I have been having trouble finding a way to tell what drains would be safer to explore. I have had a look at places online but they all seem to be sewage pipes and I would rather not go down one of those. I have also seen a couple storm drains and was wondering if anyone has any experience exploring one.

From the site here I have gathered that I should have at least a respirator, gas detector, 3 light sources each, 2 others with me, waist high waders, goggles encase of splashes. Anything I might have missed?

As an amateur drainer and also not being from Toronto I think I have the authority to say you don't need all that stuff you mentioned. Hell, in some of the ones I've been in you could've worn just normal shoes and been fine.

As for finding them, check the UEDB, your city planning site, and likely places for outfalls.

You don't need all that stuff for storm draining. Just a pair of good boots and a decent flashlight with extra batteries. I've even done a bunch of storm drains with regular street shoes on if they're dry enough inside.

Be on the look out for culverts and outfalls and things that could hint to the presence of a storm drain. Creeks and rivers are good places to find these. Municipalities sometimes have resources available to the public that could help you find drainage systems, I'm not sure what Toronto is like for that though.

I've never gone into a drain that had enough methane gas built up inside it to necessitate breathing apparatus or any sort of detector. There are some drains, especially sewage overflow systems and the like that would require more serious gear and precautions but if you're new to draining in general, it's better to just stay to simple storm drains first.

Yep, that's thoroughly overkill for your average drain! I usually just go with a flashlight or two, or and maybe waders if it's really cold. Gas detector is good to have for sewers, but not really necessary for storm drains.

As far as figuring out what's safe to explore, if you can just walk right in, it's probably a drain, meaning it's low risk. Sewers generally require at least popping some manholes or something.

Here's some good threads for you to read:

Draining:
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=97067
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=95398
http://www.uer.ca/...=1&threadid=101600
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=87918 (when it rains…)
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=65576 (when it rains…)
http://www.uer.ca/...=1&threadid=104049 (cautionary tale)
http://www.uer.ca/...=1&threadid=115831 (draining gear)
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=99634 (manholes)
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=87991 (manholes)
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=75137 (manholes)
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=96941 (CSOs and sewers)
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=85536 (CSOs and sewers, air quality)
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=87166 (What’s a CSO?)
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=78906 (walking through sludge)
http://www.uer.ca/...d=1&threadid=74195 (finding drains)
http://www.uer.ca/...=1&threadid=119725 (tidal drains, cautionary tale)

You need multiple flashlights. Beyond that, I've drained in hip waders, shorts, a kilt...

Agreeing with everyone else, you don't need a whole lot to drain. Carrying all that stuff around also makes you look like someone up to no good. There's a lot of buried rivers in the city, and the drains are pretty harmless. I've been in one combination storm drain/poop chute, but they were separate, funky smell at the start of it, but the storm drain part was fine. Just watch where you step! Some drains have drop offs. Goes from 1 foot of water to 6 feet. Gross and cold. (It's obvious where these are if you are paying attention.)

As for boots, well, I've only ever drained in shoes, as seen in my avatar.

Good luck!

Toronto is pretty good about separating it's storm and sanitary systems, except for the numerous CSO's around the downtown core.



Like others said, if you find the end of a drain going into a river or stream, it's either a storm drain or a CSO, the latter of which should be dry-ish unless the combined sewer connected to it is overflowing... in which case you shouldn't be out draining anyways.

Personally, I've drained in hiking boots, rain boots, and sandals without issue, and generally I carry two flashlights minimum when exploring, along with my camera gear, and just follow general rules (same for when I explore old mines)... if anyone starts to feel headaches, disoriented, or nausea, we assume we've hit bad air and GTFO.



If you or catdog want to hit some of the Toronto drains, let me know (I've only done a few myself and I'm meaning to get out more), but be warned that I work a very erratic work schedule and my days off are all over the map.