How NOT TO drain a ditch

trlong · Mar 28, 2005

This was Saturday, around 5:00. Before my daughter got back with the camera, the front wheels had been about three feet forward of where the tip of the bucket is seen in these pictures, and about 3 feet lower. Neither wheels nor bucket could be seen beneath the water. I'd have waited for the camera (know it would have been appreciated) but thought it best to get out while the getting was good.

All was going well, moving bucket loads of water from the high side, to the low side of the drive, until a layer of ice let go and the front end dropped in below the exhaust pipe, stalling the motor. As soon as some chains, come-a-long, and nearby tree were employed, the front end came out enough to start the motor and pull itself out. “Don’t try this at home”!

The water was about 1 ft. deeper, late this afternoon and starting to wash out the drive. Not wanting to wait for a culvert steamer to show up tomorrow, lose driveway overnight, and pay them $200+, I got impatient. I took a MAPP gas torch (all I had), an iron bar , and about an hour and a half on my knees before I broke through the ice plug on the drain end of the 16" culvert, finally starting the flow. Once I got it running, it didn’t take long for the water to clear out the culvert and drop the “lake” 2-3 ft. Thankfully, I don’t have to have the culvert steamed out now and the J.D. is where it should be...high and dry.

trlong · Mar 28, 2005

2nd pic...just removing the come-a-long, chains, cleaning, lubing and re-greasing left to do...and, of course, ignoring my wife's and daughter's smirks.

GerardC · Mar 29, 2005

Ahhhh, the joy of the unexpected. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

trlong · Mar 30, 2005

It certainly was a "sinking feeling". Yesterday, once the ditch had finally drained, I measured the thickness of the ice layers left hanging in the ditch. The ice was, at least, 12" thick. No wonder I had thought my front wheels were still on solid ground. Also, the bottom of that ditch is about 4' below the level of the drive [glad all that ice kept me from sliding in to the bottom].

Guess the moral is "use the right tool for the job"! The CUT is not the proper tool for draining ditches!

willfick · Mar 30, 2005

Wow. Ice stopping up a culvert. Somehow that had never occured to me. I get mine stopped up with sand if we get so much rain that the sump fills before I can dig it out(see pic), and down in the swamp the beavers will stop up anything that has a steady flow of water. But ice is in sweet tea, not culverts. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Wm

trlong · Mar 30, 2005

Will,

Great pic. Pretty obvious we live in a different climate. Not sure I'd appreciate your summers but, am getting a bit tired of our winters when there's not enough snow to really play in /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Yup, the beavers can be a real problem. Plenty of them up here. As long as they don't flood any one out, they do a really good job of making trout ponds. Nothing like a summer's evening, a beaver dam, and a stone fly on a light fly rig /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

DHennet · Mar 31, 2005

Will-
Is that your snake charmer on your side? I use a S&W 908 personally.

willfick · Apr 1, 2005

Yeah, you never know who might come slithering down the ditch. Or down the road, for that matter. That one is my stainless steel yard&woods model. Impervious to sweat or Off.
Wm
I'll edit to say that when I looked at this pic again I realized that if you didn't know it was there you might not see it. I almost didn't at the time. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif