Author Topic: infra structure (Read 5428 times)

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **on:** April 12, 2010, 09:14:36 AM »

its funny folks who don't play with it seem to assume that all is well. modern cutting edge. there are still wooden water mains in use in some areas. i'm not sure they have replaced all the ones under macarthur blvd in dc/md. they ran em in a zig zag to retard the flow of water keep it from blowing the system apart . i love the look on folks faces when i open up the walls in their houses and they see whats going on. knob and tube wiring still working fine. or some of the more modern maladies. like vent pipe systems with no glue the guys put it in figure it can't leak doesn't need it

MechAg94 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 12, 2010, 09:30:14 AM »

Don't they still have a lot of lead water piping in D.C. also?

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #2 on:** April 12, 2010, 09:32:25 AM »

i haven't seen any supply lines. i do run into a lot of copper waste lines still but i work south of dc nowadays

Tuco · « **Reply #3 on:** April 12, 2010, 09:47:14 AM »

There's a 5' section of oak watermain in the shop, about 30 feet from where I sit.
Looks like a tree trunk was longitudinally bored - 8" O.D., 5" I.D., wrapped with copper strip. Has male/female spigot joints.
The stuff is cool to look at, and a reminder of why we chlorinate drinking water.

I've always loved doing underground work in old, urban areas. You never know what you'll get until you open it up. Makes most engineers and all contractors sweat. Layers upon layers of pipe, vaults, conduit where nothing is labeled, most is over 50 years old and some is abandoned.

Once you tear up the street, municipalities suddenly become very cooperative and willing to investigate "new construction technology".

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #4 on:** April 12, 2010, 10:17:57 AM »

it can get scary. i know what it sounds like when a backhoe hits a gas line and the motor starts sucking in the gas. and that flowmole and directional drilling works just great! till it doesn't then all heck breaks loose. over where mtnbkr and jamis live there is a lot of shale and you hit some it'll redirect the tool real quick . either give you a chinese zip code or pop it outa the ground in some awkward place. they used to laugh call me tonto when i was out with my ear to the ground trying to get a clue on where it was going. i use my power washer for short cabling runs under driveways and sidewalks now

Tuco · « **Reply #5 on:** April 12, 2010, 10:47:40 AM »

We do have it easy here with our sandy/silty soils.
Got to close to a directional boring machine nicking a 21" HP gas main (NOT on my site!!!)

That closed the neighborhood for 2 days.

mtnbkr · « **Reply #6 on:** April 12, 2010, 12:26:52 PM »

Quote from: cassandra and sara's daddy on April 12, 2010, 10:17:57 AM

it can get scary. i know what it sounds like when a backhoe hits a gas line and the motor starts sucking in the gas. and that flowmole and directional drilling works just great! till it doesn't then all heck breaks loose. over where mtnbkr and jamis live there is a lot of shale and you hit some it'll redirect the tool real quick . either give you a chinese zip code or pop it outa the ground in some awkward place. they used to laugh call me tonto when i was out with my ear to the ground trying to get a clue on where it was going. i use my power washer for short cabling runs under driveways and sidewalks now

I wonder if that's what caused the recent Tysons Corner excitement.

Chris

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #7 on:** April 12, 2010, 01:00:18 PM »

could be theres some of that shale down that way/ i've got real rock ledges under me so no basement. got some nice quartz and fools gold too

Fjolnirsson · « **Reply #8 on:** April 12, 2010, 03:16:03 PM »

I got my eyes opened about 7 years ago, when my main sewage line on my first house needed replacing, due to some flow issues. We thought it was tree roots, when we dug it up, turns out the line was made of compressed tar paper, installed during WW2.

It had made it all those years, but finally fell apart. We were basically running our waste through a pipe shaped tunnel that was slowly eroding.

Brad Johnson · « **Reply #9 on:** April 12, 2010, 03:30:12 PM »

Quote from: Fjolnirsson on April 12, 2010, 03:16:03 PM

I got my eyes opened about 7 years ago, when my main sewage line on my first house needed replacing, due to some flow issues. We thought it was tree roots, when we dug it up, turns out the line was made of compressed tar paper, installed during WW2. It had made it all those years, but finally fell apart. We were basically running our waste through a pipe shaped tunnel that was slowly eroding.

There's also orange pipe. Good stuff... for plumbing contractor's wallets. Lots of it around.

Brad

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #10 on:** April 12, 2010, 03:33:37 PM »

Quote from: Fjolnirsson on April 12, 2010, 03:16:03 PM

I got my eyes opened about 7 years ago, when my main sewage line on my first house needed replacing, due to some flow issues. We thought it was tree roots, when we dug it up, turns out the line was made of compressed tar paper, installed during WW2. It had made it all those years, but finally fell apart. We were basically running our waste through a pipe shaped tunnel that was slowly eroding.

i ran a 75 foot snake into an older house was somewhat puzzled when it never showed up in the septic tank 50 foot away i could hear it but not see it a pulled back a bit tried again and the darned thing popped outa the ground where it had left the pipe.

41magsnub · « **Reply #11 on:** April 12, 2010, 05:04:41 PM »

Aren't a notable portion of the water lines in New York City made of terra cotta or something similar? I've always heard that the only thing keeping much of the system open is continuous water pressure. If they shut it down they would collapse.

Tallpine · « **Reply #12 on:** April 12, 2010, 05:25:46 PM »

Quote from: cassandra and sara's daddy on April 12, 2010, 03:33:37 PM

i ran a 75 foot snake into an older house was somewhat puzzled when it never showed up in the septic tank 50 foot away i could hear it but not see it a pulled back a bit tried again and the darned thing popped outa the ground where it had left the pipe.

The house that we used to own in town had at one time been on a septic system instead of city sewer. We discovered this after a big rain and the "tank" (just timbers!) collapsed. Worst part was our propane tank - just filled, of course - almost fell in there. The damn gas company wouldn't come right out, so I had to turn it off, unhook the line, and then we moved the tank one end at a time with my little tractor/loader

JonnyB · « **Reply #13 on:** April 13, 2010, 12:05:38 PM »

In the Minneapolis area, they keep finding - sometimes the hard way! - that the installation of gas piping to homes by directional boring, rather than trenching, pushed the line through the sewer line for the home.

When the sewer plugs, the plumber runs his rooting tool down the pipe, severing the gas line and KB! No more house - or plumber, sometimes.

jb

Jimmy Dean · « **Reply #14 on:** April 13, 2010, 01:07:43 PM »

Some of us here at La Tech are working on directional controls for the trenchless technology stuff. Some good ideas...some not so good ones.....

roo_ster · « **Reply #15 on:** April 13, 2010, 01:59:32 PM »

Do the "not so good"ones involve midgets with pickaxes?

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #16 on:** April 13, 2010, 03:38:05 PM »

gas is tricky about a decade ago they boosted pressure in a gas transmission line. there was one house that was hooked to that line as opposed to the lower pressure distribution line. the house went away. thankfully it was empty.

Fly320s · « **Reply #17 on:** April 13, 2010, 03:41:33 PM »

Quote from: jfruser on April 13, 2010, 01:59:32 PM

Do the "not so good"ones involve midgets with pickaxes?

Nothing wrong with good labor at half the price.

red headed stranger · « **Reply #18 on:** April 14, 2010, 11:48:32 AM »

Much of the sewer system in St. Louis is Brick/Cobblestone.

It's going to be quite the problem the next time a "big one" hits the New Madrid fault zone.

sanglant · « **Reply #19 on:** April 14, 2010, 12:01:22 PM »

Quote from: red headed stranger on April 14, 2010, 11:48:32 AM

Much of the sewer system in St. Louis is Brick/Cobblestone.

It's going to be quite the problem the next time a "big one" hits the New Madrid fault zone.

and the water turned to wormwood?

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Author Topic: infra structure (Read 5428 times)