The filthy five and St valentines sump info?

benshannon

Active member
So I have recently learned of this place after stumbling into it. I have read old reports of the syphon blocking, is it still operational? What state are the ropes and metal work like in the pitches? Is it worth the 1.5 hour wait for the sump to drain?
 

Benfool

Member
I tried to use the siphon system at St valentines about 5 years ago and couldn't get it to work - we also tried bailing it which also didn't work as the drain hole was blocked. So I gave up.

I'm also unsure of the state of the ropes on the Filthy 5 at the minute - the last I heard they were in a really bad state. I'd certainly be careful going up them from the East Canal without first getting some more up to date information.

B
 

SamT

Moderator
Hi - Been my pet project for a long while (if you search back on the treads here - you'll see) .

Forget the drain, its been blocked for decades, and not just by a bailing bucket. Probably just years of small stones and sediment.

Got the siphon up and running about 10 (probably 15)  years ago - but its quite convoluted in its set up.  It basically takes too long to drain with those small hoses.  There were two running in parallel and it took about half an hour to drain.
The intake needs to be down in the deepest bit of the sump - which is at the little crouching sized bell, right where it sumps properly.

It all needs scaling up with bigger bore pipe (all in one section with no joints to avoid blockages).  I have a half built pump in my garage that was going to sit down in the deep bit, for priming the syphon an I intended to use 40mm blue mdpe water pipe.

The old rubber fire house needs stripping out of the place as its an eyesore, and if someone wants to return to me, the red bilge pump, I'd be grateful.

Please leave the dive line well alone.  Its the only way, currently, of pulling any new pipe through the sump. (though you need to remember to attached another line to it so that you retrieve it back through the sump once finished).

Once the siphon is up and running, the filthy five pitched could be re-bolted with P bolts and with either pull through rings, or left perma rigged.

Could be tempted out of retirement to get it finished off once and for all.
 

A_Northerner

Active member
SamT said:
The old rubber fire house needs stripping out of the place as its an eyesore, and if someone wants to return to me, the red bilge pump, I'd be grateful.

So you're saying if I pulled all that stuff out for you you'd consider heading down there and sorting it out?
 

chunky

Well-known member
I went up the first couple of pitches from East canal a few years back till I saw what I had been going up and beat a hasty retreat! Always fancied the loop ever since I first read of it.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
The easy way to sort this might be to persuade a member of the Cave Diving Group Derbyshire Section to nip through the short sump on a single tank and replace the rope down the pitches.

This information may be of use to anyone who accepts the contract:

 

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Rob

Well-known member
chunky said:
I went up the first couple of pitches from East canal a few years back till I saw what I had been going up and beat a hasty retreat! Always fancied the loop ever since I first read of it.

I went up the F5 last year and never noticed any poor ropes/anchors, well nothing to raise serious concern. Probably mostly cos i didn't look and everything (including my eyes) was covered in mud!
 

tdobson

Member
I was down there today, and noticed a coil of goodish looking rope by the sump. A gift from well wishers?

Am I right in thinking that removing the pipe from the cave and the bilge pump to return to SamT would be welcome?

Could be a nice little project. I'd be really keen for a working way to drain it, and I'm happy to do my bit.
 

SamT

Moderator
I've been working on a better solution, its quite simple really, same as before, which worked, but was too faffy and slow. with two parallel pipes running, it took about 30mins to drain. The faff involved removing the pump from one pipe, to attach it to the other, and prime that one too.  Pipes were too small, which meant an gravel 'hoovered' up could cause a blockage in the pipe, which is what I expect has happened.

Just needs bigger bore pipe, and a bigger pump.

Nearly finished the pump, which has been sat in my garage in bits for years.  Been working on it a bit just recently.  Based on 6" soil pipe, with two flap valves.
Then we need a 50m coil of 40mm black mdpe pipe, which I dont mind putting my hand in my pocket for.

Pump sits in the sump, permanently, at the deepest bit just before it sumps proper. 40mm pipe runs through the sump and down the FF. All things being equal, pump should be big enough to get the syphon started, and at 40mm bore, once running, it should drain pretty darn fast.

Hopefully, just needs one volunteer, preferably the smallest member of the group to get wet and crawl into the sump, a few strokes of the pump to get it going, then crawl out and wait.

I'll let you know when the pump is finished.  Will put a concerted effort in this weekend to get it finished.
Then we'll buy the pipe, and game on.  Old pipe and small pump need dragging out. (though perhaps a stash on the FF side of the sump might be useful for emergencies). New pipe will need hauling though the sump  . Last time, we had two teams, one team either side, and the pipe got dragged through the sump using the dive line that is in there to pull it though from the FF side. Worked at treat and we had another line tied too, so we could retrieve the dive line back through the sump.

Yes, I'd appreciate it if the Red handled pump made its way back to me. But no biggie.

I've been recovering from a torn tendon in my knee, which is starting to get there now, but somehow a trip down giants still feels like it might be a bit much for it just yet.

 
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