Lifting a piece of glass covering a well

Pressurise the well and it'll pop out :)

On 14 Feb 2014, Chris k grunted:

You have a well in your kitchen?

Can we see a photo?

If it's only 3" in diameter how small is the gnome with the fishing rod? ;-)

Tim

How do I pressurise a well when I cant gain access?

Well spotted Tim, should read 3" thick !!

Try more than one suction cap handle device.

If two or three people each using a suction handle can't shift it then it is stuck.

Sacrifice the wooden surround to get a lever in.

Cheers

Dave R

Assuming you mean 3' diameter, I calculate that will weigh about 1.5kg per mm thickness, so should not be desperately heavy.

They move huge sheets of glass with those vacuum pick ups so 1 or two of those and a jury rigged lever of 4x2 timber should lift it enough to get wooden battens under it and from then on slide it around on the battens

On Friday 14 February 2014 15:44 Chris k wrote in uk.d-i-y:

There's one like that in a pub in Northiam near Bodiam.

I expect inch thick[1] 3 ft dia glass is *bloody heavy*

Or something getting on for it - which it looked like in this pub.

This may be part of the problem.

The other problem is any mastic it may be bedded on.

Pictures might be useful at this point - especially a close up of the rim.

On Friday 14 February 2014 17:44 Chris k wrote in uk.d-i-y:

You're joking, right?

I'll bet you cannot lift it from one side - it will need to come upwards equally on all sides at the same time.

How much does it weigh? Rule of thumb a square metre of glass weighs 2.5kg per 1mm

Your glass well cover could be 150 to 200kg!

Possibly you need a multi head suction devices fitted in the centre and a block an tackle arrangement to lift it.

Connect hosepipe to tap. Point at garden. Turn on tap. Wait for water level in well to rise and overflow. Turn off tap

HTH

These usually have a silicone bead under the outermost rim, good luck.

Or if it is set into a step in the softwood, perhaps you could lift the frame plus glass with several substantial screw eyes around the periphery, plus an A frame or equivalent.

If it really is 3" thick, you're going to need a *lot* of suckers and a tripod and winch. An engine lifting hoist would probably do the job. What's the diameter?

Tim

Tim, exactly my thought last night.......just waiting for the hire shop to advise if I can have one this morning.... Thks

Contact your local caving club and see if they can send someone up the spring that feeds the well, then climb up from inside and replace the blubs for you? :)

You really do have to post a photo of this feature, it sounds amazing, but i can imagine people being scared to walk on the glass and scooting around the side of it... like the walk of faith thing in the blackpool tower, you can see the glass is inches thick and probably stronger than the floor boards you are standing on already, yet you s*it your self at the thought of standing on it.... well some people do,

If it is very heavy consider the technology of the replacement lights as it's not an exercise you want to repeat too often. LEDs may be better for longevity[1] but buy from a reputable source and not cheap Chinese knock-offs. Also replace ALL lights.

Also consider that once lifted the glass needs to be supported and slid aside. You don't want to scratch the underside or get it dirty/smeared as cleaning it could be very difficult.

On 15 Feb 2014, "Gazz" grunted:

There was one of these a couple of years ago, in someone's living room:

Better than Blackpool Tower:

or

I saw that done on a DIY SOS show once. Was that you?