Anyone have an inspection pit

[Royk]

I'm about to build a garage and thought an inspection pit might be handy. Has anyone here done this?



Roy

 

[lmills]

Unless you have an emergency exit out of the pit that goes straight to the outside, most states have outloawed them.

 

[nickleinonen]

if they don't know... . just call it a large sump pump pit [and keep metal grating over top of it when not in use]

 

[fkovalski]

I had one back in the day when I was growing up. My dad installed a pit in the garage when he built it. Yes, it is very handy when doing repairs. But, I look back and realize how lucky I am that nothing happened while being trapped! I would drive the vehicle in the garage and leave it in neutral. I would then get in the hole and roll the car over me- esentailly trapping me under with no way out in a paniced emergency situation!.



There was a dealer in South Jersey called Pine Belt Chevrolet. It went up in flames when a tech was doing some gasoline related repair work and fuel fell into his drop light. POOF!



Many a time I would also be doing fuel work in the pit. I look back and think "What if?" I am very lucky that nothing happened.



If you do install a pit... realize your surroundings!



Respectfully,

-frank.

 

[TowPro]

My friend did the same thing back in the late 70's. We worked in a place that had a pit for an alignment rack. Actualy it seemed like a good idea, pull the car/truck straight onto the rack, then go down into the pit that had steps down from the front. We used to to a lot of ford Twin I beam bending work. He had a ford 350 in there that had a bad fuel pump, one drop on the light was all it took. Nobody got hurt but we emptied several fire extingushers. Plus keep in mind gas vapors are heaver then air, they collect in the pits.

I think for the price of the hole, concrete and design work you can get one of those twin post lifts that you drive between the posts.

 

[Greenleaf]

Nothing beats a pit. Nothing. The vehicle is both on the floor AND elevated... ..... at the same time. Save tons of time and labor. I don't know what dangers there are. I wouldn't want to work under a lift. Drive on or frame mount hoist.

There is equipment used for a frame hoist that is used in the pit. I run up the steps and into the vehicle and back down under again. Slick. Sure makes working on barkes and engines easy. Real easy.



Mine is well lit and ventilated. Has drain in the floor. I'm not sure how deep it is. I have had other TDR member over the pit and they say it's either too deep or too shallow.

 

[Royk]

Interesting replies! The emergency exit thing should not be a problem if I make it long enough that the steps out of the pit extend beyond the length of my truck. I hadn't thought of the gasoline related issues. I've thrown a match in a cup of diesel a couple times and it doesn't ignite, so I don't think it should be an issue with my truck. My wife's Toyota is a gasser, but it never needs any work down below beyond replacing brakes, which I wouldn't need the pit for anyway. I would just make a rule to do that kind of work on it out in the driveway, if I do any at all. Living out in the sticks, legality hopefully wouldn't be an issue. I was wondering about what the depth should be, as I'm about 5' 8". I guess I'd need to do some math. Find the lowest point on the truck so I don't bump my head and work from there.



If I do build it, I figure I'd have a 1 7/8" lip on the floor around it that I could lay 2x12 pieces of wood into to close it up when not in use.



Whadya think?

 

[fkovalski]

... . I was wondering about what the depth should be, as I'm about 5' 8". I guess I'd need to do some math. ...

I am about 6'-4"... the pit was about 5'-6"... enough to see and reach for tools. You could always over excavate, then fill in as required for your needs.

It's overall was about 4'-0" (wide) x 6'-0" (long) x 5'-6" (deep)... you may want to go longer than 6'-0".

... . If I do build it, I figure I'd have a 1 7/8" lip on the floor around it that I could lay 2x12 pieces of wood into to close it up when not in use...

That's just how mine was... .



ON EDIT:

Use 2x12 pressure treat, make the lip a little deeper and place 1x PT pads where the lip is. The lip would be about 2- 1/2" deep x 6".

 

[TowPro]

Go in to Walmart and check out the one they got. the Walmart near me has a nice pit.

 

[fkovalski]

Go in to Walmart and check out the one they got. the Walmart near me has a nice pit.

Yea, and at a good price too!:-laf :-laf

 

[sonorakitch]

I am building our new personal house right now and have installed a mechanics pit in the RV garage. Mine is 3'wide, 22' long, 5' deep with eight formed concrete steps with 12" tread and 8" risers. I built the structure in the concrete flatwork stage, first pouring a large footing and then laying up block. Grouted the block solid, placed forms around the top with a 12" concrete turndown, and prepared steel for the slab pour. The verticles from the block were bent over and tied in with horizontal steel in the slab. The last step: I took 1/4" 1. 5" angle iron, mitered the corners, welded some #4 rebar 12" long, and placed them on the outside of the forms. I poured my floor, and the pit is done.



I have sourced a typical steel grate (akin to one you would find on a second story catwalk) that will be cut into segments and placed over the pit, resting on the angle iron. This way, you could drive over the pit if you needed too. Plus, each segment is only about 60 lbs, so it isn't too hard to handle.



I made sure to waterproof the block before backfill and of course run conduit for both electric and compressed air. Whole thing probably cost me $2,000, and that was with inherent builder discounts involved.



Well worth it!



My only regret: I should have built a cavity in the floor to house a sump pump.



~Chris

 

[Greenleaf]

They are illiegal to install here now... ..... I suppose some politician has a friend/relative in the lift buisness. Seriously. Someone has an adgenda. Government protecting us from ourselves.



Folks still install them. They cover it with boards, then lay down the gravel floor. This is when the building is inpected by the county/state for code. Then, the gravel is removed from the boards and the cement floor is poured.



Some kid probably walked over to the neighbor's pit and fell in. . They sued the home owner and won.

 

[JLEONARD]

If you called it a "Tornado Shelter" would it then be legal?

 

[Royk]

I am building our new personal house right now and have installed a mechanics pit in the RV garage. Mine is 3'wide, 22' long, 5' deep with eight formed concrete steps with 12" tread and 8" risers. I built the structure in the concrete flatwork stage, first pouring a large footing and then laying up block. Grouted the block solid, placed forms around the top with a 12" concrete turndown, and prepared steel for the slab pour. The verticles from the block were bent over and tied in with horizontal steel in the slab. The last step: I took 1/4" 1. 5" angle iron, mitered the corners, welded some #4 rebar 12" long, and placed them on the outside of the forms. I poured my floor, and the pit is done.



I have sourced a typical steel grate (akin to one you would find on a second story catwalk) that will be cut into segments and placed over the pit, resting on the angle iron. This way, you could drive over the pit if you needed too. Plus, each segment is only about 60 lbs, so it isn't too hard to handle.



I made sure to waterproof the block before backfill and of course run conduit for both electric and compressed air. Whole thing probably cost me $2,000, and that was with inherent builder discounts involved.



Well worth it!



My only regret: I should have built a cavity in the floor to house a sump pump.



~Chris

Very cool! Thanks for all that detail.



Roy