So, the ROC post pumping Christmas special.
I got to the post at about 9am or thereabouts - it looked much like this (only a bit lighter)
Note the very nice green grass...
along came linerider and friend with their 2 stroke pump and we got to work, we took out the jerry can and after priming the pump we were off!
be done in no time.. we thought..
We managed to pump out about 6ft of water before the small hose no longer reached the water, so we stopped the pump and attached the longer hose... however, after attaching it the pump wouldn't work.. it started but no water came from the post to the drain...
Daz arrived (and Shadow, the dog) and we tried again (and again, and again) but the pump just wouldn't bring any water up...
We took the pump down into the shaft on a rope and tried from there - still no joy so we resorted to the back-up plan...hauling the water out in buckets...
Then the nice man from the pub brought us all out some pints of tea!
After more bucket hauling (and not so green grass anymore)...
we decided it was time for plan C...
A hired 4 stroke pump!
With bigger hose!
It worked!! We had been there about 5 hours at this point, so we were pretty chuffed
and it was about time for a snack! given that we hadn't planned on being here so long we didn't have much, so shredded wheat in a bucket would have to suffice!
nom nom nom...
After that sustenance we had a nosy inside now that the water level had dropped enough to see into the main room
and our first item... a jerrycan that was in surprisingly good nick considering the length of time it'd been underwater!
and shortly afterwards a can of something.. grease?
it wasn't long (well, about another hour) before we all got in with the water only 3-4 inches deep and had a very well deserved beer inside the now accessible post!
Inside were quite a few things, though they were pretty much all coated in black slime...
Kettle (and that whitish goo sliding off the table is paperwork...)
Many jerry cans (especially since 2 were still up top)
Battery box (with batteries) being stood on by Daz (the wellie-less)
Mattresses still on the beds!
Dustpan, candle holder, random tin of mystery and an arm splint maybe?
Paraffin lamp
A cargo net and half a pair of gardening shears...
and finally, the sump pump (which worked very well even though the pipe had been bent over outside the shaft)
All in all it was (eventually) pretty productive, much more down there than we expected and I'm really glad we didn't give up when the 2 stroke pump did!
I got to the post at about 9am or thereabouts - it looked much like this (only a bit lighter)
Note the very nice green grass...
along came linerider and friend with their 2 stroke pump and we got to work, we took out the jerry can and after priming the pump we were off!
be done in no time.. we thought..
We managed to pump out about 6ft of water before the small hose no longer reached the water, so we stopped the pump and attached the longer hose... however, after attaching it the pump wouldn't work.. it started but no water came from the post to the drain...
Daz arrived (and Shadow, the dog) and we tried again (and again, and again) but the pump just wouldn't bring any water up...
We took the pump down into the shaft on a rope and tried from there - still no joy so we resorted to the back-up plan...hauling the water out in buckets...
Then the nice man from the pub brought us all out some pints of tea!
After more bucket hauling (and not so green grass anymore)...
we decided it was time for plan C...
A hired 4 stroke pump!
With bigger hose!
It worked!! We had been there about 5 hours at this point, so we were pretty chuffed
and it was about time for a snack! given that we hadn't planned on being here so long we didn't have much, so shredded wheat in a bucket would have to suffice!
nom nom nom...
After that sustenance we had a nosy inside now that the water level had dropped enough to see into the main room
and our first item... a jerrycan that was in surprisingly good nick considering the length of time it'd been underwater!
and shortly afterwards a can of something.. grease?
it wasn't long (well, about another hour) before we all got in with the water only 3-4 inches deep and had a very well deserved beer inside the now accessible post!
Inside were quite a few things, though they were pretty much all coated in black slime...
Kettle (and that whitish goo sliding off the table is paperwork...)
Many jerry cans (especially since 2 were still up top)
Battery box (with batteries) being stood on by Daz (the wellie-less)
Mattresses still on the beds!
Dustpan, candle holder, random tin of mystery and an arm splint maybe?
Paraffin lamp
A cargo net and half a pair of gardening shears...
and finally, the sump pump (which worked very well even though the pipe had been bent over outside the shaft)
All in all it was (eventually) pretty productive, much more down there than we expected and I'm really glad we didn't give up when the 2 stroke pump did!
