Bad air / pollution / bad bolts / etc

[busty_caver]

Hey John,

Any chance you can remove my phone number.  I have no problem people emailing me on busty_caver@hotmail.com but don't want PPI calls coming through.  Cheers, Hannah

 

[andrewmcleod]

The air in Cuckoo Cleeves was very bad on 25/09/15 - not really too surprising. 

Bit late to report now but also bad air in Cuckoo Cleeves on 31/10/15 (also my first cave).

 

[cap n chris]

Tynings bad this evening two of us on a trip of four suffered quite badly,  we all felt breathless and far more tired on the way out,  although felt a bit better once at the cleaner air near the pitches.

Visit today, 21-2-16, CO2 guessed at probably about 1%. Trip didn't need to be aborted, but just steady progress throughout to minimise huffy-puffy-ness.

 

[cavegirl99]

Bad air warning Manor Farm - A party had to turn back at the top of the second pitch (September Rift) on Friday night because of bad air.

 

[bagpuss]

Sludge Pit Hole
I felt the air was bad in the above cave last night, particularly in Skeleton Series. Rest of the club weren't effected, but did notice a big difference in freshness of air once we returned to the stream way.

PS the field has cows in at the moment, but they were very docile! *caver with a cow phobia* 

 

[Keris82]

Swildons two. Bad air.!

I experienced the same a couple of weeks ago too. Very short if breath and exhausting

 

[JohnMCooper]

Report of strong diesel smell in Swildon's Hole on the Short Round Trip today. Between the Greasy Chimney and the Troubles. May be the stuff coming up from Watergate again?

 

[JohnMCooper]

Smell of diesel from Sump I down to The Landing today.

 

[KrissGC]

Still a strong smell of diesel all the way to sump 2 today.

 

[JohnMCooper]

Group this afternoon had to turn back at the First Mud Sump owing to the strong smell/taste. Think the draught has reversed and the smell is coming out of St Paul's now.

 

[PeteHall]

Very strong diesel smell in Swildon's 4 today. I could taste it in the air before I even got my mask off. Worst I've ever smelt it in a cave, nearly threw up several times  :yucky:
Smell seemed strongest at the upstream end, close to High Loop Passage. Could just be the draft carried it up there, but didn't investigate too closely.

 

[JohnMCooper]

Went into Swildon's Hole, Vicarage Passage today.

There is the white growth again, see: https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=9646.25

First noticed on the right at the bottom of the rope going up The Landing. Went both ways once past the boulder choke entry into Vicarage Passage. Heading towards Vicarage Pot the growth ceases a couple of metre from the top of the slope. Going the other way it contines towards  Birthday Squeeze. Didn't notice any smell. Sump I was open again (just).

 

[CavingPig]

Lots of dieselly aromas through Swildon's Sump V yesterday and a very strong metallic smell just after the sump, although no CO2 problems in that area. Did not notice diesel smell elsewhere in the cave. Sump VI bypass a bit airless as was the Damp Link, we both ended up very breathless and headachey, estimate around the 2% mark. Improved once through into Causer's.

 

[SabTheCat]

Bad air in Hunters Sink on the 13th of October, not a massive surprise but thought id still mention it.

 

[bagpuss]

Visited Little Crapnell Swallet last night, had hoped the drop in temp/ rain might have made it okay, but we turned around for bad air at Uriah Creep (not that far into the cave) I always seem to notice before anyone else, don't know how accurate the lighter test is, but it wouldn't produce a flame at our turn around point, but worked fine at the bottom of the slippery slab 'speedway'. Went to Swildons afterwards to the top of the 20 and back which felt fine, so wasn't a fitness issue..

 

[mikem]

Stoke bottom rain gauge (to east) had only 10mm of rain, grove farm (west) 5mm, so would have just soaked into ground rather than running off

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Seems to affect people differantly. Vurley has it. We were tracking the percentage. I just got a bit hot and tired whilst others got a headache. Some of our percentage ratios were quite high and at times oxygen depletion was noticed. Differant parts of the cave were affected at differant times.

 

[mikem]

Various previous threads on this: https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?threads/poor-air-2007.3192/

 

[bagpuss]

Various previous threads on this: https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?threads/poor-air-2007.3192/

Yup have come across them previously, was just adding a report to the forum in case it was useful to anyone else tempted to visit the cave. The pinned 'bad air/pollution' etc thread seems to have gone.

 

[bagpuss]

Seems to affect people differantly. Vurley has it. We were tracking the percentage. I just got a bit hot and tired whilst others got a headache. Some of our percentage ratios were quite high and at times oxygen depletion was noticed. Differant parts of the cave were affected at differant times.

I just struggle with breathing, feeling sick/ dizzy and like I'm on the verge of a panic attack in a section of cave that I wouldn't normally feel panicked in. My iron levels are chronically low which I wonder if it has an impact on tolerance levels to bad air.