In article .com,
"Ether Jones" wrote:

Just dug up the septic tank to get it pumped and I cannot lift the
concrete access cover. It is "frozen" in place (more like "chemically
bonded" I would say).

The tank is concrete and the access cover is concrete. The access
cover is rectangular in shape, about 12"x18". It has an iron handle
cast into the center. The sides of the cover are slightly angled so
that the cover fits snugly down into the access hole (like a stopper in
a utility sink).

I tried prying the cover up with a bar thru the iron handle. It
doesn't want to budge. Any more force and I'm sure I would break the
iron handle. I tried prying the cover up around the edges with a crow
bar but it just chips the concrete.

What are the recommended ways of dealing with this situation? Should I
use acid or some other chemical to try to break the "bond" that has
formed between the cover and the hole?

The tank is 11 years old, and I don't think the cover has been removed
since the tank was buried (cover is about 8" below ground surface
level).


I had the same problen, except the tank had been 4' underground for 25
years. I chained my carryall to the handle and lifted until the front
wheels of my tractor became airborne. After a while the lid came out.

Suggest you get a comealong mounted on a tripod and pull with a NYLON
rope so it stretches (NO more than 10%!!) and let it sit in tension for
a while. Maybe even dump boiling water on it to soften the tar paper
seal, then put an ice block on the lid to shrink it.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
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