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Report - - The Italian Job, Bury - March 2014 | UK Draining Forum | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - The Italian Job, Bury - March 2014

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Moose

My name is Jeff
28DL Full Member
Black Pepperrrrr????

Remember this place from being a little kid; go for a meal with the family, mess around in the fields opposite, and look into the large, dark tunnel that was so much more than any of my childhood RCP times! First visited myself, on a boring day off work, in the rain. Now this doesnt sound like the smartest of ideas, however all the land that surrounds the river upstream, is marshy cow-inhabited farmland. The downside of this was that the inside of the drain smelled like a farm, and with a rather obvious sewer overflow flowing furiously out of the wall further downstream, the air stunk like I was gonna find a body down there. The flow was very low, on my initial reccy, so back home for the waders, torch and camera!

The culvert carries the Walshaw Brook underneath Walshaw, aptly named because it goes under the best Pastahouse north of Bury!

There is an interesting mix of brickwork and RCP, a couple of waterfalls that were near-impossible to climb back up, and a manhole chamber. In sections the floor also had a mini channel, creating slightly wet and very slippy banks, but hey, beats tripping over sunken boulders!

Visited for a second time with my drain bud - took the new 4gas and this proved to have been a good idea; after a couple hundred meters, it eventually tapers down to the point that even chest crawling was impossible, but being short and young, and also eager to find the outfall we decided to press on. After what seemed like forever (but only a few meters) forwards, the alarm went off, right next to my ear. Checked the screen and it showed:

o2: 17.1/2% (fluctuating)
h2s: 2 (not sure what measurement that is)

.. time to GTFO either way, commence backwards crawl, hands were covered in black sludge :eek: Worth noting we also found a ruined mini moto, who would do such a thing!

On with the pics!

The Infall

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The first Waterfall

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Using the tripod's spirit level in order to show the descent

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And the suicide stretch, no light visible in the distance so I think we need to find the other end!

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Cheers for looking :thumb
 

Moose

My name is Jeff
28DL Full Member
Cheers, its a nice hour or two underground, and literally 5 minutes from my front door :D

The smell is probably nothing compared to what you guys have experienced but its pretty rank!
 

Ojay

Admin
Staff member
Admin
A low H2S reading isn't an issue, but if you stoke a load of stuff up and have to come back the same way and levels increase you could come un-stuck

I know some of the lads from UU regulary read these reports, and it's fair to say going into these systems without a meter is a bit foolish really, mainly sewers though as culverts are usually ok

Cornbrook and other places kick up some nasty bits, but I guess everyone has there own take on safety, it only needs that one time to go wrong and it's game over

Stay safe :thumb
 

Moose

My name is Jeff
28DL Full Member
if you stoke a load of stuff up and have to come back the same way and levels increase you could come un-stuck

it only needs that one time to go wrong and it's game over

Stay safe :thumb

That certainly sounds like a bad situation to be in, I guess it's the problem with exploring new places? What would be the course of action if the levels started rising, carry on forwards to a manhole/ something like an o2 cylinder? In a recreational sense I mean. It was more the o2 level that seemed hairy to me, really confined quarters, it wasn't worth carrying on tbh.

edit; I realise it's not really just a recreational hobby, but no one seems to use any respiratory gear in any reports?
 

Ojay

Admin
Staff member
Admin
nah 17% O2 is fine start weazing at about 15, as for H2S there is no rule of thumb, other than GTFO to fresh air ASAP, but if you have to traverse a large section and take a few lung fulls it probably wouldn't be a good thing

Anyone who walks lengths through sewers without a meter is asking for trouble, if the levels are that high it would disable the Olfactory nerve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and you wouldn't have a clue!

I popped down a lid 2 days ago with squiz into a confined manhole, I only managed 4 rungs and the meter was singing, and that was with a lid open and aired for a good 5 mins or more, I've also smelt worse but decided it wasn't a good idea and shot up quicker than you can say GTFO
 

Moose

My name is Jeff
28DL Full Member
In that case it's a good purchase :D it's a proper altair one (cheers Paul)

Just had a read on wiki and it says the gas is so bad they didn't even want to use it during world war 1 & 2 and it only got deployed a couple of times, to devastating effect, not good!
 

Ojay

Admin
Staff member
Admin
People are so blase with sewers to a point it annoys me!

Appreciate the kit is expensive to purchase/maintain for a silly hobby, but I'd rather shell out than end up 6ft under... ENDS.
 

Snake Oil

go in drains
28DL Full Member
I wish I could afford to buy and more importantly keep maintained a gas detector :( My rule of thumb is if it smells dodgy don't touch it. I've missed out on getting pics from a nice big shit tank because it smelled way too bad. I know its not very scientific and less than reliable, but after being in a sewer a few weeks back and coming out feeling dizzy (and having a bad throat for a week after) I can admit to being in more danger than I'd like to have been.
 

Stopford_lad

foul-mouthed oaf
28DL Full Member
Just because a drains had a steady footfall of visitors doesn't mean its a safe place..I've visited side-draft a few times, but nothing compared to the first time alone down that drain.
I stood next to an inspection chamber having disturbed a noxious pile of leaf mulch a minute earlier, feeling sick with my head spinning and a tight chest...but having no option but to leg it back to the in-fall taking panic breaths.
Take the alarm, watch for the warning signs...never go alone and listen to that little voice in your head that says 'its not a good idea'.
As Ojay mentioned, UU lads do look in the forum, and they think were 'effing nutters'...their actual words :D
 

ViralEye

Drain Ninja
28DL Full Member
Nice report TunnelMon and it's great to read you've got a 4gas. It's something I need to sort ASAP

That certainly sounds like a bad situation to be in, I guess it's the problem with exploring new places? What would be the course of action if the levels started rising, carry on forwards to a manhole/ something like an o2 cylinder? In a recreational sense I mean. It was more the o2 level that seemed hairy to me, really confined quarters, it wasn't worth carrying on tbh.

edit; I realise it's not really just a recreational hobby, but no one seems to use any respiratory gear in any reports?

I suppose the problem is with what we do, where do the safety precautions stop? i.e in the utility sectors anyone entering a manhole no matter if fresh or not would use a tripod, winch and harness for when they climb down the iron steps. They would also have on them a gas monitor and an escape set(normally 15 minutes). They would also be wearing a full protective wet suit, gloves, hard hat etc. Let's not even go into intrinsically safe....
 
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