Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Surely the story of the week is the finding of the 12 boys and their football trainer in flooded caves in Thailand. They were found on a ledge in an inner cave by British divers. The trick now is getting them all out. I have no idea what lies between them and safety, but I assume it is not simple since there is talk of perhaps weeks training them to use diving equipment.

Might have to use the Chilean technique that saved miners......

If they are they are there for some time....might get them a football cable subscription...…..RF : go and stand in the corner.....with your head bowed......but...no buts.....

Hope they get the kids out quickly if not move them to a bigger cave because of flooding....potholing/cave exploring is a very very extreme and dangerous sport !...

Do you have a bigger cave in mind rf? I have read nothing about oxygen concerns so either the cave system is very big or air is getting in somehow. I don't believe the kids are in any danger of flooding; they are above the flood level and at over 800m depth drilling a large diameter hole and pulling them out that way must be a last resort. Building or dropping in a temporary dam wall, or caisson, and pumping the water down may be the quickest and easiest way.
Pure speculation on my part.

Can the drilling equipment be got to a position to drill?

How stable is the geology in that area?

"Communications" (Roads for transport) seems "poor".

It's going to be like a military operation getting them all out safely.....

why on earth were children of that age taken into a cave system in the wet season and which was clearly not that accessible even when dry?


IT
they cannot possible be 800m below the surface!
i think the thought is to enlarge at least one part but horizontally, but not convinced of the practicality
at least there are highly experienced cave divers on hand (british of course!) to give guidance and perhaps even to get the children out one by one with a diver-guide
the worry will be a child panicking in what is certainly a tricky and potentially dangerous operation

You're right C, it may be more like a 1000m. Reports vary

Using mining equipment to dig a passageway to the boys is not being considered, given they’re located about 3,000 feet (1,000 meters) below the top of the mountain. That said, teams are currently scouring the mountain looking for alternative ways into the cave.

The boys were found around two kilometers (1.24 miles) into the cave and somewhere between 800 meters to one kilometer below the surface, according to a British Cave Rescue Council briefing note.

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More fruitcake here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-44714939

Here we go..........

From First Utility, who are my 'Dual Fuel Gas and Electricity supplier:

An update on your smart meter

Unfortunately, we’ve noticed that your gas smart meter has stopped communicating with us (*). As a result, we’re unable to provide you with all of the benefits a smart meter provides. This includes accurate bills and the ability to monitor your energy usage within your online account.

We’ve been trying to fix this problem but regretfully, we’ve been unable to do so. This is likely due to unreliable mobile signal where your meters are located. We’ll need to send you an email each month asking you to submit your gas readings, so that you can continue to benefit from accurate bills.

We understand that this is disappointing. However, as smart meter technology advances, we’ll let you know if there are any alternative solutions that may be suitable for your property.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
.................................
(*) Sort it then!
.................................
Note:

My electricity meter is situated in an outside cupboard and the readout screen is situated to the front in a panel and to its RHS is a number keypad.

I have no instructions on what sequence of numbers to press to obtain a screen display readout but I would hope that small problem can be overcome over the phone with FU.

My gas meter is situated outside the property in a recessed hole in the ground. This is a different story!

The gas meter readout screen is situated to the front at the top of the gas meter and in a panel and to its RHS is a similar number keypad. (Similar comments to the meter above to get a readout display, I would suppose)

If I have to take gas meter readings myself then this would just leave one final problem to overcome.....

Because of how it has been installed and also a rank crude installation bodge, it is an utter physical impossibility for anyone, let alone me, to read the gas meter screen.

And of course, I dare bet a substantial sum of money, that both these meter gadgets are only of any use to obtain First Utility gas and electricity readings and not readings from other utility suppliers.

I'd bet another substantial sum, that First Utility's estimates of my usage are going to be much higher than 'actual', too.

Grrrrrrrrrr! IMHO, Smart Meters are an expensive and utterly useless con, supplied only by utility companies to nail you solely to their services and to no one else. They do nothing to assist you to practice economies with your utility usage, that sheer common sense and a bit of personal responsibility wouldn't provide you with.

THE sporting event of the year starts tomorrow. Tour de France. I'm not sure if reducing the teams from 9 to 8 riders, and allowing more teams in is a good idea. The tour is not for novices and tired riders lead to more accidents that can take out genuine contenders. Great event however. Pity much of it is in France and that Eurosport insists on using one commentator that sounds like Inspector Clouseau even if he was likely born in Barnsley.

I reckon that if they sent a sort of James Bond-Jimmy Saville into the caves : the kids might come out pretty fast without any need for special equipment at all !....seriously......it's a nightmare situation and apparently they can't swim.....how do you train kids for scuba when they can barely paddle....you would have to strap each kid to the back of a diver and then dive into the murky waters.....unbelievably difficult....

81009 - it may well be 1000' below the top of the mountain, but the entrance used, or indeed other entrances, are unlikely to be anything like that far above the cave where these children are now stuck

=========

smart meters
following all sorts of accurate and adverse reports on these, i have declined to have one fitted

C, but unfortunately the place where the children are lodged is about 2 km from the entrance. It is not me but all the reports that are saying there is up to 1km of cover above where they are. There are ample illustrative sections through the cave system that also show the surface terrain.

that is more to the point, and furthermore, much of it is very narrow
it really does beggar belief that any adult should take them that far into such a cave system AND in the rainy season when flooding must surely always be a risk

I assume that they were driven that far into the system by the advancing water. Luckily, the man with them kept them together and above the flood. Whether they should have been there in the first place is up to him to explain.
I know of cases of people being trapped in broad daylight on the flat beaches off the west coast of this country by rapidly advancing tides. Cocklers in Morecambe Bay for example. Nature can surprise and does.

Flash flood.

!3 years since GF started this thread. Some things stay the same while others are different. No Dim Tim or Stella Artois but the Henley Regatta starts this afternoon. I must remember to pack the cucumber sandwiches.

Very sad someone has now lost their life in this underground cave rescue.

I wish the very, very best of good fortune to all the kids and all the rescuers involved.