# Never go down manholes by yourself



## Cuda (Mar 16, 2009)

Sometimes as part of the bid process on jobs I will go down a manhole when I am by myself depending on how I feel about it, Like if it's a newer installation I am pretty sure the ladder will be in good shape. And since I am the owner I can get away with things that an employee can not. I am just being honest I sometimes do things that I should not. Well today I was looking at a manhole that goes down into a large storm vault. What I mean by storm vault is picture a concrete room about the size of a tennis court with usually 4-5 manholes that go into it. All I had to see was one of the ladder rungs was pushed in and to go down the ladder you had to go 24" to the next lower rung. All of this was 5 years old so I figured I would just go down the ladder enough to see why one rung was pushed in flush with the wall, I had probes the floor with a seesnake and the water was about 5" deep with some sand. But when I went down I saw a 8" pipe feeding into the vault that was plugged up with epoxy board so I decided to go to another manhole and climb down and clear it out since I was there. Now this is pitch black my headlamp light and hand held barley light up enough to see a few feet in front of me. Anyway it turns out the floor has a foot of wet sand and as I start pulling out the epoxy board and grabbing hand fulls of sand I see something move and was like "what the heck is that" Well it was a baby aligator about 10" Long. And it was running away from me up the pipe so then I thought if thats baby where is moma? I decided to get out of there, but when I got to the surface I decided I should go get my cell phone and try to get a picture before it got away or else nobody will believe me. I went back down cell in hand already in camera mode and it had moved a ways back into the pipe so I start trying to snap some shots and use a flash light to light of the pipe and then I heard a big swoosh noise and I just boogied out of there. My point of this is that I could have easily smacked my head and got knocked out and nobody would have known I was down there so even simple things can turn against you and I will no longer being going down any vaults by myself anymore. I mean it's the things you never expect like a dam alligator in a cold Seattle Storm Sewer Vault. The pictures did not come out of the actual alligator because Of the lighting but I am attaching some so you get the idea of the situation. I don't care if anyone doubts the alligator the point was I was taught a lesson today of anything could happen.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

that is sort of exciting... 
I know you must like the rush as long as you 
dont run into something that might bite you and someone
knows where you are that day ....its ok...

I used to winterize vacant homes from 98 through 2009 
and you never knew what you might run into down in the pitch
dark basement... it was sometimes a rush in the bad neighborhoods
but I..always carried a 9mm with me...

.


----------



## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

My contiuning ed. had a part on confined entry. Gases heavier than air can settle down in confined spaces. The worker thinks that he is breathing air, but in reality could be breathing some other gas which slowly puts him to sleep. I am very careful about confined entry; also attics and crawlspaces.

Be safe guys and gals.


Cuda, as I was reading your post, I thought you were going to say you got stuck in a type of quicksand. Glad you got out un-hurt.


----------



## Cuda (Mar 16, 2009)

The only thing I did right was wear my 4 gas sniffer, I left the tripod in the van (too much hassle to get it out) I am more cautious on sewers and usually don't give storm drains much thought.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

Tommy plumber said:


> My contiuning ed. had a part on confined entry. Gases heavier than air can settle down in confined spaces. The worker thinks that he is breathing air, but in reality could be breathing some other gas which slowly puts him to sleep. I am very careful about confined entry; also attics and crawlspaces.
> 
> Be safe guys and gals.
> 
> ...




I thought I read somewhere that the methane in the lines can overpower you before you know it even though you think that you are used to it..you can be in trouble before you can get your head out of the hole...


----------



## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

I hate to say it but im guilty of the same thing sometimes. I have used up my nine lives and then some. My father was in a manhole looking for a sewer connection. I was probably 8 years old. I looked down and he was passed out. I was yelling for help and a labor from another job came over to help. He looked like the guy from the movie "The Green Mile." He climbed down and wrapped an equipment chain around him and hoisted him up hand over hand. The other guy gave him mouth to mouth till the ambulance arrived. My dad lived and I learned a lesson I will never forget.


----------



## jmc12185 (Aug 27, 2013)

bulldozer said:


> I hate to say it but im guilty of the same thing sometimes. I have used up my nine lives and then some. My father was in a manhole looking for a sewer connection. I was probably 8 years old. I looked down and he was passed out. I was yelling for help and a labor from another job came over to help. He looked like the guy from the movie "The Green Mile." He climbed down and wrapped an equipment chain around him and hoisted him up hand over hand. The other guy gave him mouth to mouth till the ambulance arrived. My dad lived and I learned a lesson I will never forget.


 Did you know what it was exactly that made that happen?


----------



## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

Methane gas. Cant see it, smell it. It over came him in under 30 seconds.


----------



## justme (Jul 4, 2012)

Confined space is no joke , I won't let any of my guys into a "confined space" of any kind with the proper equipment 4 gas detector , ventilation fans and rescue tripod. I don't want to have to call their wives and tell them because we were in a hurry they died. With that being said I think we could all be a little safer and learn before something bad happens.


----------



## cjtheplumber (Mar 9, 2012)

Cuda

You Sir are brave, I'm scared of manholes I just open them look from the top if more than 5ft deep I won't go in. I must have someone with me even at 5ft. Call me chicken I do not want to meet an alligator by accident. I like them in the zoo caged. I also thought you were going to get into some quicksand. Glad you can talk about it, laugh about it and tell us about it. Us plumbers get into things no one else would, we don't get pay enough lol


----------



## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

An alligator in Seattle????how could it survive the cold weather????.be careful dude


----------



## Kleinfelterj (Jan 23, 2012)

Attendant entrant and supervisor must be present whenever we make a confined space entry. Permits filled out air monitoring the whole time. Tripod harness and tag lines. Ventilator going if needed. We take confined space entry serious. All it takes is one slip up and the entry becomes a rescue or recovery.


----------



## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

Kleinfelterj said:


> Attendant entrant and supervisor must be present whenever we make a confined space entry. Permits filled out air monitoring the whole time. Tripod harness and tag lines. Ventilator going if needed. We take confined space entry serious. All it takes is one slip up and the entry becomes a rescue or recovery.


Zactly


----------



## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

bulldozer said:


> I hate to say it but im guilty of the same thing sometimes. I have used up my nine lives and then some. My father was in a manhole looking for a sewer connection. I was probably 8 years old. I looked down and he was passed out. I was yelling for help and a labor from another job came over to help. He looked like the guy from the movie "The Green Mile." He climbed down and wrapped an equipment chain around him and hoisted him up hand over hand. The other guy gave him mouth to mouth till the ambulance arrived. My dad lived and I learned a lesson I will never forget.


They came powerfully close to filling 2 body bags that day...
Your father and the rescuer..:yes:


----------



## CT18 (Sep 18, 2012)

I worked for a company here in the Detroit area years ago when the owners brother and apprentice died in a manhole. They were freezing a line and the ape fired up the freon before the fan was running to get air down in the hole. The kid died first and the brother died trying to get the kid out. 

There was also another company that had a plumber down in a manhole with the inspector when the 14" valve that they were inspecting blew apart and killed the plumber. The inspector was hooked up to the tripod and was winched out.

I am not a fan of any manhole work. Make sure you have a canary with you when you go in.


----------



## bulldozer (Jan 11, 2009)

Im no fan of manholes but they are a unnecessary evil in our business. Im not going to past judgement on anyone because I have done some real unsafe things! Now that im older and my superman syndrome has been reduced I try to be safer and be a good mentor.


----------



## saysflushable (Jun 15, 2009)

I couldn't stand my friends joking about how I died in a man hole.:laughing: that is enough to keep me out of them. I'm on jobs all the time when other companies go in man holes, I tell them I'll call 911 but I'm not going in after them. 

My employee knows he is fired immediately if he goes in a confined space.


----------



## Cuda (Mar 16, 2009)

I'm surprised we don't have to call them Person Holes instead of man holes lol


----------



## yaacov (Aug 8, 2012)

Can someone post a link of a gas sniffer for manhole work? We currently ventilate but where I live no plumber monitors for gas. Would be a smart idea...


----------



## Flyout95 (Apr 13, 2012)

yaacov said:


> Can someone post a link of a gas sniffer for manhole work? We currently ventilate but where I live no plumber monitors for gas. Would be a smart idea...


You can find them online. http://www.raesystems.com/products/personal-monitors or just Google personal air monitor.


----------



## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

yaacov said:


> Can someone post a link of a gas sniffer for manhole work? We currently ventilate but where I live no plumber monitors for gas. Would be a smart idea...


You want to test for oxygen content, CO, flammable or explosive gases and hydrogen sulfide at a minimum...

Test upper, middle, and lower positions, wear one while in the hole, and It should alarm as unsafe levels are approached...


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*no t too smart chineese guy*

this video is pretty good....except the guy got injured fooling 
around with the manhole


Never light a manhole.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RJCAh7jMFQ


----------



## leakfree (Apr 3, 2011)

Redwood said:


> They came powerfully close to filling 2 body bags that day...
> Your father and the rescuer..:yes:


X2 the rescuer usually becomes the second death,use the proper PPE and don't try to be a hero without it.


----------



## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

Master Mark said:


> this video is pretty good....except the guy got injured fooling
> around with the manhole
> 
> Never light a manhole.
> ...


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

chonkie said:


> Master Mark said:
> 
> 
> > this video is pretty good....except the guy got injured fooling
> ...


----------



## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

It is a good thing the kids were smart enough on their own to step back. Could have been much worse.


----------



## victoryplbaz (May 19, 2012)

Last year two guys died in a manhole here. One guy went in and was over come and the other guy went in to get him was too. Both died from the gases and should have never went. I won't go down one anymore. It's not worth my life


----------



## victoryplbaz (May 19, 2012)

http://www.azfamily.com/news/2-men-dead-inside-shopping-center-sewer-272642121.html


----------



## plungerboy (Oct 17, 2013)

This is crazy 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJt5sWOLJls - Video Tube for YouTube - iPhone/iPad


----------



## chonkie (Jul 31, 2014)

plungerboy said:


> This is crazy
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJt5sWOLJls - Video Tube for YouTube - iPhone/iPad


A+ for the boom, but kind of disappointing footage of the cover. I was expecting to see up close up footage of the cover actually knocking the guy out they way the reporter acted in the beginning.


----------



## BumbleBee (Jan 24, 2015)

Master Mark said:


> this video is pretty good....except the guy got injured fooling
> around with the manhole
> 
> 
> ...


I hate that he got hurt, but damn that looked like something that should of been on Ridiciousness!


----------



## gardenparty (Jan 29, 2015)

Any thoughts on the Ventis system for confined space entry? Before we go in a confined space with my company you have to have H2S Alive and the Confined Space entry course. You also need a minimum of 3 people to do the work in a confined space because you have to have a monitor outside the area. I had assumed that this was a universal requirement but maybe it is just oil field?


----------

