just dropped a 200 dollar flashlight down a gutter--so what now???

R

razorsdescent

Joined
Jan 16, 2005
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Right outside my house there is a storm drain/gutter. right next to the opening is a manhole cover.

i was getting out of my buddies car and my surefire e2d defender fell out of my pocket, and rolled right into the damn thing.....:eek::eek::eek:

so do i just pop the cover and hop in there to get it??? how deep is the water in sewer?? is it against the law for me to enter??? i mean i doubt its been swept into the patomac, its got to have sunk straight down. aluminum is non-magnetic so i cant just drop a good magnet is there some other tricky way of getting it back out??? i know that its less than 200 feet from my living room so i cant just leave the damn thing there, its not like it was in the city.

so anyone with a suggestion even if its just as simple as let it go!!! is more than welcome to pipe in... damn i just cant believe i did that....:mad:
 
Id say pop it open an have a good look. and is nothing on the light capable of a good magnet pull? it sucks. I've lost more then a handful of issued surefires that couldve gone to good homes.
 
well i need it by friday next week because i work as a bouncer and need that light, but i think right now im gonna tie a chemlight to a smaller rock and see if it sinks or gets dragged down stream before i bother cracking it open with a crow bar. one thing i aint doing is going in there right now while im drunk....next thing you know im starring in mimic 3 ;)
 
I feel your pain: I lost a $250 pair of RayBans in the water in Thailand last year--they just so happened to be my prescription eyewear too. Got any buddies who are plumbers?
 
Some storm drains have their own lines so the manhole close to it may not be connected to it. But, it is worth a look as most sewer/storm drains are not very deep. The ones around my home usually have only a few inches of flow in them. Also, many small town lines are only 8-10 inch pipe running to the main line which would be 24 inch pipe. It's not like a NYC sewer line that you can drive a truck through. Not sure about legality of lifting the manhole but I would. Good luck.

SEMPER-FI TIL I DIE
 
yeah i think im just gonna man the f#$% up and go for it tommorrow near noon when the sun is sky high. im just gonna put trash bags over my boots and wade around, if its too my knees then im just gonna drop it, however if not im just gonna kick around and hope i find my flashlight before i find a dead hooker or a 3000 year old evil waiting to consume my immortal soul and use it as a tea cozy
 
oh and i managed to snap the pocket clip in two and then removed it so no gain, whatever light i bring down there im tying to 550 chord and then tying the other end to my neck. super dummy chord ;)
 
The batteries inside are magnetic, so a powerful magnet may work. Also as said above the storm drains are separate from sewer lines so if you open the manhole and see sewage I wouldn't waste my time fishing around in there. Good luck
 
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Tie it to your arm or a beltloop. I wouldn't climb with 550 around my Neck! Danger Will Robinson danger!
 
slimshaneee said:
Tie it to your arm or a beltloop. I wouldn't climb with 550 around my Neck! Danger Will Robinson danger!
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Dude! I hope you get your flashlight back - that's a whole lotta $$$ to get washed down the crapper. NOTE to self: never buy a $200 flashlight!!! I'm a firm believer in Murph's Law - if i can drop it/break it/loose it - i will. I try to keep most things in my EDC pack - except for the minimal stuff i keep in my pockets.

Incidently, I've dropped my car keys down a drain and it wasn't that deep (i carefully 'fished' around and they were there).

On yet another note, and I'm not wanting to 'thread de-rail' here, but 550 around the neck is a half-step from a noose. I simply don't get the whole "neck-knife" thing - if the 'cord' is strong enough to hold allow me to pull a knife from it's sheath it's strong enough to strangle me (and no, i'm not a pencil-neck......) or at least cause serious discomfort.

Flash-light search back on.
 
If you can't retrieve your flashlight, the good news is that you can upgrade to a Surefire e2d led defender for only $132.

Feel your pain, losing something is never fun. Hope you get it back.
 
If you have a Dept of Public Works, like Hiway Dept. which we have here in Barnstable Mass., You could call them to see if they have a clamshell bucket truck that cleans out catch basins which it sounds like you've got. It is worth a try, but they may not feel it is worth the time and manpower to do it.
 
So you had a $200 flashlight, broke the clip, took it off, and now it's at the bottom of a storm drain.
Way to go Murphy's Law.
Good luck, hope you get it back.
 
yes the dpw highway dept. is a good idea for the clam bucket .tell them you lost your car keys and flashlight. good luck
 
My son has dropped at least three items of note into a rain/storm drain grate right in front of our house.

I lifted the grate off, get the straight ladder, and go down eight feet to the bottom. There should be, by design, a basin for it to stay in before floating off to the Potomac. Stick your hand down there and go searchin'!

:D

Coop
 
Your yellow skin from the hepatitis C you are going to get from sewer diving will make the E2D Defender's beam seem whiter in comparison. So, aside from having to go on the liver transplant list, there is an upside to this.
 
First, these things don't float, they sink. Most catch basins have a sump thats a couple feet deep, thats where it is and thats where it will stay. Its easy enough to figure out how deep it is, just stick a shovel handle or something similiar down there and see. As far as opening it up, that depends on what kind of grate is on it. Some just sit in a frame and can be easily lifted out, some are fastened in place by either bolts or a single tab on the end on a bolt thats turns. If its the modern type of grate thats about 3 feet by a foot and a half, just lift it out and you can easily fish the light out. If it isn't, it may be hard to get the grate opened if you are not familiar with how its done.
 
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