Manhole Replacement - Can you DIY?

[Anonymous No.2796454]

there was heavy rain yesterday and i was cleaning drains. we have a manhole/access cover to the drains on our driveway which i opened to have a look in.
it was rusted iron and when i lifted it, part of the frame broke and frame came away from the ground. it seems it was not attached to anything and just sort of buried in place with dirt and some loose pebbles holding it in place. the house is over 100 years old, idk when the drains were added, maybe the 50s or 60s. perhaps this is the original manhole?

i wonder if anyone had experience in fitting a new manhole cover and whether it is just the most sensible thing to get a professional to do it? i don't want it to turn into a bigger job than it needs to be. alternatively i though in the short term about getting some sheet steel to cover it with lots of excess area.

any suggestions?

its around 450mm square. in the UK.

[Anonymous No.2796460]

You can just buy them at tp or wherever

[Anonymous No.2796471]

Captain Autism reporting in. A manhole is a hole that a man can go down into. Your alternative term "access cover" is better.

What actually triggered my autism was when I thought your pic actually was a manhole. As I'm sure all of you know, manhole covers are round because that's the only shape guaranteed to not be able to fall into the hole.

Whew. I feel a lot better now.

[Anonymous No.2796481]

>>2796454
if that's wood framing it didn't break, it was meant to come apart the way it did. Look how perfectly it would fit back together if you cleaned the gravel out of the channel. If the wood has rotted and weakened you should make replacement pieces and fix it before putting it back together the way it was that worked great for 100 years or whatever.

[Anonymous No.2796545]

I did municipal construction for 4 years. If you're talking about replacing the ring cover, yes you could do that with a shovel and a truck. If you need to replace the concrete there you need a back hoe.

[Anonymous No.2796565]

>>2796454
is that the actual picture of it? no because you said square?
if you just want ti replace it then 450 is a standard size, you need to work out your load, likely b or c class for a drive, maybe d depends what you get up to.
as long as you know how to mix concrete and dont mind getting dirty its not too hard.
normally the chamber itself is brick which is 'benched' smooth to stop bits of shit getting stuck or rats nesting.
the manhole you buy comes as a frame and cover, the frame sits over the hole with a lip on the outside, the brick frame should be wider than the lip, you just mortar the cover frame onto the brickwork and haunch concrete over the lip.

have a squiz round this guy see what you think if its up your street or not, this is fir recessed but the ideas the same
https://www.pavingexpert.com/recess06

[Anonymous No.2796631]

>>2796565
that was just a picture i took from a website selling replacements.
inside the chamber is brick as you say.
i didn't want to disturb the area around it too much but it didn't look like the previous one was cemented in place. the drive way is loose pebbles so i'll spend some time clearing it and seeing what the area near the lip is under the pebbles.

[Anonymous No.2796647]

>>2796454
In the UK the water company is responsible for drains

https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/nonhouseholds/supply-and-standards/responsibility-supply-pipes/

[Anonymous No.2796653]

>>2796647
good luck explaining that to them
ive had water co refuse a repair, report it to environmental health, local authority fixes it for 10x the cost, splits the bill between the residents.
if you are competent theres no reason not to just fix it. even if it is shared as long as your neighbor is cool.

[Anonymous No.2796666]

Boy this board is stupid.

OP. You need to cover your drains before you dig that out, so shit doesn't fall into them. It's a lot of digging. I'd buy a plastic replacement . They're called valve boxes or meter boxes here in the states. Extremely careful when digging not to damage any of the plumbing or to allow dirt and rocks to get in your drains. Be careful when pulling the old s*** out that you're not lifting up any pipe with it.

[Anonymous No.2796681]

>>2796666
>450 mm plastic access cover on a drive
lol

[Anonymous No.2796703]

>>2796666
i'm not digging into the drain. the chamber is maybe 6 feet down and several feet wide and has a couple of inlets and one outlet into the main darin under the road at the end of the driveway.
i know i need to be careful when taking the old drain off as some pebbles from the drive fell into the chamber so i want to minimise this. its a similar idea to the picture but bigger. i measured the cover and it would 600m x 600m but inside the chamber is wider than that. it curves up as it rises, the walls are not straight up.
i'll just get a replacement cover and replace it and clean up the area surrounding the cover.

thanks for the posts, i wasn't sure if it was doable by myself but it seems it is.

[Anonymous No.2796706]

>>2796681
Lol I'm retarded aren't i

[Anonymous No.2796947]

>>2796703
>some pebbles from the drive fell into the chamber
i wouldnt worry too much mate happens to me ocassionally just blast the hose down for a good few minutes and its someone else problem hopefully

[Anonymous No.2796958]

>>2796454
I've got a man hole for you to DIY

[Anonymous No.2796982]

>>2796454
just make sure you put a padlock on it so no burglars break in through it

[Anonymous No.2797264]

>>2796471
>fist bump

[Anonymous No.2798296]

>>2796653
I called Thames Water and reported it as a danger to life, anyone could fall down it. They came and fixed it for free