TIL a trick for clearing a silted-up valve in zero viz
Had a job in the Houston ship channel where I used a small bilge pump to push water instead of my hand, and it worked way faster. Anyone have a better method for that kind of muck?
Honestly, that bilge pump trick is pretty smart for pushing water instead of your hand. I read about some guys using a small eductor setup for really thick muck in zero viz. Seems like it would move a lot of material fast without getting clogged as easy.
Zero viz conditions are a hard no from me. @avery_smith22, you read about guys going into that on purpose? The idea of being down there with zero light and thick muck moving around is a special kind of nightmare. An eductor might move material fast, but you still have to be the one standing in it while it's all stirred up. That seems like a quick way to get completely turned around or have something shift on you. I'll stick to jobs where I can at least see my own hands.
That bilge pump trick is solid, and felixt31 is right about the muck shifting. Seen guys try the eductor in zero viz and it just makes a total soup. You lose all sense of up and down when the bottom turns to liquid. Had a buddy get his umbilical pinned under a piece of steel that slid in the cloud. He was stuck there feeling it out in the dark for twenty minutes.