The filthy five and St valentines sump info?

[benshannon]

Awesome, as I said before, we have some ropes to donate to the pitches 😁 hope your knee feels better soon

 

[tdobson]

Old pipe and small pump need dragging out. (though perhaps a stash on the FF side of the sump might be useful for emergencies).

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

Let's see what we can do!

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.

Take it easy for now and focus on the topside engineering part - and we'll try and get the more logisticsy bits moving. Hopefully.

Awesome, as I said before, we have some ropes to donate to the pitches 😁 hope your knee feels better soon

Ben: do you and Ryan fancy a trip with me down to SVP to try and take this pipe apart, and bring this bilge pump back?

Happy to show you the round trip in reverse on the way back.

We may have met last December when Ryan took me and your media sec etc to Winnats head!

 

[benshannon]

I'm keen and I've asked Ryan.
Stupid question though. How many trips in giants is safe? I've done 2 recently so I'm aware of the radon issues. Or am I being paranoid?

 

[tdobson]

I'm keen and I've asked Ryan.

Fancy a trip on Monday afternoon? Leaving around 3:30pm? 

I realise it's an antisocial time, but I'm headed down anyway with two others.

If not - suggest a better day/time and let's do it!

 

[benshannon]

Sadly I'll still be at work mate, but I'll check my rota on Monday and find out my shifts and get back to you 😁

 

[tdobson]

Sadly I'll still be at work mate, but I'll check my rota on Monday and find out my shifts and get back to you 😁

No stress. I'll try and get a good sense of what kit is needed and what we'll need to remove the pump etc. I have a fair amount of flexibility, including during the day - so if ever your shifts allow a daytime trip - feel free to suggest it.

 

[tdobson]

So the Caving Crew + Anna headed down to St Valentines Sump on Monday and started work.
Really, we were on a jolly to East Canal, but we swung by SVS to figure out what needed to be done.

We:

• chopped the hose off the bilge pump
• worked out what's needed to remove the rest
• we removed the short length of pipe from the upstream side of the bilge pump
• took photos of what's down there for reference
• we were serious and solemn at all times as you'd all hope.

SamT: Shall we leave the long length of hose for the other side, or would it be best to bring it out?
Ben: any thoughts when you're up for another trip?

Here's a trip report from someone else's perspective: https://overgroundvunderground.blogspot.com/2020/09/giants-hole-east-canal.html

 

[benshannon]

Good work dude. I'll check my diary and bank balance and work it out. Struggling for fuel Money this month

 

[Mrs Trellis]

Sounds like a great trip. Were you all glowing afterwards?

 

[SamT]

Nice one!

I'd leave a long length (or two)  for the far side of the sump.

And maybe a couple of decent big buckets.

My imagined scenario goes something like:

Team drain St vals and descend FF.  Spend ages faffing about in the east canal, or there's a big flood, or encounter some sort of epic.
Cant return up the main stream, thus re-ascend FF only to discover St Vals is full again and thus are trapped on the wrong side if it with no means of getting back out.

So spare flexible pipe can be primed relatively easily from that side, and a syphon set going down FF to drain the sump again, assisted with some relatively straight forward bailing.

 

[tdobson]

I'd leave a long length (or two)  for the far side of the sump.

And maybe a couple of decent big buckets.

This all sounds great!

So currently the only thing on my work list is:
* take a screwdriver and remove the bilge pump, ready for its onwards journey home

I've not set the date for my next trip, but is there anything else we do that will be helpful later?

Are there other materials that will need carrying down there which we can sort out getting down there?
If the pipe was procured - we could work on getting that into position.

Sounds like a great trip. Were you all glowing afterwards?

One described it as "in my top 3 trips, ever". Tbf, it probably was in mine too - though I'm not prone to making a bit song and dance about it. Definitely my fav trip this year.

Good work dude. I'll check my diary and bank balance and work it out. Struggling for fuel Money this month

The struggle is real! I feel for you - I definitely can relate there  :doubt:
I probably can't help, but if I manage to summon my newbie-ish (yet becoming less newbie and has car + money!) caving friend from notts to come on a Giants trip - I'll give you a shout in case you can work out something. 

 

[tdobson]

Intending to head down later today.

Not sure if I'll make it to SVS (it may, or may not, be quite a gentle trip), but in case I do, I'll take a screwdriver and grab the bilge pump.

 

[SamT]

 

[SamT]

new pump nearing completion - just need to cut a couple of discs out of stainless for the "plunger" and glue it all together.

My main concern is how its going to sit in the sump, I think we may have to strap it to the wall, but that shouldn't too hard to achieve once the sumps drained and we can work without being waist deep in water!

 

[tdobson]

new pump nearing completion - just need to cut a couple of discs out of stainless for the "plunger" and glue it all together.

My main concern is how its going to sit in the sump, I think we may have to strap it to the wall, but that shouldn't too hard to achieve once the sumps drained and we can work without being waist deep in water!

Yep - once it's easily drainable, it should be relatively straightforward to mount it up like that.

 

[tdobson]

Not sure if I'll make it to SVS (it may, or may not, be quite a gentle trip), but in case I do, I'll take a screwdriver and grab the bilge pump.

It would have gone, but we did a trip to Boss Aven instead. I'll get down there before long for the bilge pump.

 

[tdobson]

Moist trip to Far Curtain + Standard Round Trip yesterday and we found 10 mins to recover the Bilge Pump to the surface. It's currently sitting in my van seeking a home.

Sam: if you want to PM me your address, I'll drop off the pump in a covid secure, lockdown compliant way sometime soonish-ish.

 

[SamT]

Hi, Brill.  I'll PM you.

It just so happens that I finished building the new pump at the weekend. (What else to do on a wet weekend).

Just needs Eavis to get that 50m of black 40mm mdpe ordered and we're in business.

(hopefully! - need to test the pump really before it gets dragged down there.)

 

[SamT]

Pics!

 

[SamT]

more pics