Another Shorpy Mystery

[Russix]

Original water mains were bored log sections...we dug up some of those when cutting off all the old gas mains in the black bottom area circa 1974.

In that same time frame, 74-75 all the old cast mains downtown were replaced.

Before I left MichCon in '77, they were slowly but surely doing main renewal projects emanating out from downtown on all the older areas that use to be low pressure mains. Pressure in the old days were measured by water gauges..just a few ounces. When they increased the pressure in later years to a couple pounds, the old mains and services would pop leaks like a colander.

I can state with near certainty, that location has been renewed with steel or plastic gas mains.

Don't spend that $100 bucks all in one place, thanks for the info!! I'm newer here to the face of the planet, what was the purpose of increasing the pressure? I'm going to assume something like supplying more customers over longer distances???

[mikefmich]

Don't spend that $100 bucks all in one place, thanks for the info!! I'm newer here to the face of the planet, what was the purpose of increasing the pressure? I'm going to assume something like supplying more customers over longer distances???

In a manner of speaking.

Low pressure was in the original piping installed from the coal gas days. It was very problematic as the system aged.
Piping had to be installed like sewers...a quarter bubble downhill to get to the house because of such low pressure.

Condensation would accumulate inside the mains, when installed they put in these large "drip pots" that were tapped off the main bottoms every so often. Condensation would fill the piping and stop the gas flow. With the pots, the water would fall into them, and they needed to be pumped on a fairly regular basis. During the winter it was a bigger problem that during the summer, and as Murphys Law would have it, often happened at night. Uggghhh.

I'd work off shifts often, and I'd get the dreaded call of no pressure. I had a lot of calls in the neighborhoods surrounding Tiger Stadium, and fixing them often was a real PITA. Sometimes luck was with us, and we only had to pump a drip pot. Other times, I was out in wet muddy holes in January trying to effect a fix.

Boosting the pressure alleviated those problems. Of course then new leaks would start popping.

The only thing I miss about those days was being 35 yrs younger than I am now.

Donate the $100- to some needy kids!