Inspection pit

[Durgo]

I would like one in my garage but i'm concerned as my garage is on the groundfloor of my house (it's a townhouse).

How thick is the concrete likely to be in the garage?
will making a hole in it be difficult?
will making a hole in it damage the house?

apart from those, any other advice would be gratefuly received.

 

[noseall]

i hope you are prepared to dig a pretty big hole?

in order to build a walled inspection pit, say 5 feet deep by 2.5 feet wide, you would need to start the trench about 6 feet wide at the top.

this will involve shifting huge volumes of material from the subfloor.

i would have thought a groundfloor location would be the best place to dig a pit.

damage to the house foundations is a possibility.

concrete oversite, in domestic situations is usually 100mm thick.

 

[JohnD]

where is your house? On London clay and similar, you may be on a concrete raft (so not just oversite)

 

[Newboy]

May also be worth considering the water table level in your area!

If you dig it by hand (good luck1) You might want to consider the risk of collapse if you are working down a 5 foot deep trench - if you have to shore it up then you will have to start with a much wider trench

 

[Durgo]

Thanks for the comments chaps concidering what youve said I think I will find some big garage ramps instead

 

[Richard C]

You may already be starting to get the picture that an inspection pit is not just a hole in the ground; many issues to be considered if you don’t want your house to fall down, be buried alive or gassed to death by your own car! I’m not certain but I’ve also got a feeling that constructing a pit may be subject to BC even if the garage isn’t!

If you have enough height, get yourself a used 2 post lift, it probably won’t cost much more than a properly constructed pit & it’s certainly more pleasant & convenient to use.

 

[Durgo]

Funny you should say that cos I have and I was looking these up by coincidence
Do you know if the 4 post is realy worth having over the 2?


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-POST-230v-C...yZ108783QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem




http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bradbury-MK2-...yZ108783QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Richard C]

Funny you should say that cos I have and I was looking these up by coincidence
Do you know if the 4 post is realy worth having over the 2?


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-POST-230v-C...yZ108783QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem




http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bradbury-MK2-...QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/QUOTE]

The 2 post is smaller, usually single phase supply, ideal if you have limited space & only need it for cars; for vans/trucks etc. the 4 post will generally have higher lifting capacity, usually 3 phase supply & will be a much bigger beast but usually have more facilities - central jacking tray similar to that used in MOT bays (although I can’t see it on the pic posted). A friend of mine used to have a workshop with 2 x 2 post lifts & I often used to either help out or use one for my own servicing etc. excellent & personally, I would go for the 2 post in a small workshop or home garage.

 

[Durgo]

righto, thanks

 

[JohnD]

they seem inexpensive

surely they need some kind of professional inspection to be sure they won't collapse on top of you?