I started to hear a regular 'clonk-donk' as cars were driving over
something in the road, like a bit of chipboard shelf but it then
persisted for around a couple of weeks.

Yesterday I investigated when we took the dog for a walk last thing
and it appears at least one manhole cover has been lifted ... or has
worked loose(?) and is now rocking about 5mm when you stand on it?

This is just one of the single piece, all metal (cast iron), slightly
rectangular ones with just a BS number on it and no clues to what
utility it might serve but from it's location I'm thinking it might be
the sewer?

Now when I've seen the workers lift these in the past (and the heavier
concrete topped ones) they seem to just hook it out one end and drag
it out the way, then drag it back in place again when done with no
apparent regard to any crud that might be stuck on the cover or the
sides of the hole. I saw them (on CCTV) working on a mains access
manhole in the pavement next to us and when they put it back in place
they obviously had issue with it seating properly / fully and were
jumping up and down on it! ;-(

Now, I've reported this one to the Highways Agency but it looks like
it comes under their 'low priority' action so I wondered if there was
anything one could do that couldn't be considered as interfering that
might help, like brushing some sharp sand into the cracks or
something? Ideally I'd like to lift it and give both parts a good
brush with a stiff brush and put it back but as it's in the middle of
the road ...

I've seen an instance where some Water board guys 'temporarily' fixed
one of their noisy manhole covers by trapping rubber gloves in each
corner. ;-)

I would have thought that if it was a stone trapped in there it would
have been crushed by now but not of it was say a piece of metal (large
nail / screw) or steel nut etc.

Whilst I really only notice it during the morning rush hour / school
run, it must be pretty loud / annoying for the houses either side?

My minor concern is that it get's worse requiring a replacement that
takes even longer to happen. 'Where there's noise there's wear', as my
Dad used to say.

Cheers, T i m

On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 21:58:18 +0000, T i m wrote:

I started to hear a regular 'clonk-donk' as cars were driving over
something in the road, like a bit of chipboard shelf but it then
persisted for around a couple of weeks.

Yesterday I investigated when we took the dog for a walk last thing
and it appears at least one manhole cover has been lifted ... or has
worked loose(?) and is now rocking about 5mm when you stand on it?

This is just one of the single piece, all metal (cast iron), slightly
rectangular ones with just a BS number on it and no clues to what
utility it might serve but from it's location I'm thinking it might be
the sewer?

Now when I've seen the workers lift these in the past (and the heavier
concrete topped ones) they seem to just hook it out one end and drag
it out the way, then drag it back in place again when done with no
apparent regard to any crud that might be stuck on the cover or the
sides of the hole. I saw them (on CCTV) working on a mains access
manhole in the pavement next to us and when they put it back in place
they obviously had issue with it seating properly / fully and were
jumping up and down on it! ;-(

Now, I've reported this one to the Highways Agency but it looks like
it comes under their 'low priority' action so I wondered if there was
anything one could do that couldn't be considered as interfering that
might help, like brushing some sharp sand into the cracks or
something? Ideally I'd like to lift it and give both parts a good
brush with a stiff brush and put it back but as it's in the middle of
the road ...

I've seen an instance where some Water board guys 'temporarily' fixed
one of their noisy manhole covers by trapping rubber gloves in each
corner. ;-)

I would have thought that if it was a stone trapped in there it would
have been crushed by now but not of it was say a piece of metal (large
nail / screw) or steel nut etc.

Whilst I really only notice it during the morning rush hour / school
run, it must be pretty loud / annoying for the houses either side?

My minor concern is that it get's worse requiring a replacement that
takes even longer to happen. 'Where there's noise there's wear', as my
Dad used to say.

Cheers, T i m

Rush hour's a torment when you've got one of these seveal feet away.
I tried several things: pouring sand between the frame and the lid,
which worked for a while, expanding foam with similar effect.
In the end it had to be a replacement.
--

Mike

Safety is your main concern, you really need all the barriers and signage to
do work, and remember most of the highways in this country use rental
played by the contractor to work in the road and in my view this is why it
takes a long time to fix. If it were not a major road and one belonging to a
local council you might get it sorted faster. I'd certainly not risk my life
standing in the road fiddling with a drain cover. If it were not dangerous
I'd get the local travellers around to take the cover and flog it.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"T i m" wrote in message
...
I started to hear a regular 'clonk-donk' as cars were driving over
something in the road, like a bit of chipboard shelf but it then
persisted for around a couple of weeks.

Yesterday I investigated when we took the dog for a walk last thing
and it appears at least one manhole cover has been lifted ... or has
worked loose(?) and is now rocking about 5mm when you stand on it?

This is just one of the single piece, all metal (cast iron), slightly
rectangular ones with just a BS number on it and no clues to what
utility it might serve but from it's location I'm thinking it might be
the sewer?

Now when I've seen the workers lift these in the past (and the heavier
concrete topped ones) they seem to just hook it out one end and drag
it out the way, then drag it back in place again when done with no
apparent regard to any crud that might be stuck on the cover or the
sides of the hole. I saw them (on CCTV) working on a mains access
manhole in the pavement next to us and when they put it back in place
they obviously had issue with it seating properly / fully and were
jumping up and down on it! ;-(

Now, I've reported this one to the Highways Agency but it looks like
it comes under their 'low priority' action so I wondered if there was
anything one could do that couldn't be considered as interfering that
might help, like brushing some sharp sand into the cracks or
something? Ideally I'd like to lift it and give both parts a good
brush with a stiff brush and put it back but as it's in the middle of
the road ...

I've seen an instance where some Water board guys 'temporarily' fixed
one of their noisy manhole covers by trapping rubber gloves in each
corner. ;-)

I would have thought that if it was a stone trapped in there it would
have been crushed by now but not of it was say a piece of metal (large
nail / screw) or steel nut etc.

Whilst I really only notice it during the morning rush hour / school
run, it must be pretty loud / annoying for the houses either side?

My minor concern is that it get's worse requiring a replacement that
takes even longer to happen. 'Where there's noise there's wear', as my
Dad used to say.

Cheers, T i m

On 25/03/2021 21:58, T i m wrote:
I started to hear a regular 'clonk-donk' as cars were driving over
something in the road, like a bit of chipboard shelf but it then
persisted for around a couple of weeks.

Yesterday I investigated when we took the dog for a walk last thing
and it appears at least one manhole cover has been lifted ... or has
worked loose(?) and is now rocking about 5mm when you stand on it?

This is just one of the single piece, all metal (cast iron), slightly
rectangular ones with just a BS number on it and no clues to what
utility it might serve but from it's location I'm thinking it might be
the sewer?
....

That can be caused by the brickwork of the hole itself starting to fail,
causing the support frame to move. Repairing that requires major works
of the sort that normally has to be planned months in advance.

It can also be due to part of the cover or frame breaking off and
allowing the cover to rock. That can sometimes be alleviated by pouring
sand in, but only if it stays in place and doesn't trickle down the hole
because it is part of the frame that has broken.

--
Colin Bignell

...

That can be caused by the brickwork of the hole itself starting to fail,
causing the support frame to move. Repairing that requires major works
of the sort that normally has to be planned months in advance.




The brickwork is usually really poor and all that happens is more packing
gets put arounf the top. Better standards for the shaft would save problems
later.

On 26/03/2021 11:00, JohnP wrote:
...

That can be caused by the brickwork of the hole itself starting to fail,
causing the support frame to move. Repairing that requires major works
of the sort that normally has to be planned months in advance.




The brickwork is usually really poor and all that happens is more packing
gets put arounf the top. Better standards for the shaft would save problems
later.


Even a quick fix requires partial closure of the road and, except in an
emergency, those need to be planned well in advance to avoid clashing
with any other works in the area.

--
Colin Bignell

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 07:20:48 +0000, Mike Halmarack
wrote:

snip

Whilst I really only notice it during the morning rush hour / school
run, it must be pretty loud / annoying for the houses either side?

My minor concern is that it get's worse requiring a replacement that
takes even longer to happen. 'Where there's noise there's wear', as my
Dad used to say.


Rush hour's a torment when you've got one of these seveal feet away.

Even from this one that must be 50m away from us, it's still like a
form of low-level water torture. ;-(

I tried several things: pouring sand between the frame and the lid,
which worked for a while, expanding foam with similar effect.

Interesting, thanks.

In the end it had to be a replacement.

And can be a much bigger job. I have seen them just change the whole
cover / frame pretty quickly (like for like presumably) but this one
is right on the crown [1] and the road really only just wide enough
for two cars, meaning it's likely they would have to block the entire
road for the duration of the works.

We don't mind as we rarely have to go out that way but it is a main
thoroughfare for a local estate and a low choice rat run so always
causes a lot of disruption when they do.

The good news is that my report has been received and 'in progress':

"Thanks for telling us about this issue.

Based on the information you provided, we have determined that a
different organisation is responsible for fixing this issue, so we
have passed it to them."

On the High Street however there is a cover that has been loose for
*ages* and is a real CLANK CLANK every time anyone goes over it and
because it's right in line with nearside wheel track and so 'blind' to
most behind a speed hump (meaning people generally come done on it
harder), I'm surprised it hasn't failed completely. ;-(

I may have another look at our one today (it can get pretty quiet
between the busy bits, pretty slow and with good sight lines in both
directions) and if the relevant organisation doesn't deal with it
quickly, I was thinking a couple of 3D printed 'T' section wedges
fitted opposite either side of the pivot line might at least deaden
the noise till they do.

Cheers, T i m

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 08:27:11 -0000, "Brian Gaff \(Sofa\)"
wrote:

Safety is your main concern, you really need all the barriers and signage to
do work, and remember most of the highways in this country use rental
played by the contractor to work in the road and in my view this is why it
takes a long time to fix.

Because the road in question is a bit of a thoroughfare (one of two
entry / exits for two groups of houses) they generally get any work
done and dusted pretty quickly.

If it were not a major road and one belonging to a
local council you might get it sorted faster.

I'm not sure who owns it but I had to report the fault to the
Highways, rather than LC.

I'd certainly not risk my life
standing in the road fiddling with a drain cover.

Nor would I if it was a risk as such. Luckily this is a fairly slow
(short stretch of road between two junctions) and most people seem
pretty respectful of anyone in the road (outside the rush hour rat-run
traffic at least). ;-)

If it were not dangerous
I'd get the local travellers around to take the cover and flog it.

That's a bit of lateral thinking. ;-)

I was thinking of just standing a traffic cone on it and then people
would drive round ... following the line of the road, rather than the
'desire line' they all seem to follow when nothing is coming the other
way that places their offside wheels (on both directions) over it.

Cheers, T i m

On Friday, March 26, 2021 at 11:10:22 AM UTC, T i m wrote:
On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 07:20:48 +0000, Mike Halmarack
wrote:

snip
Whilst I really only notice it during the morning rush hour / school
run, it must be pretty loud / annoying for the houses either side?

My minor concern is that it get's worse requiring a replacement that
takes even longer to happen. 'Where there's noise there's wear', as my
Dad used to say.


Rush hour's a torment when you've got one of these seveal feet away.
Even from this one that must be 50m away from us, it's still like a
form of low-level water torture. ;-(
I tried several things: pouring sand between the frame and the lid,
which worked for a while, expanding foam with similar effect.
Interesting, thanks.
In the end it had to be a replacement.
And can be a much bigger job. I have seen them just change the whole
cover / frame pretty quickly (like for like presumably) but this one
is right on the crown [1] and the road really only just wide enough
for two cars, meaning it's likely they would have to block the entire
road for the duration of the works.

We don't mind as we rarely have to go out that way but it is a main
thoroughfare for a local estate and a low choice rat run so always
causes a lot of disruption when they do.

The good news is that my report has been received and 'in progress':

"Thanks for telling us about this issue.

Based on the information you provided, we have determined that a
different organisation is responsible for fixing this issue, so we
have passed it to them."

On the High Street however there is a cover that has been loose for
*ages* and is a real CLANK CLANK every time anyone goes over it and
because it's right in line with nearside wheel track and so 'blind' to
most behind a speed hump (meaning people generally come done on it
harder), I'm surprised it hasn't failed completely. ;-(

I may have another look at our one today (it can get pretty quiet
between the busy bits, pretty slow and with good sight lines in both
directions) and if the relevant organisation doesn't deal with it
quickly, I was thinking a couple of 3D printed 'T' section wedges
fitted opposite either side of the pivot line might at least deaden
the noise till they do.

Cheers, T i m


Many years ago there were problems with the manhole cover popping in the Hyde Park underpass. The manufacturer was challenged that they didn't meet spec. so they put a speed camera on the job and discovered most cars were well over the limit when they crossed the covers which were designed to work within the speed limit specs

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 09:48:33 -0000 (UTC), Jethro_uk
wrote:

On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 21:58:18 +0000, T i m wrote:

Now, I've reported this one to the Highways Agency but it looks like it
comes under their 'low priority' action

A few years ago one of those failed on the A38 Aston Expressway in Brum,
and a cars front wheel dropped into it causing a fatal crash.

I bet. This is big enough to fully accept most car or van wheels and
wouldn't do a truck any good either.

But, as they say, "low priority".

I get that the 'noise nuisance' may not rank very high compared with
other works, but as you highlight, who knows when it could escalate to
a failure and what that then bring. *Luckily* in this case the traffic
is typically only doing ~25 mph but it would still probably do a lot
of damage (wheel / suspension / underbody) to any car that fell into
it.

(IIRC the coroner was pretty unimpressed too).

Quite ... I'm not sure they always learn from that though (or have the
funds / bodies to be able to)?

Cheers, T i m

On 25/03/2021 21:58, T i m wrote:
I started to hear a regular 'clonk-donk' as cars were driving over
something in the road, like a bit of chipboard shelf but it then
persisted for around a couple of weeks.


You've reported it so you have done your civic duty. Someone mentioned
expanding foam. If there is a reasonable gap in places, how about a
generous injection of No More Nails or similar. On a dry night, when you
are sure no-one is watching.

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 10:22:45 +0000, nightjar
wrote:

On 25/03/2021 21:58, T i m wrote:
I started to hear a regular 'clonk-donk' as cars were driving over
something in the road, like a bit of chipboard shelf but it then
persisted for around a couple of weeks.

Yesterday I investigated when we took the dog for a walk last thing
and it appears at least one manhole cover has been lifted ... or has
worked loose(?) and is now rocking about 5mm when you stand on it?

This is just one of the single piece, all metal (cast iron), slightly
rectangular ones with just a BS number on it and no clues to what
utility it might serve but from it's location I'm thinking it might be
the sewer?
...

That can be caused by the brickwork of the hole itself starting to fail,
causing the support frame to move.

I'll have another look and check but from memory in this case I think
it's 'just' the manhole rocking in it's frame and the external /
visible parts (at least) of the frame looking sound. I think this has
resulted from some sort of works / inspections as there are also
several manhole covers on the pavement I now notice aren't fully flush
or rock as well (but don't tend to attract vehicular traffic so not as
noisy).

Repairing that requires major works
of the sort that normally has to be planned months in advance.

;-(

It can also be due to part of the cover or frame breaking off and
allowing the cover to rock.

I am amazed what size (and so weight) of vehicle we sometimes get down
here (arctic drivers lost looking for a trading estate) so I guess one
of those might have been the 'final straw'? I'm more amazed they seem
to find their way out though some pretty tight (and often car lined)
twists and turns (although that said, we have had a car hit and
another written off by them).

That can sometimes be alleviated by pouring
sand in, but only if it stays in place and doesn't trickle down the hole
because it is part of the frame that has broken.

Assuming nothing has broken and noting that all the others that don't
look to have been disturbed have a good layer of 'stuff' in the gap, I
don't know if this one being devoid of such has been caused by it
being lifted or (as you say), something giving, allowing it to start
to move and then clearing the infill (and so move more).

I think if I knew the interfaces between cover and frame better it
might help me understand how I might be able to (safely) try to
silence it (and hope that would then be further supported by std road
dirt / rain etc), assuming the relevant agency doesn't get to it soon
etc.

Cheers, T i m

On 26/03/2021 11:38, newshound wrote:

You've reported it so you have done your civic duty. Someone mentioned
expanding foam. If there is a reasonable gap in places, how about a
generous injection of No More Nails or similar. On a dry night, when
you are sure no-one is watching.

Just all those Ring/Nest doorbell-cams !

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 11:39:04 +0000, T i m wrote:


I am amazed what size (and so weight) of vehicle we sometimes get down
here (arctic drivers lost looking for a trading estate)

If you've got arctic drivers in your area I suggest you've got a
bigger problem than a manhole, unless the Eskimos were planning some
fishing.


--
AnthonyL

Why ever wait to finish a job before starting the next?

On Friday, 26 March 2021 at 07:20:51 UTC, Mike Halmarack wrote:

Rush hour's a torment when you've got one of these seveal feet away.
I tried several things: pouring sand between the frame and the lid,
which worked for a while, expanding foam with similar effect.
In the end it had to be a replacement.

I've noticed that all the manhole covers on our 'new' (2007) estate are made up of two triangles, presumably as each piece is unable to rock regardless how ill fitting they might be/become. That or some health and safety requirement to minimise weight for lifting them out.

On Thursday, 25 March 2021 at 21:58:22 UTC, T i m wrote:

Yesterday I investigated when we took the dog for a walk last thing
and it appears at least one manhole cover has been lifted ... or has
worked loose(?) and is now rocking about 5mm when you stand on it?

Could you pop out at night, lift a corner and wedge a window glazing packer or similar underneath?

On 26/03/2021 12:23, Mathew Newton wrote:
On Friday, 26 March 2021 at 07:20:51 UTC, Mike Halmarack wrote:

Rush hour's a torment when you've got one of these seveal feet away.
I tried several things: pouring sand between the frame and the lid,
which worked for a while, expanding foam with similar effect.
In the end it had to be a replacement.

I've noticed that all the manhole covers on our 'new' (2007) estate are made up of two triangles, presumably as each piece is unable to rock regardless how ill fitting they might be/become. That or some health and safety requirement to minimise weight for lifting them out.

It is to make them non-rocking. If it is like the one in my driveway (I
don't know why United Utilities fitted one suitable for HGVs to drive
over), it actually makes them heavier, because each half has its own
stiffening rib on the hypotenuse, but the two halves are (loosely)
linked together, so have to be lifted as one.

There used to be a simple rectangular, cast iron one, but only suitable
for a driveway. While investigating a collapsed sewer, they noticed that
the lid was cracked in one corner, but also that it stood 1/2" higher
than the drive and decided to replace it. They had to rebuild the top of
the chamber to adjust for the new, deeper frame and to get the height
right. I'd have been happy with just replacing the lid!

And thank God (under the old rules), next-door's kitchen drained into
that chamber (although the rest of their house doesn't), as it made it a
pre-1937, shared sewer pipe, which, if it were not shared would have
been my responsibility and horrendously expensive to fix, as it had
collapsed just under my drive and again in the middle of the road.

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 05:23:24 -0700 (PDT), Mathew Newton
wrote:

snip

I've noticed that all the manhole covers on our 'new' (2007) estate are made up of two triangles, presumably as each piece is unable to rock regardless how ill fitting they might be/become.

That would make sense and what a good (simple) idea. ;-)

That or some health and safety requirement to minimise weight for lifting them out.

I've seen what look like pretty heavy / thick manhole covers being
lifted one and dragged by a single small (one handed) key, a bigger
'T' bar thing two handed and more of a lever / trolley thing (probably
as the maximum weights thing came in as you say).

I think I've even seen then re-seating them with a big clowns wooden /
rubber mallet thing. ;-)

What I've never seen is anyone cleaning / clearing the frame / cover
before re-fitting but have seen several seeming to have issues doing
so, because of stuff stuck round the joint. ;-(

I wonder if it's one of those things that where in 'most cases'
leaving the crud on means the don't get called back because it's then
noisy? The mud / dirt / moss generally giving enough to allow the
cover to re-seat but keeping the cracks to a minimum?

Cheers, T i m

In article ,
Mathew Newton wrote:
On Friday, 26 March 2021 at 07:20:51 UTC, Mike Halmarack wrote:

Rush hour's a torment when you've got one of these seveal feet away.
I tried several things: pouring sand between the frame and the lid,
which worked for a while, expanding foam with similar effect.
In the end it had to be a replacement.

I've noticed that all the manhole covers on our 'new' (2007) estate are
made up of two triangles, presumably as each piece is unable to rock
regardless how ill fitting they might be/become. That or some health and
safety requirement to minimise weight for lifting them out.

I'd that thought the second reason. I spotted on Wickes webiste that a 2.1m
lenght of architrave needs 2 persons to take it to the door, so cannot be
made available for click & collect under the current social distancing
requirements.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 11:51:40 -0000 (UTC), Jethro_uk
wrote:

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 11:38:34 +0000, newshound wrote:

On 25/03/2021 21:58, T i m wrote:
I started to hear a regular 'clonk-donk' as cars were driving over
something in the road, like a bit of chipboard shelf but it then
persisted for around a couple of weeks.


You've reported it so you have done your civic duty. Someone mentioned
expanding foam. If there is a reasonable gap in places, how about a
generous injection of No More Nails or similar. On a dry night, when you
are sure no-one is watching.

And risk a charge of criminal damage ?

Yeah, in an 'ideal world' someone doing something temporary that has
good effect and is fully / easily reversible isn't generally an issue.
However, it's when something (even if unforeseen) goes wrong and worse
some one (rather than thing) gets damaged, then they will quickly look
for scapegoats.

A concrete filled cone to make cars avoid it might have more impact ...

I see what you did there ... ;-)

I mentioned the 'desire line' the vehicles often took near the manhole
in question (that brought them in contact with the manhole when
traffic on either side of it should theoretically miss it). This
'desire line' is so strong that recently someone reversing out of a
parking bay (not a good idea etc) reversed into the offside of a
passing car that *should* have been on the other side of the road. It
made quite a bang and made a mess of both vehicles (even at ~25 mph).

I felt sorry for both drivers (in as far as the outcome was concerned,
wrong time wrong place etc) because the guy shouldn't really have been
reversing out onto a live road (and are often doing so blind when
bordered by SUV's / Vans etc), but very few seem to (want to) reverse
*into* these 90 degree parking bays ... and for the other driver being
reversed into who may well have got away with it if he wasn't
following the 'desire line' and was on the right side of the road. I
believe the Highway Code allows you to 'make full use of the road',
but only when it's safe to do so?

Cheers, T i m

Jethro_uk wrote on 26/03/2021 :
A concrete filled cone to make cars avoid it might have more impact ...

It would certainly have an impact, if anyone drove into it, or tried to
give it a kick :-)

On 26/03/2021 11:51, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 11:38:34 +0000, newshound wrote:

On 25/03/2021 21:58, T i m wrote:
I started to hear a regular 'clonk-donk' as cars were driving over
something in the road, like a bit of chipboard shelf but it then
persisted for around a couple of weeks.


You've reported it so you have done your civic duty. Someone mentioned
expanding foam. If there is a reasonable gap in places, how about a
generous injection of No More Nails or similar. On a dry night, when you
are sure no-one is watching.

And risk a charge of criminal damage ?


Which is why I said don't get caught. That particular action is,
perhaps, a PITA for the repair team who might have to do a complete
replacement where they could have got away with repointing the frame. I
can't see how it increases the risk for drivers, in fact if the frame is
cracked then it might reduce the chance or consequences of failure.

If the noise is *sufficiently* annoying and the councils are
particularly unhelpful then you might have a defence in the remote
chance of ending up before a magistrate.

I can think of other cases where sensible "d-i-y" temporary remediation
of faults could fall into the rather broad classification of "criminal
damage", but nevertheless actually be quite reasonable.

On 26/03/2021 11:56, Mark Carver wrote:
On 26/03/2021 11:38, newshound wrote:

You've reported it so you have done your civic duty. Someone mentioned
expanding foam. If there is a reasonable gap in places, how about a
generous injection of No More Nails or similar. On a dry night, when
you are sure no-one is watching.

Just all those Ring/Nest doorbell-cams !


And Blink-2 cameras. Good point!

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 15:14:20 +0000 (GMT), charles
wrote:

In article ,
Mathew Newton wrote:
On Friday, 26 March 2021 at 07:20:51 UTC, Mike Halmarack wrote:

Rush hour's a torment when you've got one of these seveal feet away.
I tried several things: pouring sand between the frame and the lid,
which worked for a while, expanding foam with similar effect.
In the end it had to be a replacement.

I've noticed that all the manhole covers on our 'new' (2007) estate are
made up of two triangles, presumably as each piece is unable to rock
regardless how ill fitting they might be/become. That or some health and
safety requirement to minimise weight for lifting them out.

I'd that thought the second reason.

On the way back from our walk earlier we came across a square manhole
cover on the pavement that 'looked' like it was made up of two
triangles so I explained to the Mrs that the idea that therefore it
wouldn't wobble. So I stood on it and of course it rocked backward and
forward like a goodun! ;-(

Looking closer I don't think it was two separate triangles but one
piece with a diagonal line across it. ;-)

snip

Cheer, T i m

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 16:57:45 +0000, newshound
wrote:

snip

I can think of other cases where sensible "d-i-y" temporary remediation
of faults could fall into the rather broad classification of "criminal
damage", but nevertheless actually be quite reasonable.

On the way our way out earlier I spotted a blue frame packer on the
ground (after they were mentioned here) and picked it up ... and on
the way back, tried it in the gap round the manhole but the action
wasn't as I thought, in that it seems to be rocking directly
vertically at that point (so the packing piece would have to go under
the edge of the cover and on the frame).

So it feels more like something solid (a stone?) has been trapped
under the horizontal part of the cover / frame near one corner and its
just pivoting on that.

Along your train of thought, if a couple of us could mark off / manage
the area long enough to simply pull the lid, sweep out the frame and
the outer edge of the underside of the cover and plop it back into
place, I can't see anyone complaining (especially if it fixes the
noise etc).

The only issue would be if we dropped the cover down the hole and then
had to stand there protecting the hole till help arrived. ;-(

Maybe we could get one of the stripy tents the Post Office use and do
it under the cover of that. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

On Fri, 26 Mar 2021 10:22:45 +0000, nightjar
wrote:

On 25/03/2021 21:58, T i m wrote:
I started to hear a regular 'clonk-donk' as cars were driving over
something in the road, like a bit of chipboard shelf but it then
persisted for around a couple of weeks.

Yesterday I investigated when we took the dog for a walk last thing
and it appears at least one manhole cover has been lifted ... or has
worked loose(?) and is now rocking about 5mm when you stand on it?

This is just one of the single piece, all metal (cast iron), slightly
rectangular ones with just a BS number on it and no clues to what
utility it might serve but from it's location I'm thinking it might be
the sewer?
...

That can be caused by the brickwork of the hole itself starting to fail,
causing the support frame to move. Repairing that requires major works
of the sort that normally has to be planned months in advance.

It can also be due to part of the cover or frame breaking off and
allowing the cover to rock. That can sometimes be alleviated by pouring
sand in, but only if it stays in place and doesn't trickle down the hole
because it is part of the frame that has broken.

I'm not sure what they did but I got an email a few days ago informing
me that they had 'dealt with my enquiry'.

That prompted me to listen out for the noise and I couldn't hear
anything (when I knew cars would have gone over it etc).

When we went out to walk the dog last night I went and inspected the
manhole and it was obvious it was all new and there was a 200mm wide
border of fresh Tarmac round the outside. It was also the case for one
a few meters away so it looks like they had changed two.

Upon reflection, I did hear something 'going on' in that area a few
days ago (like the sound of petrol disk cutters) and saw a large
vehicle parked up but it looked like they were able to do both without
having to stop the traffic (the junction to that road is opposite ours
and that's normally where they put any 'Road closed type signs).

I did report a cover that was hanging off a lamp post a while back and
the reply was 'Low priority' so I stuck it back on as I went past the
next time. The latches that hook into the aperture at the bottom had
been broken off (and so why it wouldn't typically stay closed) but I
managed to wedge it in place and it's seemed to have stayed on ever
since. I might take a big cable tie with me next time and fit it on
'better'. ;-)

It's the same with all the small green cabinets (Cabletel NTL VM)
that have a lid that seems to hook on at the top and then lock down at
the bottom. I don't think there are many round here that aren't open,
as in they are hooked on but not locked down? Similar position with
the medium sized cabinets that have two doors (with one door swinging
about in the wind). I would love to go round and sort them all out
properly, even if it's to protect my own cable BB service. ;-)

Cheers, T i m