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Hi,
So I'm fairly new to urben exploration, and because I don't know anyone else who does it I'm still pretty in the dark about alot of things. I have been I many drains around Sydney now, and had an awesome time, but I'm curious about manhole keys/poppers/lifters. Can someone explain where I can get one, and the etiquette of manholes themselves (should I close it as I get in ect).
Thanks to anyone who has the time to fill in a newbie!
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Not even going to pretend I'm an expert on the subject of manholes though I do have a pair of short handle manhole lifters that look very similar to these.
Image
I bought them on ebay for something like $25 for the pair and they've been quite useful for opening a variety of things.
Top advice I once received is never open a manhole from below if you do not know what's above it, that's just asking for something bad to happen.
As for opening them from above you should be as inconspicuous and quick as possible. You absolutely want to put it back on once you're inside as long as you are aware of another exit or think you can open it again from below if needed. Manholes left open are obviously a safety hazard to the general public. Imagine if someone fell into one because you left it open, that could result in serious injury or death depending on a variety of factors like how deep the shaft is etc.
Just my 2 cents.
Cheers, Echo.
Wander often. Wonder always.
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sydnavigator wrote:If you don't want to go eBay (which I'm sure works just fine) then this company out at Seven Hills makes them for $30
http://www.edro.com.au/product/386-t-lid-lifter
Pretty sure you could just rock up and pay with cash if you wanted.
Those are long handles, I have found some situations where a longer handle would have been useful but overall I personally find my ones more practical to take everywhere as I carry a rather small backpack that is already crammed with torches, my camera, spare batteries, bluetooth speaker and other junk.
Wander often. Wonder always.
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Echo wrote:Not even going to pretend I'm an expert on the subject of manholes though I do have a pair of short handle manhole lifters that look very similar to these.
Image
I bought them on ebay for something like $25 for the pair and they've been quite useful for opening a variety of things.
Top advice I once received is never open a manhole from below if you do not know what's above it, that's just asking for something bad to happen.
As for opening them from above you should be as inconspicuous and quick as possible. You absolutely want to put it back on once you're inside as long as you are aware of another exit or think you can open it again from below if needed. Manholes left open are obviously a safety hazard to the general public. Imagine if someone fell into one because you left it open, that could result in serious injury or death depending on a variety of factors like how deep the shaft is etc.
Just my 2 cents.
Cheers, Echo.
That's awesome, thanks for the help. Will those open all types of manholes, even the square ones?
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alex0000 wrote: That's awesome, thanks for the help. Will those open all types of manholes, even the square ones?
As I said, not an expert on manholes. I know they open basically everything important I've ever needed to open and for 20 odd dollars I couldn't exactly go wrong.
Wander often. Wonder always.
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alex0000 wrote: Will those open all types of manholes, even the square ones?
The big square ones are known as Gatic covers and require a special type of lifter because they're so heavy. I'd advise staying away from Gatics - they're too much of a pain and 99% of the time there's going to be an easier entrance (they take ages to get open). You'll find them mainly on roads or in rows above GPT chambers because they permit much greater access for maintenance crews etc. and of course it deters explorers like us.
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This ^. And a lot of the time the square ones are also 'sealed'. Breaking the seal requires way more force than one of those lifters can provide.
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Thanks guy, thats really useful. So back to usual manholes, what's the best way to open them from underneath?
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alex0000 wrote:Thanks guy, thats really useful. So back to usual manholes, what's the best way to open them from underneath?
Don't.

On the surface world there are these obscenely heavy boxes called cars. They hurtle around transporting people (who can't use the storm water system for transport) from point A to point B (And on weekends point C). Cars drive over manholes often, because they're on the road.

If you pop one and a car drives over, you'll be split in two,
I made this ascii art to convey my point:

- _______________
- / \
______/ \____________ MMMM
| ( ) ( ) | ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
----------------------------------------------------------------------- < | > -----------------------------------------
|| | || | ||
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|| [] [] ||
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Edit:
Ah bugger,
It reformats it:
Image
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Haha well done Nick.

Shame we're not using fixed width fonts!
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[offtopic]
There's always the 'code' bbcode (the </> icon)!

Code: Select all

      _.--.
    .'   ` '
     ``'.  .'     .c-..
        `.  ``````  .-'
       -'`. )--. .'`
       `-`._   \_`-- BP
[/offtopic]
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alex0000 wrote:Thanks guy, thats really useful. So back to usual manholes, what's the best way to open them from underneath?
As Nick said it's best not to open manholes from below unless you know what's above them as a lot of them are in roads and such. Speaking from past experience just don't do it, it's really reckless.
Nick wrote:-
Nice artwork Nick, put a smile on my face :)
Wander often. Wonder always.
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Echo got most of the main points in his first post. Sydney manholes are a bit different to Melbourne ones in terms of the lifter hook dimensions. I think Pred's approach has the dimensions if you want to make your own up.

Try to be discreet on the way in, and replace the manhole cover after you, provided you can lift it back off. If you can't, you should look for an alternate entry point.

Gatics down in Melbourne come in many different flavours, the most common being the 0.9x0.9 m (ish) 50+ kg 10 cm thick ones. These are generally used in heavy traffic areas, i.e. designed to take the weight of a car and more. Unless you know EXACTLY where the manhole is (and remember, it's easy to get two shafts mixed up) you should NEVER, EVER pop these from beneath (not that you can without additional tools or way-above-average strength). The Draper-branded lifters found on eBay are useful for the lighter and frequently popped gatics. Anything big or sealed will need bolt-down, levered or other serious lifters and often the use of a mallet.

We also have light concrete lids with no metal reinforcement. These are never used in traffic areas (though be warned - cars will still park on them, causing them to crack) and can generally be popped. However, these are almost exclusively gutterbox lids and you might need to crawl for a bit to find them.

Older areas have webbed-type lids that can often be popped on one's own, but these can still bear traffic loads. In general, it's much safer just to not ever pop a manhole from beneath.
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I'm only here for the ASCII art.
Subscribe to my journal to see random exploration photos.
Where are the cat emoticons?
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