mains stop cock

[psyflux]

Hello,

My second question of the night
My mains stop cock access as well as being full of 1000 slugs is constantly filling up with soil and every year to gain access i have to clear it out until the head of the tap is visible again. The only way i've come up with to do this is to gaffer tape a bent spoon on the end of a broom shaft and spoon the soil out. As you might guess this is a sloooow job.
Does anyone know a more effective way of re-revealing the stopcock or is it a dig the whole thing out and start again job?

thanks again

 

[FiremanT]

Rubber gloves and get your arm in.

 

[psyflux]

I'd happily do it bare handed if i had giant monkey arms. Unfortunately i can't reach the bottom even with my shoulder resting on the access cover. Even with a long handled spoon!

 

[JohnD]

it sounds like the brick pit is breaking up and the walls are collapsing. This is common if vehicles drive over or past it. In which case, when you dig it out and rebuild, you can give better access. But with sound walls and a base it will stay a lot cleaner.

I have one which is luckily concrete and very sound, I was able to wash the loose mud out with a powerful hose, and then only had the larger fragments of gravel to remove.

Do you by any chance have a vet-and-dry vac?

 

[HERTS P&D]

I would use a wet vac, the local vet might charge too much.

Andy

 

[bernardgreen]

When it is cleared out then created a plug to fill the hole and stop earth and slugs getting in.

Putting a plastic bag in the hole and filling it with expanding foam will make a plug that moulds itself fits the hole. It might be a bit tight to pull out after moulding in which case trim a bit off the nake it a looser fit.

 

[psyflux]

it sounds like the brick pit is breaking up and the walls are collapsing. This is common if vehicles drive over or past it. In which case, when you dig it out and rebuild, you can give better access. But with sound walls and a base it will stay a lot cleaner.

I have one which is luckily concrete and very sound, I was able to wash the loose mud out with a powerful hose, and then only had the larger fragments of gravel to remove.

Do you by any chance have a vet-and-dry vac?

It looks like a clay pipe which runs down to the tap. The pipe appears to be in one piece, but there are big trees nearby and it seems they are pushing soil up from the bottom. There are a lot of really fine roots come out everytime i clear it too. A wet and dry vac might not be a bad idea. I assumed the soil would knacker it though?

 

[Agile]

They should deal with damp earth and mud.

Tony

 

[magicmushroom666]

Henry clears mine out everytime the need arises. Fitted with a bag inside though to contain the mess and load of ants that I get.

 

[psyflux]

thanks everyone. Sounds like a cheap wet and dry vac is the thing to try.