Broken Manhole Cover

[_Si_]

Hi all,

just after a little advice. I have a manhole cover in my back yard, where I now park my car. I think the cover was intended only to support the weight of passing pedestrians, since the yard used to be walled in.

After a few months of driving over it (though never parking on it), it has started to crack, and obviously needs replacing with something a little more sturdy.

Would it be possible for me just to buy a replacement cover, or am I going to have to get someone to dig up the concrete into which it is set and replace the entire frame?

It's a pain, but I suppose better to find out the weakness in the cover by spotting a crack rather than losing a wheel down the hole..

Any advice greatfully received.

Thanks,
Si

 

[Agile]

You would not lose a wheel but dropping the car onto its underside would give you an interesting logistics problem ( unless your wife is a champion weight lifter. )

In this day of women doing men's jobs we call them "inspection chamber covers". They are expected to meet certain weight capacities if likely to be subjected to vehicle traffic.

Older ones were cast iron but the modern ones are normally pressed steel.

You are unlikely to find a replacement to fit into the socket of the old one.

Its a very simple job to replace though and only needs a little cement mortar and a pointing trowel. A professional would take less than an hour so as a DIY two hours would be more than enough.

Ideally the bedding mortar should be 1 part cement and 5 parts soft sand with a little washing up liquid added to aid trowability.

Tony