mine saftey!

[pcairns]

hey guys just wondering what you do to know if theirs enogh oxy in these confined spaces i heard they used to used candles but i know we need around 19% oxygen and fire only needs 16%
do you guys all carry electronic monitor or are their other ways?

thx phil

[Lone Ranger]

I send someone else in first hehehehe LR

[240 Jordy]

I send someone else in first hehehehe LR

Seriously Matt, This is a great question and something I've always wondered.

Michael has like 27.5 hrs in Frenchies, what does he use?

[Tmax]

just take a canary with you

[Lone Ranger]

Seriously Matt, This is a great question and something I've always wondered.

Michael has like 27.5 hrs in Frenchies, what does he use?

hehe I think he just sends me in first

We just don't enter unless its either A) a small/short mine that doesn't lead up or downhill, or B) there's a decent fresh breeze blowing through. Most of the rest is just chalked up to good luck and hope. LR

[bcghosttowns]

When the dog starts to pant its time to turn around.

It is a good question and i have always considered getting something,but what do you get? where do you get it?
Frenchmans has a breeze pretty much throughout so i am not concerned their but i always research a mine before i enter.

[Lone Ranger]

I've asked Mike a ton of times about seeing if we can get an air monitor, but they're $$$. I know lives can't be judged on the basis of the price of a monitor, but they're about $1000 and they're still not 100%. IIRC, they typically work on the basis of being sent into the area first, then yarded back out and checked. Some of them don't work fast enough to sufficiently warn you before you run out of air.

That all being said, having even a cheaper one would be better than nothing. If they're adjustable at all, then I would set it for a fairly high value so that I would theoretically have enough warning before I pass out/die. If it doesn't work properly, I still know that at least I'm going to die a fairly pleasant death... Dark, but realistic. LR

[Whozat]

We use gas monitors alot at work and they aren't that pricey anymore. Take a quick look at the Acklands or Fleck Bros websites and you find single gas monitors for around $200 and Multi gas starting around $400.

[Cody1771]

https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/ima...talog/1989.pdf

[pcairns]

thats alot of money but mabey ill talk to my friends and we can split the cost or some thing

[yellar bellied]

Interesting topic. Oddly enough, I've never even considered the possibility of some of the issues when exploring the mines. Inexperience with mines I guess.

I would think a candle in some mines though could possibly ignite some gases that may accumulate. I'm guessing on that mind you.

My concern has always been cave ins while in the mines. When the entrances are half buried with shale and rock and you have to crawl in on you belly I've always feared more rock falling down to block your exit. We've usually left some people outside if exploring with more people, and taken turns going in so someone is always outside to either go for help or dig from outside as well.

I guess my mind will now be on these other possibilities as well. Hopefully my name isn't on some headline of someone dieing while exploring a mine, but it could also be a headline of someone in an accident on the highway. Chances are always there no matter what. I guess we play with odds a bit while doing what we like to do. Precautions could certainly change the odds a bunch though.

I do know that we were exploring one mine a few years ago when one of our club members who is asmatic (spelling) mentioned he was having trouble and had to get out. We had climbed quite a scree slope to get to this mine so we put it off to that. We were dropping down a bit in the mine when I too noticed having trouble getting air. Breathing heavier and laboring a bit for every breath. I mentioned there may be a possibility of bad air or lack of oxygen so we turned around and headed out. I'm not really sure if that was the first signs or not but we didn't want to take chances back there. We had already gone in a very long ways with no end in site to the end of the mine.

[Lone Ranger]

I would rather die in a mine or 4 wheeling accident than dying in my sleep or at work.. At least I'd be doing something cool then. LR

[expotruck]

You can get canisters that last 6 hrs small and not that costly if you really needed to use one..

[waltman]

You can get canisters that last 6 hrs small and not that costly if you really needed to use one..

For breathing you mean, I was just thinking the same thing. It would be much cheaper than buying a gas monitor and since there could be more than one type of deadly gas in an old deserted mine, you would be looking at a fair bit of coin.

[Whozat]

Just remember, an APR (air purifying respirator) still requires there to be enough o2 in the air to breath.
You would still want to have a gas detector to check for o2 deficiency and for explosive gases such as methane or hydrogen sulfide.