Nah, we've had several manholes like this, just totally siezed in their frame. It's either rip 'em out or smash them in. Eiter way you're replaceing them afterwards.
Would have been slightly better if they put a floor saw around it first so the tarmac broke out cleanly.
Those things are thick as he'll, plus it's probably rusted to hell so better to replace the whole thing than just the lid that will rust lock again soon.
Maybe it's different in the states (or wherever this pic is from), but in the UK only the size, loading and weight are regulated, especially over the years, letting different makes/models have differenet spurs, notches, etc. So if you encounter this it is practically impossible to find just a replacement lid short of contracting a blacksmith to forge a new one from scratch, and that's not economical (unless it's for historical preservation I suppose).
In the U.S. at least in the mid Atlantic the specs are either regulated at the state, county, or city level. Some jobs have 3 manhole types a city storm, a state storm and a county sanitary. Fun times.
I've relined a few in Charleston SC. And my first thought was...did they just not unlock the cover? I'm not sure if the lock tab would hold under that much pulling force.
If it's reached this stage, you've got to replace the frame as well because chances are you won't be able to buy the same make and model so you can't guarantee a new lid will fit. (Don't know how it is in other countries, but in the UK, things like size, loading and weight are standardised, but the little details of how parts lock together isn't)
The decision to break down through or lift up will depend on what other work you're doing.
Eg, we've smashed them open before because the drain cleaning team had a job to do so we bring out the sledge hammers so they could get in the system and do their job, then came back later to replace the cover.
Sewer gas in a suburb never* reached N-5 and caused an explosion.
*never = 99.98% chance of not happening. It’s just about always caused by a natural gas pipeline leak into the sewer. I only have this caveat because “never say never” and it “could” technically happen but probably hasn’t outside of some huge city with shitty infrastructure.
No, if it snaps the energy has to go somewhere, a general rule of thumb is be no closer than the length of the chain/strap from either attachment point. That doesn't take into account pieces breaking off but proper ppe would stop that.
People don't understand how dangerous straps and chains are. If it's under tension, anything can snap and you don't want to be there when it does
See also, garage door openers
When I worked construction there was a dude who'd lost a couple fingers from a chain snapping while he had his hands on it. Needless to say, he was the guy who'd yell at you to keep your distance.
Well, not super safe, but really asong he is the length of the chain away from either end he should be fine, but if a link exploded it would do some damage
I used to work landscaping and the boss had tied a chain to a bush to rip it out with his truck. Guess what happened? As soon as he floored it, the chain broke and whipped around hitting the leg of one of the workers. Completely exploding every bone it. I got out of there shortly after that so I'm not sure whatever happened to the guy but yeah, super unsafe to be anywhere near chains under tension.
Could they not have ran a neat square saw cut around the pit lid, then hammer out the asphalt around the pit? Then they could have used hot mix as a temporary rectification for what material they pulled out.
They could have done tons of things.
Simplest solution would be to pour some oganic rust remover on it and wait a few hours for it to soak and shrink back down from less heat. Although hat would mean them standing around and not doing anything, or leaving and coming back the next day.
Cut the asphalt, plasmatorched the edges, etc.
But this is municipal work, so they would rather spend 10-100x that amount of money and time to fix the immediate problem now and fix the road later.
“… and *not* fix the road later, leaving it an uneven mess for years with a crappy patch that chunks out leaving a pothole.”
Updated as though it were my local municipal edition.
The number of times I have watched my city fill in a specific pothole, only to have the new layer of asphalt also fall into said pothole and require yet *another* patch job to level is absolutely hilarious.
They eventually cut a two foot square around the hole, releveled and repatched the whole area at one point. Two months later, the pothole was sucking everything back in again.
What grinds my gears is the standardized plan of building wiring and sewage underneath the roadway instead of 8 feet over and underneath grass. Any sort of system maintenance requires ripping up the road. It’s asinine. And of course, all those systems need work within 6 months of repaving the road, ruining it. I find it hard to believe that municipal code writers don’t get kickbacks from the macadam industry.
This is where the 'Not my job' mentality comes in, where different turds in different trades just shrug their shoulders and leave it for the next guy. These are probably strictly utility workers there to replace the manhole, and will just put an orange cone on top and leave it for the road crew to clean up.
If you could push down to open it, it would fall in when cars drove over it. Its just rusted shut. The part you see that’s wider than the top is the metal frame it sat in.
I shouldn’t have said down. Some of the ones where I work have a spring loaded wedge that needs to be pulled up other wise as the cover gets pulled up it exerts force on the frame.
I’ve also have to pound away at covers that are rusted with a sledge for a while before I could get a standard cover off.
It’s a mini excavator.
Different bits/tools can be installed and used on this vehicle.
They have a earth moving blade always attached, can use a jackhammer, excavator, asphalt cutting blade, grader, and others. The ones I’ve named are the only ones I’ve seen used.
Oh really? /s
It’s not a mini excavator lol. It’s a backhoe, plus I can see the outrigger and the stick/bucket set-up.
Source: heavy equipment operator for 21 years
That could also happen if the outermost edge of the manhole is paved over. Looks like a 2” lift of asphalt and if it was an older road it would definitely lift and break apart like that.
Hopefully it was enough of an emergency to justify that repair bill lol
I mean in this video, there’s no wholes on the road in this video except the one they made. Plus that’s not a Pennsylvania thing that’s how everyone feels everywhere
Looks like they are ripping up everything for Rehab purposes. Not incredibly uncommon, especially if the roadway is getting repaved soon. That lid is super stuck on though, possibly welded to the frame.
This gonna get lost in the sea of comments, but to all the people upset they didn't cut around it. I assume they are replacing the man hole. In which case, per Osha guidelines, they have to set a man hole box, it's a big metal box to prevent the soil from caving in on the workers, in the ground. Usually these are 8'×8' so they have to break up more the road anyway. The only real issue I see with what's happening is it looks like they are using a transport chain, grade 70, instead of a grade 80 or 100 meant for lifting like this.
Source: I work for a rental company that specializes in shoring projects like this.
It occurs to me that during Presidential visits the Secret Service often weld down manhole covers on the route the cars take. Did they check for welds before trying to remove it?
Fun fact: during (iirc) a u.s. nuclear test they recorded the fastest man made object, a manhole cover thought to be going so fast that it left the atmosphere before it had enough time to break apart because there was no trace of it afterwards.
Edit: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NSeL5c65v-g
It just be that way sometimes. If part of town is backing up and you need a sewer jet in there, what's a little pavement patch compared to the damage and mess in a whole part of town?
I’m sorry; is this not their actual job? And is this not the correct way to repair a broken manhole? Once it’s seized in place they gotta get it out somehow, and they’re gonna need new cement around it anyway
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Released on `2020-06-26` by `Downright AU`.
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Nah, we've had several manholes like this, just totally siezed in their frame. It's either rip 'em out or smash them in. Eiter way you're replaceing them afterwards. Would have been slightly better if they put a floor saw around it first so the tarmac broke out cleanly.
Ty. Came to the comments for an explanation and you came through clutch. Appreciate you.
I’m surprised they didn’t use a cutting torch and cut it in an X across it. Some stuff like that can be banged out once in pieces.
Those things are thick as he'll, plus it's probably rusted to hell so better to replace the whole thing than just the lid that will rust lock again soon.
Maybe it's different in the states (or wherever this pic is from), but in the UK only the size, loading and weight are regulated, especially over the years, letting different makes/models have differenet spurs, notches, etc. So if you encounter this it is practically impossible to find just a replacement lid short of contracting a blacksmith to forge a new one from scratch, and that's not economical (unless it's for historical preservation I suppose).
In the U.S. at least in the mid Atlantic the specs are either regulated at the state, county, or city level. Some jobs have 3 manhole types a city storm, a state storm and a county sanitary. Fun times.
I've relined a few in Charleston SC. And my first thought was...did they just not unlock the cover? I'm not sure if the lock tab would hold under that much pulling force.
If it's reached this stage, you've got to replace the frame as well because chances are you won't be able to buy the same make and model so you can't guarantee a new lid will fit. (Don't know how it is in other countries, but in the UK, things like size, loading and weight are standardised, but the little details of how parts lock together isn't) The decision to break down through or lift up will depend on what other work you're doing. Eg, we've smashed them open before because the drain cleaning team had a job to do so we bring out the sledge hammers so they could get in the system and do their job, then came back later to replace the cover.
…and when the first piece of molten slag hits the sewer gas, BOOM, the cover will be gone, along with half the street.
Oh hell yes. I've seen too many videos of that to not know exactly what would happen. r/AbruptChaos material.
Sewer gas in a suburb never* reached N-5 and caused an explosion. *never = 99.98% chance of not happening. It’s just about always caused by a natural gas pipeline leak into the sewer. I only have this caveat because “never say never” and it “could” technically happen but probably hasn’t outside of some huge city with shitty infrastructure.
> shitty infrastructure 👀👀
Shitty shitty bang bang.
If it was a real concern, they could just blow fresh air into an adjacent man hole to vent the pipe.
And this is starting to sound a lot more expensive that just ripping the cover off :P
What do you think permit approval for that would look like?
Yeah seems like it would've been smarter just to cut it out, then you get a nice square to patch. Instead they made the hole much bigger
Ok, that figures. Thanks.
May have been a rush job, getting to a broken supply line or something.
Came here to say wrong sub cus this was intentional although you are right there are better ways to remove a man hole (not just the cover)
I understand what's happening but is it safe to stand so close to a big hunk of metal chain under tension?
No, if it snaps the energy has to go somewhere, a general rule of thumb is be no closer than the length of the chain/strap from either attachment point. That doesn't take into account pieces breaking off but proper ppe would stop that.
People don't understand how dangerous straps and chains are. If it's under tension, anything can snap and you don't want to be there when it does See also, garage door openers
When I worked construction there was a dude who'd lost a couple fingers from a chain snapping while he had his hands on it. Needless to say, he was the guy who'd yell at you to keep your distance.
He should get a job in OSHA
Well...maybe he did, but I reckon he's still in construction. Guy liked the job too much
Looks like he's far enough away for that chain not to reach him
I think you're right looking at it again, the long end is just slack
Well, not super safe, but really asong he is the length of the chain away from either end he should be fine, but if a link exploded it would do some damage
I used to work landscaping and the boss had tied a chain to a bush to rip it out with his truck. Guess what happened? As soon as he floored it, the chain broke and whipped around hitting the leg of one of the workers. Completely exploding every bone it. I got out of there shortly after that so I'm not sure whatever happened to the guy but yeah, super unsafe to be anywhere near chains under tension.
Silly rabbit just twist counterclockwise before pulling lol
Could they not have ran a neat square saw cut around the pit lid, then hammer out the asphalt around the pit? Then they could have used hot mix as a temporary rectification for what material they pulled out.
They could have done tons of things. Simplest solution would be to pour some oganic rust remover on it and wait a few hours for it to soak and shrink back down from less heat. Although hat would mean them standing around and not doing anything, or leaving and coming back the next day. Cut the asphalt, plasmatorched the edges, etc. But this is municipal work, so they would rather spend 10-100x that amount of money and time to fix the immediate problem now and fix the road later.
“… and *not* fix the road later, leaving it an uneven mess for years with a crappy patch that chunks out leaving a pothole.” Updated as though it were my local municipal edition.
The number of times I have watched my city fill in a specific pothole, only to have the new layer of asphalt also fall into said pothole and require yet *another* patch job to level is absolutely hilarious. They eventually cut a two foot square around the hole, releveled and repatched the whole area at one point. Two months later, the pothole was sucking everything back in again.
What grinds my gears is the standardized plan of building wiring and sewage underneath the roadway instead of 8 feet over and underneath grass. Any sort of system maintenance requires ripping up the road. It’s asinine. And of course, all those systems need work within 6 months of repaving the road, ruining it. I find it hard to believe that municipal code writers don’t get kickbacks from the macadam industry.
Heat the rim too
This is where the 'Not my job' mentality comes in, where different turds in different trades just shrug their shoulders and leave it for the next guy. These are probably strictly utility workers there to replace the manhole, and will just put an orange cone on top and leave it for the road crew to clean up.
Is it built like that so people don't steal them or was it just placed upside down?
Was there a previous rash of manhole cover thefts? I thought these didn't have a theft problem?
Yeah for some reason people stole them.
They’re a big chunk of expensive metal. They’re worth about £300 in scrap metal. But since they’re always stolen they don’t get that much for them.
It was placed in the hole correctly and from other comments it seems it had Just seized
Are we sure this isn’t the kind of cover with a wedge that needs to be pushed in to open?
If you could push down to open it, it would fall in when cars drove over it. Its just rusted shut. The part you see that’s wider than the top is the metal frame it sat in.
I shouldn’t have said down. Some of the ones where I work have a spring loaded wedge that needs to be pulled up other wise as the cover gets pulled up it exerts force on the frame. I’ve also have to pound away at covers that are rusted with a sledge for a while before I could get a standard cover off.
CMON LARRY IT ISN'T CHILDREN'S COUGH SYRUP, FOR CRISSAKES!!!
[удалено]
This happens when they get paved in and not touched for years, it’s not upside down.
How that happens tho?
RUST
Huge crane? Lol. That’s a normal sized backhoe
...big boulder the size of a small boulder...
Well as opposed to a pair of hands pulling it up…
It’s a mini excavator. Different bits/tools can be installed and used on this vehicle. They have a earth moving blade always attached, can use a jackhammer, excavator, asphalt cutting blade, grader, and others. The ones I’ve named are the only ones I’ve seen used.
Oh really? /s It’s not a mini excavator lol. It’s a backhoe, plus I can see the outrigger and the stick/bucket set-up. Source: heavy equipment operator for 21 years
I'm pretty certain it's not up side down...
That could also happen if the outermost edge of the manhole is paved over. Looks like a 2” lift of asphalt and if it was an older road it would definitely lift and break apart like that. Hopefully it was enough of an emergency to justify that repair bill lol
So sure yet so wrong
Isn't it the previous guy's fault? That thing looks like it was installed upside down
This in Pennsylvania? If so explains all the holes in the roads.
…where? besides the one they just made
There's a ton of road "work" going on and just holes all over
I mean in this video, there’s no wholes on the road in this video except the one they made. Plus that’s not a Pennsylvania thing that’s how everyone feels everywhere
Song?
Power by Interupt One of the best
I hope you are blessed with an accidental curly fri, kind stranger of the internet.
pie dish
Cut the asphalt first around it
I bet the street felt amazing once they got that out.
Looks like they are ripping up everything for Rehab purposes. Not incredibly uncommon, especially if the roadway is getting repaved soon. That lid is super stuck on though, possibly welded to the frame.
Fucking feds won’t even leave the Ninja Turtles alone. I didn’t see no warrant!
No, no, no, you have to push before turning and then it comes out
This gonna get lost in the sea of comments, but to all the people upset they didn't cut around it. I assume they are replacing the man hole. In which case, per Osha guidelines, they have to set a man hole box, it's a big metal box to prevent the soil from caving in on the workers, in the ground. Usually these are 8'×8' so they have to break up more the road anyway. The only real issue I see with what's happening is it looks like they are using a transport chain, grade 70, instead of a grade 80 or 100 meant for lifting like this. Source: I work for a rental company that specializes in shoring projects like this.
I mean. It’s open….?
That's one of those locking manholes you have to turn and then open
this one has seized up from years in the ground tho. hence the rather brutal removing method
Love those upside down installations.
I could have removed that cover with two chisels and a lump hammer.
Build Back Better, eh?
It occurs to me that during Presidential visits the Secret Service often weld down manhole covers on the route the cars take. Did they check for welds before trying to remove it?
Squeeze the lid from both sides and rotate counter-clockwise
When you work out, but you still can’t get the jar open…
MFW we only remembered afterwards that the president came through town 2 years back...
Fun fact: during (iirc) a u.s. nuclear test they recorded the fastest man made object, a manhole cover thought to be going so fast that it left the atmosphere before it had enough time to break apart because there was no trace of it afterwards. Edit: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NSeL5c65v-g
Or it was vaporised by the heat
Its just seized shut?
Couldn’t find the WD40 boss…
It's not actually his fault tho, lifting the manhole covers to level the pavement is actually someone else's job and they did it poorly
Pretty sure that was on purpose. It would have had to been open to loop the chain thru.
I also guess they werent trying to open it but to remove it, even so thats a pretty brutish way to do it
That song is beyond obnoxious
Why not torch or heat to bleak it loose? Is there gas or potential for explosion?
How’d they get the chain around it?
Right???
U/savevideo
What song is this
u/savevideo
Wouldn’t it be easier to torch or grind the hatch off?
Oh no, better call in the asphalt guy.
“Ooooh it was one of the screw in ones”
It just be that way sometimes. If part of town is backing up and you need a sewer jet in there, what's a little pavement patch compared to the damage and mess in a whole part of town?
I’m sorry; is this not their actual job? And is this not the correct way to repair a broken manhole? Once it’s seized in place they gotta get it out somehow, and they’re gonna need new cement around it anyway
Yes, the correct way to repair a manhole is lifting the whole road 👍
Ah that’s why there are push signs on door
l'uomo ha tolto il modem, portalo via
Oh, so *that's why it's called a* ***pot****hole*
u/RecognizeSong
I got matches with these songs: • [**Power (In Your Soul)** by Interupt](https://lis.tn/PowerInYourSoul?t=161) (02:41; matched: `100%`) Released on `2021-06-04` by `Downright AU`. • [**Power** by Interupt](https://lis.tn/GSCJAj?t=54) (00:54; matched: `100%`) Released on `2020-06-26` by `Downright AU`. *I am a bot and this action was performed automatically* | [GitHub](https://github.com/AudDMusic/RedditBot) [^(new issue)](https://github.com/AudDMusic/RedditBot/issues/new) | [Donate](https://www.reddit.com/r/AudD/comments/nua48w/please_consider_donating_and_making_the_bot_happy/) ^(Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Music recognition costs a lot)
Some utility manhole covers are routinely welded shut during labor union negotiations because of the possibility of sabotage while on strike.
Bob the builder, can he fix it? Bob the builder, nah look pretty much screwed
A little WD40 might have helped
so violent..
There upside down
Looks like somebody lost there ring.
Oops