. You can do a drain in the dark, but it's not recommended or particularly safe. The flashlight should be waterproof to at least a few feet to cover vicious splashing and small dropping, and be sturdy enough to be dropped by accident. Bring more than one anyway. (Here I sit in a computer lab with 4 flashlights on my person >.>) Small lights are brighter than you'll need these days.
Otherwise it's pretty much like a hike, except for the scenery. Bring food/water, first aid kit, and know vaguely where you're going (or just how to get back).
[last edit 9/24/2010 2:34 PM by AnAppleSnail - edited 1 times]
Achievement Unlocked
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cowtownclimber
Location: Fort Worth
Gender: Male
e^(i*Pi)+1=0
| | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 33 on 9/24/2010 3:57 PM >
| | | | Thanks for all that. I pretty much observed those rules. I did notice that sound can majorly play with your head in there. I thought I was going to come around a corner to a huge awesome waterfall I've seen pics of it sounded so loud. Turns out it was barely a trickle of water coming out of a side tunnel.
I always have that issue by the way. I'm usually an abandonment kind of guy. If I see a new spot and I'm alone I'll go look for a POE so I can come back later with other people. I tell myself not to go in alone. Then I find a POE and go in alone.
I have no UE willpower. One of these days that will probably bite me on the ass.
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AnAppleSnail
Location: Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
| | | | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 34 on 9/24/2010 5:16 PM >
| | | | Posted by cowtownclimber
I have no UE willpower. One of these days that will probably bite me on the ass.
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Bad decisions make good stories...
Achievement Unlocked
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cowtownclimber
Location: Fort Worth
Gender: Male
e^(i*Pi)+1=0
| | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 35 on 9/24/2010 10:25 PM >
| | | | Posted by AnAppleSnail
Bad decisions make good stories...
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Well then perhaps one day I will regale you with the tale of a castle in the woods and how easy it is for one to fall off of it.
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AnAppleSnail
Location: Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
| | | | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 36 on 9/24/2010 11:59 PM >
| | | | Posted by cowtownclimber
Well then perhaps one day I will regale you with the tale of a castle in the woods and how easy it is for one to fall off of it.
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How about falling in?
clicky
He probably would have died there (or had to try something desperate) to get out, if his friends hadn't known where to come looking after a while.
[last edit 9/25/2010 12:06 AM by AnAppleSnail - edited 1 times]
Achievement Unlocked
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cowtownclimber
Location: Fort Worth
Gender: Male
e^(i*Pi)+1=0
| | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 37 on 9/25/2010 1:38 AM >
| | | | Posted by AnAppleSnail
How about falling in?
clicky
He probably would have died there (or had to try something desperate) to get out, if his friends hadn't known where to come looking after a while.
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That story is terrifying but like all harrowing events it is a great story. Good thing he had such awesome friends.
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Noah Vale
 
Location: Portland, Or
It's nobler to never get paid, than to bank on shit and dismay
| | | | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 38 on 11/17/2010 2:31 PM >
| | | | Posted by shotgun mario
unless you're exploring a sewer, don't be afraid of the water or getting wet. If you are, you're doing it wrong, and you shouldn't be in a drain. Go explore some boring buildings or something instead, and quit trying to take the fun (read: mess) out of draining.
That's the best tip I can give you.
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This. I'm boggled when I see people wearing boots/waders in storm drains. Get you some closed-toe strap-on sandals. You'll be much happier.
"Dallas is a magnificent and wide open city, and I'm deeply envious of any urban explorers who have the good fortune to live there." -Ninj. |
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terapr0
 
Location: Sauga City
Gender: Male
www . tohellandback . net
| | | Re: Draining Techniques
<Reply # 39 on 1/7/2011 12:14 AM >
| | | | Posted by Noah Vale
This. I'm boggled when I see people wearing boots/waders in storm drains. Get you some closed-toe strap-on sandals. You'll be much happier.
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Really? I'm always boggled to see crazies doing drains in sandals or worse, barefeet. I suppose there are a handful of drains I'd consider trying that in, but more often than not (around here anyway) theres real potential for the floors to be covered in shattered concrete, broken manhole covers, mangled infall grates, random pieces of rebar, rusty ass old shovels, car parts, bicycle parts, and about a million other things just waiting to cut your feet and give you tetanus and god knows what else. As others have said before, some CMP drains are so rotten you can punch right through the floor and rip your feet to shreds on rusty metal.
I'm sure you could probably get away with doing this 99 times out of 100, but on that 100th time you're going to cut a huge gash in your foot and have to limp a few kms back to the outfall bleeding profusely the whole way. going barefoot in drains just isnt very smart, at least not around here anyway.
[last edit 1/7/2011 12:39 AM by terapr0 - edited 1 times]
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