Equipment

Drain Safety

and Drain Features

© 1998, Gunny - aka Panic!

At least they included that copyright message

Introduction

    Guide and advice on drain exploration There are a few skills and tips that you should acquire when it comes to exploring drains. This guide is mostly intended for newbies stuff but experienced drain explorers may be interested in the information on pollution.

    As you're down there exploring drains there's a few things you should be aware of. There are also a few skills that are useful for you to know before you venture into a drain. This will help you from making the sort of painful mistakes that other drain explorers have made before you, myself included.  

    Disclaimer: The Geek Group accepts no responsibility for loss or injury occurring through use of this information. At the time of publishing it is considered to be true and accurate.

    The information contain in this document original done by Gunny of the MDT, and has been plagiarized from their site,( http://www.urbanadventure.org/main/newindex.htm ) the exception being details of further information in the pollution section. Due to the nature of the topics presented here, there is only so many ways the information can be presented, so some information may appear to be similar to that found elsewhere. This entire text is original and was written by Gunny of the MDT in the interests of improving safety of drain exploration. This document remains © copyright 1998. It has been extensively reedited for distribution in the USA by The Geek Group U.E.T.

Locating drains

    Presuming you live in a city which is not covered by the drain location sheets you may have to locate drains yourself. This is normally easy to locate a few using common sense, but it helps to cheat. Keep in mind that even though you may find a new drain that it may not necessarily be a good one. Don’t give up hope, keep looking and hopefully you will find a drain that rewards you with its size or interesting features.

Your local water authority. (D.P.W.)

    These people are bound to have maps of drain locations and alignments although they may not be happy to make them available to just anyone. If you contact them, be polite and have a good reason plus a few dollars you can probably buy one of these maps. Reasons range from needing maps for school projects, academic research, building projects, environmental projects and so on. You’d be surprised how much these people will help you if you are polite, well versed in drain knowledge and appear interested.

    In addition to drain maps your local water authority is bound to keep reports on where it spends its money. These reports may include the locations of drains being serviced or built.

Maps

    Compare old maps (at least 10-20 years old, the older the better) with new ones, look for creeks marked on old maps that do not appear on new maps. Also look for small creeks that flow a short way from larger creeks and rivers that disappear at streets and buildings. One big give away is strips of parkland, particularly narrow, linear parks that end near rivers and creeks. Look for retarding basins or lakes in these parks.

Land depressions

    When you are out and about keep an eye out for valleys which drains may flow under. Head for the lowest ground and start looking for manholes. Follow these valleys downhill and eventually you should find a drain exit on a river or creek.

Rivers, creeks and driving around.

    Many drains, particularly inland ones exit into rivers and creeks. Keep an eye out for drainage canals, the entrances of drains and large grilles in the ground when you are driving around or on public transport. Catching public transport is good as you can keep a good eye out as you pass over valleys.

Media reports

    Keep an eye out for news of drains in your area. Most articles will concern stories of excessive pollution, beaches polluted because of drains and the occasional one about people falling into drains.          

Suggestions on exploring drains

Entering tunnels

    The easiest and best way to get into drains is where drains they emerge into rivers or creeks. This is usually where the drains are the largest. There's normally easy access via a stepiron ladders into the drain or in most cases you can just scramble down the bank and walk on in.

    Very few drains are fenced, some may have a fence along the top to prevent people from walking over the drop. Some drains are fenced off such as those on golf courses or near schools. These are mainly to prevent children and golf balls from entering the drain. A good many drains also are located in canals. In most cases there are stepirons to get down into the drain.

    Some drains can only be entered via manholes. You will need a manhole popper to open these. This consists of a 'T' shaped metal tool made from 8mmround metal rods. The top metal bar is about 12 centimeters long, the same as center bar. A small bar about 28 mm long is attached to the base of the 'T'. This device can be popped into manholes to lift them. Of course a crow bar will do the job just fine as well.

Walking along drains

    So, you've got yourself into a drain eh? Well the next thing you face is the invariable slipping and sliding that is almost inevitable. When walking along the drain keep a good eye out for damp areas. On drains such as mummy types or rectangular concrete drains you may notice water dripping from side pipes, sliding across the floor of the drain. Try avoid stepping on these areas because they are invariably extremely slippery. Also keep an eye out for deposits from stalactites dripping from the roof of the drain.

    When you walk along RCP (Round Concrete Pipe) type tunnels one of the easiest ways to do this is by walking from side to side. That is, you walk three steps along one side, cross to the other and walk three along the other. This process of crossing from side to side keeps your feet from getting wet. Once you get the hang of it this is an almost natural process.

Climbing ladders

    You can climb ladders easily with even a big dolphin flashlight but it doesn't hurt to chuck the heavy gear into a bag and pull it up after you. Once you get experienced in navigating ladders this won't be a problem. Watch out for slippery rungs on ladders that get sprayed with water.

Equipment

 

    Above is an example of some equipment you might need to explore drains although you would not take all of it into the drain.

 

    Generally you will not need to take much with you when you are exploring drains. Shorts, t-shirt, old shoes and a flashlight will do fine. Some of this stuff will seem obvious to experienced drain explorers. Ultimately after exploring drains you will get an idea of what you need or don't need. You may want to take some extra equipment with you when exploring drains. We suggest:

Must Have Equipment: 

Basic Adventure Gear

(For more info on equipment see the Gear section of our website)

Optional Equipment:

 

Paint

Useful for leaving your mark or messages in the drain. After crawling all the way up a drain you like to prove that you were there.  Most commonly used is aerosol can paint, - spray cans. These can be purchased for under $3 just about anywhere. Keep it simple, and never paint anything that would get you into trouble.

We use and recommend Krylon brand spray paint, Dark Green and Red seem to be the best colours. White and black are to be avoided. 

 

Also available from Home Hardware in Glen Iris is a very good metallic finish spray paint. Check the Hexadus map for the hand showing the location. Car touch up paint is often good too as it tends to stand out and comes in many colours.

 

Markers

When it comes to textas try get ones with angled tips, not pointed tips. Generally the bigger the better. When writing with them try to smooth off the area you are writing on first or the tip will wear down quickly. We use Sharpie brand markers. 

    When using paint or textas don't write above ground, stick to drain entrances and inside of drains or you may find yourself in trouble for vandalism.

 

Pocket knife

    Not normally required, in fact I have never needed to use one in a drain. But they do come in handy above ground where the screwdriver is useful for unscrewing souvenir signs.

 

First aid kit

    Optional but recommended. Not always necessary for experienced explorers but useful for beginners. A simple one in a small waterproof container should contain: Band-Aids, a bandage, cotton wool, anti-septic, gloves. You can normally put together one for about $5-6 and carry it in your pocket.

 

    Having said all this you can normally get away with exploring some tunnels with nothing more than a pocket flashlight if you're careful. We've explored known drains in normal cloths, everyday shoes and just one pocket flashlight between the lot of us but ideally we take our coveralls, flashlights and first aid kit with most also choosing to wear a helmet.

 

Light Rope

    Not the sort of rope you use for climbing, but rather a short piece of rope that you can use to tie to your bag and equipment when crawling through low drains or pipes or climbing ladders.

 

Food

    Some long drains  take so long to explore that you may like to take along a light snack.  We always carry some munchies in a waterproof pocket in our backpacks and plenty of fluids.

Safety in exploring drains

 

    Exploring drains is a risky business. As well as problems with climbs and drops in the drains there are other dangers. Even if you read nothing else in this article read this! Some people have said this information is over the top. It would be irresponsible for me not to include this information. Just as driving instructors warn drivers of the dangers of the road, We choose to warn people of the dangers of drain exploration.

General Safety

    Drain exploring can be fun and exciting, but you should be aware of the risks to ensure your exploration does not lead to injury. Safety should be kept paramount at all times!

    Sure, you have to take some risks while exploring drains, it's in the nature of the game. But there is a difference between a carefully calculated known risk and a plainly stupid risk. Climbing a safe ladder is a known risk. Climbing a dangerous ladder with rusted bolts is a stupid risk. Passing through a smelly section of a drain is low risk, entering a drain clearly smelling of gas is a very stupid risk. Don't let this section put you off of exploring drains, it's intention is to make you aware of some of the more common risks so that you can safely explore drains.

Hazards found in drains

 

Hazards found in drains come in three main groups;

 

Physical hazards

    These are caused by features and functions of the drains themselves. These include danger from water and flooding, drops & ladders, vehicles, slipping over & injuries, exiting manholes and other dangers.

 

Gas and air hazards

    Drains can be subject to bad air and the presence of dangerous gasses. There is a whole section devoted to gasses.

 

Pollutants

    While not considered to be as dangerous as physical hazards and gas in the past, I have done some research into the dangers of pollution which indicate some concerns for drain explores. There is a whole section on pollutants and their effect.

The record so far on draining safety

 

    There have been no deaths of drain explorers in drains anywhere in the US that we know of so far. The worst injuries that have occurred include broken ankles and broken arms, and I personally only know of three cases of this happening over seven years which is quite a good record. On two of these occasions the people involved were climbing ladders which they fell of, one of these due to rusted step irons. The other occasion was when a drain explorer slipped over in a drain.

     Most injuries incurred in drain exploration are minor bruises and grazes when slipping over or exploring tight fitting crawl-throughs in side tunnels.

    There have however been deaths in drains, though not of drain explorers and not recently. In UA City a fireman lost his life when taking part in a training exercise. For an unknown reason a group of firemen were simulating a rescue in Dwellers drain in UA City. This exercise took place just prior to a rain storm. The firemen, inexperienced in drains were not expecting water levels in the drain to build up so fast. Caught in a flash flood, some of the firemen clambered up a manhole which they were unable to open, as it was a Gatic type.

    For reasons unknown, one of the firemen lost his grip and was washed down the drain. The fireman’s body was subsequently later found downstream.

    There have also been near misses, but once again not by regular drain explorers.

    In South Australia a scout leader decided to take his scout troop up a drain for an exploration trip. Once again, while it was raining. Why he decided to do this is beyond me. As to be expected, water levels rose to the point where the scouts were threatened with being washed down the drain. One scout was sent for help, then with the rescue people waiting around the scouts jumped into the water and were washed down the drain to pour toboggan like out of the drain mouth. Footage of this event is used by the media to depict the sort of trouble ‘typical’ drain explorers can get into.

    In 1997 a fireman had to leap into a drain to rescue a boy washed into the drain during floods. The fireman was up to his neck in the drain which was almost full. Just recently the fireman received Australia’s highest bravery award.

    But tales of danger aside, drain exploring by well informed drain explorers has been happily clear of death and dismemberment, with serious injury being few and far apart. To my knowledge there never has been a case where a drain explorer needed to be pulled from a drain.

Safety as paramount

    Recent recommendations concerning the accreditation and licensing of cave explorers has a lot of suggestions that can be applied to drain exploration. The first of these is that safety should be kept paramount at all times. Safety should be more important than the desire to explore further. This means you should not place people's safety at risk for the sake of exploring a drain. Drain explorers, and expedition leaders in particular should take the trouble the make themselves aware of the dangers, both known dangers and other possible dangers. They should make themselves aware of first aid techniques and of rescue techniques.

    Any expedition into drains should carry a small first aid kit, adequate number of flashlights and have an experienced drain explorer in the lead.

Who should not go in drains?

 

    There are also some people that I do not recommend should be allowed to explore drains. The first of these is children. Drain explorers should not encourage children to enter the drains and in fact should actively encourage children not to go in drains. About the  youngest age that anyone should go into a drain is from about 16 years of age. Teenagers will of course enter drains on their own but they should be made aware of the risks and dangers of doing so.

    People obviously under the influence of drugs or alcohol should also not enter drains and expedition leaders should not let these people enter a drain.

    When it comes to exploring drains, do it in a group. Exploring drains on your own is not recommended, and should only be done by very experienced drain explorers. Inexperienced drain explorers should ideally join an existing group to gain some experience before forming their own group.

    So, when it comes to exploring drains, think safety first. Be aware of the risks, dangers and potential risks. Be responsible for your safety and others, don't take dangerous and stupid risks for the sake of exploring just that bit more. Be aware of first aid and take a kit with you.

    Lastly, and most importantly, let someone responsible know where you are going and what time to expect you back. Give them a clear idea of what drains you plan to explore, including any that you might explore if you have the time, explain which bits of larger drains you plan to explore and if you are using a car tell them roughly where you plan to park. In the event of you failing to return this will help rescuers pinpoint where you are.