This is what i do for my city. Pic's up!!!

S

skeetlee

Active member
Just thought some of you fellas might enjoy this picture of me getting soak and wet in freezing weather. This water main i am repairing is a 12" main, and the water you see in the picture was blowing about 30 feet up into the air. We had 2 four inch pumps running as hard as they could run to keep up with the water. Once we get the water pumped down a bit, then the water usually blows out of the hole, and the clamp goes on. This particular brake was a real pain in the neck. The air temp was right around 15 degrees, and this line feed's the high school so we couldn't shut it down. Very rarely do we ever shut the main down anyway, but for this brake we may have if the situation were a bit different.
This pic was from the daily news paper. it doesn't take a hole lot to make the news in a small community like the one i work for. The crappy thing was that i didnt even have my protective gear on that day, I had fixed the last two water main brakes so i was going to just drive the truck on this one. However the water was blowing to hard for the new guys, and it needed to get fixed ASAP so i had no choice but to jump in and help. In case you haven't already figured out, last Thursday was a terrible day. LOL!! This is the third brake since Thanksgiving, and i am more than sure its just the beginning for the season. I don't know about were you fellas live, but the stereo type around these parts are that city workers dont do much, but this just isnt so. The city i work is a well ran city, and we do all of our own work. its a good job, i just dont care for days like last Thursday. Anyway i thought you fellas might enjoy this picture. have a good weekend. Lee
Oh, by the way, i am the pudgy fella in the front manning the pumps, and yelling at the new guy. LOL!!

watermain016.jpg


Just to give you fellas some idea of how hard this water was blowing. We have a metal shield that i made that fits the profile of the round water main attached to a piece of steel pipe thats about 10 foot long. We use the shield to cover the blowing water so a man can dig the dirt from around the pipe to prepare for the rubber clamp that goes around the main, and stops the water. Anyway i was standing on the shield itself on the main over the leak and the water pressure, and volume was so great, it picked me up. I weigh 225 pounds and this was a first for me. I had never seen water blow this hard before. We usually just man the shield from the bank, but like i said, the water was so strong there was no way. Enjoy!
 
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Wondered how you got the BIG BUCKS!!!!??????????
But, that is cool.
City Road Crews, Power Crews, Water Crews, etc. are in the same line of work as US Navy Flight Deck Crews/Pilots. Next milla sec. you are gone.....These are the most dangerous jobs any where. There is no luck with these jobs. It just happens. Gone.
And we never get paid enough.....
Thank you for your Service. Lee.
By the way. Where is Mattoon????
 
A matter of curiosity

Once you have clamped the leak with the rubber boot. Then what ? how do you make the final repair ?
Andy.
 
Andy
The rubber and stainless clamps are bolted on with heavy steel bolts. They are as final as it gets. The clamp is a rubber material with a stainless outer shell. the clamp raps around the main and then it is bolted tight. All this while the water is flying in your face or your buddies face. Once the clamp is on and before it gets tightened the water shoots out the sides of the clamp with pretty good force.
Zippy,
you are correct. This can be a very dangerous job. Cave in's are very common. Any deeper than the leak in the pic, and the cages go in before any work is attempted. I have been inside of the cages 20 feet deep in the ground, and when the ground comes loose and hits the side of the cage, it will make you pucker up pretty tight. Another situation would be an unmarked power line. Just picture a power line on the edge of the bank that you dont know is there, and it has a nick in the coating from a backhoe. I have seen this first hand. Big pretty blue light!!!!! Drowning is another killer. May sound stupid, but i have been 100% submerged in water 3' deep to replace a tap that has been torn out. We have to easy out the broken piece, and then try to screw a new cork back in. When there is water above the main by a foot or two it helps with the pressure of the water that is coming out of the 3/4" hole at 65PSI. The weight of the water equalities the main pressure a bit and it is easier to replace the cork. I have screwed new corks in when the water was flying 40 feet in the air and the hole is relatively dry with no water around the pipe, and it is a booger!! To hard to fight the stream of water to get the cork screwed back down in. I do enjoy my job most days. I get to run the backhoe more and more all the time. We have had several old timers retire over the past 3 years so our crew is getting younger and younger all the time. Last Friday was my 8th year anniversary so i am now vested with my pension fund.Thats a good feeling. I also get to do all the park concrete work, or any other concrete work were it needs to look pretty, so that gives me a bit of a different pace from the utility work. We do a lot of directional boring as well. Thats another dangerous job. I once hit a 4" gas main that wasn't located. Thats was scary to say the least. I have also hit electrical lines. My machine has a strike alert that is supposed to sound off when i get close to power lines, but that particular day it did not. The machine went directly to the shop after that job! So yes my work is dangerous, but i love it. I never was much count in school and i have been working construction since i was 14 years old. I walked beans and help on the farm since i was 7, so i have always worked with my hands. I make a decent living between the city and my farm so life is good. I have a healthy family and a few dollars in my pocket on most days, so what more can you ask for. I have a bunch of good friends in my life as well, and thats always a plus!! Thanks for looking! Lee
 
Other than that, how was your day?

Reminds me of during the drought of 1996 in Atlanta when a utility contractor on my project hit a water main right on Peachtree Street, downtown. The water was blowing close to 100 feet high and Peachtree was shut down to traffic. News helicopters were circling and when one of my guys told me that reporters were outside and wanted to talk to me, I knew it wasn't going to be a good day.
 
Skeet, I'm a pipefitter here in Alaska and deal with that B.S. also tying into mains. This is ducile iron correct. HDPE shouldn't fail this early in product life cycle?? I once had my apprentice "go shut off the main" while I drilled through an 8" ducitle main with 2 1/2" hole saw to tie-in a 2" service. He shut off some branch main instead. It blew and the ditch caved. I never found my drill or wrenches. Had Old faithful shooting up 40'. You can see that pretty far away. I moved my van out of sight as I consider that bad advertising. Now have 14 plumbers and tin knockers working for me and between all of the we get to see some crap. Last night we had xmas party with a friendly Electrical contractor and the owner of the competition crashed our deal after the guys were good and tuned. Our course some guys used to work there. It was bottles down fists up. Sheesh!
 
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