Hi folks,
After such a dry summer, and hearing about various success in horrible chambers I was hoping a trip round the giants 'filthy fives' might be a go-er.

Trouble is, the peak caving book is a little vague on the mapping front.
Have visited geology and east canal in the past but scratching my head as to best way to approach the fives and rope required.

Any cave Yoda's who can help please?

Hi phil,

I'm in the process of building a new pump that will allow St Valenites sump to be drained quickly and allow easy access to the top of the F5.

Until that's installed though, you have to go down to the E Canal. Swim round to your right (if your canny, you can climb round the wall using some hidden foot holds just under the water level without getting too wet).  Basically, you end up at the bottom of the F5 and insitue ropes of unknown quality should be pretty obvious.

(note to self, get busy assembling that pump).

Rob - any joy with the 40mm pipe??

Sam, pipe can be ready whenever 

Phil, FYI a pdf survey of Giants-Oxlow system can be downloaded from the Eldon website:
http://www.eldonpotholeclub.org.uk/index.php/homepage/club-history/surveys

It's just a shame that the Eldon website is blocked at work, so I can't even check in my lunch break.

URL

http://www.eldonpotholeclub.org.uk/index.php/homepage/club-history/surveys


Reason

Matched categories:  SexSites that depict or graphically describe sexual acts or activity, including exhibitionism; also sites offering direct links to such sites.

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Thanks fellas.
So if we go down to east canal and then it's all insitu up pitches after that. Should we take something to bail the sump out with?
I'm hoping the water will be low enough that we find secret footholds, can't imagine I'll be able to bridge the passage way!

My memory might be failing me but I don't recall the water being out of depth when going to the right, just waist deep?

Sump takes bloody hours to bail. Takes at least half an hour to syphon with a couple of hoses running through it.  (you'll see the remains of a defunct system if you get there).

Alex said:

My memory might be failing me but I don't recall the water being out of depth when going to the right, just waist deep?

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Most people don't spend that long in the East Canal. When I was climbing the aven above the East Canal many years ago I noticed it rising and falling around 1.5m so you might have caught it when it was down.

Many many years ago I carried for Jerry Murland when he was diving the East Canal. He had rigged up a floating lorry inner tube to attach the diving shot line to. 10 minutes later it was suspended 1.5m above the water level.

Mark

Hi Sam,

You still on with St Valentines? You were doing that back in 06 when I was in SUSS  !

Anyway, a system I developed for a sump in GB (needing to pass to get to a dig) used a 12v battery, a float switch and a small pump to start a siphon when ever the sump got too high. All electronics sealed in a concrete like casing. Trouble was the battery would run dead before the sump emptied and the float switch tripped out.

We solved the GB sump problem a different way (hole in the floor), but an update to this system would be to use a small timing circuit to trigger the pump to run for ~30 seconds to get the siphon going and then to cut out. Would mean the battery lasts months rather than days and there is no waiting for the sump to drain... 

If you're interested happy to have a chat. Only question is this would result in the sump being almost always open.. which might change the nature of the cave significantly??

Ben (Now living in Bradwell)     

I know I know...    Life keeps getting in the way.

I've not really caved for a couple of years now, but Rob got me interested again as he's furtling around down there and could do with an easy way through, plus I guess it'd be good to get the survey loop closed through there.

Ben, interesting system. I'm sure you and Sam can sort this for us 

What would be really nice is once the syphon got going the pump is driven in reverse and tops the battery back up ;-)

I've got a drill body which is sitting unused, the battery is nackered and the drill is not an SDS, so i'm not too fussed about getting it going again.

If there is any water flowing nearby (within cable range), I guess you could fashion a generator and trickle-charge the battery?

Hmm - all a bit complicated and high tech.  Reckon feck off big pump and pipe, shouldn't take too long to syphon it dry.

It had crossed my mind that drilling a hole in the floor might be a permanent option - how far would have have to drill before you hit some sort of under lying bedding/fault that might drain it away. 1m?

might be worth a few batteries and a bit of time.  Its lucky that the lowest point in the sump corresponds with a the highest point allowing a long drill to be used.  In fact, thinking about it. Thats a small cross fault that it lies on,  Drill a plug hole and bingo - no more St Vals sump!

We were lucky in GB that there was a large chamber to the right of the sump which could take quite a bit of water, and attacking the bottom of the sump revealed a blocked hole which drained nicely (no drills involved!).

Sam : Have a crack with the pump, if it takes too long to drain we can certainly have a chat about this timing circuit to try an make it permanently dry (it's not too complicated  )