  Leannam1989 Member Username: Leannam1989 Post Number: 119 Registered: 06-2008 |
Just browsing Street View. http://tinyurl.com/6e34kc There's some kind of pipe (looks like it's leaning) spewing out steam from the ground. Is this some kind of ventillation thing underground? Anyway, if anybody could tell me what the heck that thing is, I would appreciate it. Thanks.  | ||
Sludgedaddy Member Username: Sludgedaddy Post Number: 232 Registered: 01-2008 |
I believe it is a natural geological formation called "The Devil's Crack Pipe". | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3894 Registered: 01-2005 |
Probably some kind of temporary shield from a steam leak from DTE. All kinds of steam power underground in the downtown area; provides heat for most of the larger buildings. It does look strange, though! | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 14816 Registered: 12-2003 |
The steam generation and transmission system used for building heating downtown has some leaks. For years, the homeless have used this steam as a source of heat...occasionally even falling asleep in the middle of the street as they sometimes unsuccessfully fend off frostbite. I've met homeless folk who've suffered both frostbite and second and third degree steam burns simultaneously. They don't feel the burning until it is way too late. After many years, the 'solution' was not to fix all the leaks but to make these funky chimneys on certain popular sites...some places where individuals were burned in the past. There might be a dozen or so of these around downtown... | ||
Leannam1989 Member Username: Leannam1989 Post Number: 120 Registered: 06-2008 |
But why is it leaning? Is that normal? | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 5729 Registered: 06-2004 |
probably an attempted scrapping | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 14817 Registered: 12-2003 |
Nah, I'd say the lean of this tower was caused by the sidewalk and curbside improvements made throughout the neighborhood before the first new townhouse was built...before the stadia were begun. This is an old steampipe...probably one of the oldest around. A block or so away from here is an old gas station...I always wonder what it would say if 'the walls' could talk! Lotsa history passed by that little corner. | ||
Wolverine Member Username: Wolverine Post Number: 642 Registered: 04-2004 |
They typically stand straight up, but the wind may have moved it or someone tried to knock it over. But yeah, basically they are a shield to keep people away from what would typically be a manhole cover. | ||
Retroit Member Username: Retroit Post Number: 534 Registered: 04-2008 |
That's a Theatrical Fog Generator. They're filming a movie there: "Nightmare in the Ghetto: The Curse of Edmund Erskine Brush" | ||
Django Member Username: Django Post Number: 2162 Registered: 10-2003 |
Ive always wanted to paint those things | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3896 Registered: 01-2005 |
Someone dumped an old pizza down it. It's the leaning tower of.......well, never mind. | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 4048 Registered: 08-2007 |
Gosh, I've never seen one of those. Now I'm curious so on my next trip across the border I'll have to go have a look! Gannon are there many of them around? Django - you'll have to come back up here where there is this damn snow if you want to paint one! - in the meantime, enjoy the sun! | ||
Oldestuff Member Username: Oldestuff Post Number: 96 Registered: 01-2007 |
Yes there are a number of them around. They also help to divert the steam upwards, since there were several instances of pedestrians being struck while emerging from a blast of the steam coming out of the manholes and not visible to drivers until - wham. | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1473 Registered: 02-2004 |
Has anyone seen what they did with two of those things behind Children's Hospital? They fabricated two fiberglass dinosaurs and covered up the steam vents up with them. The steam now comes out of the dinosaur nostrils. Very clever solution! I'll try to get a pic of it. | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1474 Registered: 02-2004 |
 | ||
Lizaanne Member Username: Lizaanne Post Number: 124 Registered: 06-2007 |
Oh now that is just too cute! Gotta love a creative resourceful mind! ~Liza | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 647 Registered: 05-2007 |
Next time you're at GreekTown Casino and you're walking across Beaubien to get to Fishbones, take a look over at the corner of Beaubien and Monroe. You'll see a steam chimney on the corner under the people mover station (or at least you did see one as of 3 weeks ago). In cae you're interested, Detroit Thermal operates the boilers, and their web site shows a system map. http://www.detroitthermal.com/ steam.htm | ||
J_to_the_jeremy Member Username: J_to_the_jeremy Post Number: 139 Registered: 03-2007 |
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j tothejeremy/2190714306/ | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 4058 Registered: 08-2007 |
Love the picture Crew! That is resourceful thinking at its best! Bet the kids just love that. | ||
Wolverine Member Username: Wolverine Post Number: 644 Registered: 04-2004 |
I've seen quite a few of the steam chimneys around Manhattan. Some of them are painted with colors so they are visible to drivers, preventing collisions since they are sometimes placed in the streets. | ||
Jnot Member Username: Jnot Post Number: 18 Registered: 01-2007 |
Has anyone else wasted hours on google maps crawling through Detroit's digital streets? Does anyone else (regrettably) spend more time exploring Detroit's digi-streets than the real ones? If Dave Bing gets to be the Mayor of analog Detroit for free, I volunteer to be Mayor of Digital Detroit for free | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 4060 Registered: 08-2007 |
K! Jnot! I second you for Digital Detroit Mayor! | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 508 Registered: 10-2006 |
Im guessing the people puzzled by these dont frequent the city. The chimneys have been around the WSU area for years. They are usually up in the winter when the steam is thicker and could result in a pedestrian injury or car accident. Too bad they usually just result in a face full of sewer steam. | ||
Hamtragedy Member Username: Hamtragedy Post Number: 343 Registered: 10-2007 |
I usuallly speed up and aim straight for the steam. | ||
Swimmaven Member Username: Swimmaven Post Number: 28 Registered: 05-2007 |
Are the pipes hot to the touch? | ||
Wolverine Member Username: Wolverine Post Number: 645 Registered: 04-2004 |
No. But don't trust me on that lol. (Message edited by wolverine on November 25, 2008) | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 1467 Registered: 01-2005 |
DTE has not provided steam to Detroit buildings for years. It sold the steam system to Detroit Thermal years ago. It's a financial disaster. Much of the steam is not from leaks in the steam pipes but from water pipe leaks and condensation falling on the very hot steam pipes, which creates the steam coming out of manhole covers. That does cool the steam in the steam pipes, however, and reduces the BTUs reaching the users and thereby increases their costs. | ||
Hornwrecker Member Username: Hornwrecker Post Number: 2146 Registered: 04-2005 |
The steam coming out of these vents is most likely from steam traps, which are placed at low (or cooler) points in the system. These allow the removal of condensate that collects in these areas. Depending on the type of trap used, some are more prone to steam leakage or sticking, so you have an almost continual appearance of a minor steam leak. There also might be a few pressure relief valves spread around; you'll know it if one of those go off: extremely loud. | ||
Sjmes Member Username: Sjmes Post Number: 12 Registered: 12-2003 |
Detroit Thermal bought the whole steam system from DTE several years back. What is interesting is that before DTE sold the steam heat system they were trying to push consumers off the system doing such things as offering to buy 1/2 of a new boiler system for customer's in exchange for them leaving the system. They also pushed WSU off the system causing them to build their own steam heat production system. When Detroit Thermal took the system over it was running at a loss of a large large sum of money per year. Within a very short time they turned the system around to make a profit. They also spent lots of time and money updating the system. I believe the company the owns Detroit Thermal is based out of Ohio. The steam system does not run through the sewer system for those who thought otherwise. Common sense could understand that that would be a very big no no and Detroit is not the only city to have this kind of setup. The use of a steam system is economical as compared to forced a air system if maintained properly and, if produced in large quantities, is even more economical (law of large numbers, etc.) This is why we don't each produce our own electricity. The ability of moving steam long distances is not as efficient as is electricity but in densely packed square footage of space that needs to be heated, it is an amazing system. FYI: did you know that the steam system was designed to also allow for a system of cooling for buildings during the summer months? | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 655 Registered: 05-2007 |
more did you know: Additionally, Detroit Thermal, LLC purchases steam from the Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Authority (GDRRA) (see link below) a refuse derived fuel (RDF) and combined heat and power (CHP) plant that began commercial operation in October 1991. GDRRA operates the facility under contract with the City. The facility is permitted to receive up to 4,000 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per day. The MSW is processed as RDF, which is then burned in the furnaces, producing 720,000 pounds of steam per hour. The steam is used to generate up to 68 megawatts of electricity and supply export steam at a peak rate of up to 550,000 pounds per hour. The electricity is sold to the Detroit Edison Electric Company and the thermal energy is delivered to Detroit Thermal, LLC. | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 656 Registered: 05-2007 |
http://www.gdrra.org |
