Needed: Someone to help me weld

[Zx2guy19]

Something very simple, but I've never welded a thing in my life-

 

I have a rental on the west side of Columbus that has 2 holes, around 12x12" each that are for drains. Insurance has deemed them a "trip hazard", and I can't find any fucking grates to cover them to save my life.

 

Long story short, I am looking for someone to weld a few pieces of metal stock together like a grate...or a bacon weave...whatever, I just have to cover the hole in a way that doesn't stop water flow (again, it's a drain) and isn't a trip hazard (they are pretty deep).

 

http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n637/lowdah7/Drain.jpg

Edited May 6, 2015 by Zx2guy19

[Ramsey]

Have you checked to see if grainger has anything that might work?

[Zx2guy19]

Yup, checked Grainger and Fastenal both. Both grates were over $100 and weren't really the right size. I think I could make both for less than $20 in stock. It doesn't have to be pretty (I'm going to high temp coat them brown to blend in), just functional so that someone doesn't step in this big ass hole.

[Zx2guy19]

The diminsions are:

 

8.5 x 8.5 for one hole

9.5 x 16.5 for the other

 

Literally going to cut metal stock, weld, paint and put it on top of the hole.

[Green Bastard]

Would a sheetmetal cover work? I can get 10 or 12 gauge sheetmetal here at work and possibly have some holes punched in it.

[Zx2guy19]

I actually think that'd work man. How thick is 10/12 gauge? Sorry, not a steel guy haha

[Green Bastard]

About 1/8". I'll see what I can do.

[Rocky31186]

How about some reinforced expanded metal? Can you post pictures and I'll see what I can come up with?

[Zx2guy19]

Thanks a ton just for offering guys. Here's a picture, this is the bigger drain of the 2. I just can't find grates that aren't ridiculously expensive, and even the ones I do find aren't a correct fit. They are threatening to drop my coverage if I don't do something...

 

http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n637/lowdah7/Drain.jpg

[STEVE-O]

If that is just a drain pipe why not build a box fill the extra space with quick create and make it a proper size for a grate?

[rl]

Buy expanded stainless from TSC or Home Depot, cut it to size, and use concrete screws and fender washers to hold it down.

[STEVE-O]

http://m.homedepot.com/p/NDS-12-in-Plastic-Structural-Foam-Polyolefin-Grate-1211G/100377388/

 

Or they have many others if it is 12 inch or drain basin you can drop into the hole connect and cover/fill the rest and never worry about it again

 

http://m.lowes.com/pd/NDS-12-in-L-x-12-in-W-Square-Catch-Basin-Kit/1165799

[Zx2guy19]

It's hard to see in the picture but there are actually 2 drains in each hole, not just the visible one.

[Zx2guy19]

Fuck, I may just fill it with rocks. Thoughts on that? It should still drain and it would no longer be a trip hazard, right?

[Rocky31186]

So there is no ledge for it to sit on right? So maybe angle iron flared out with supports in the middle and expanded metal on top ,that way the angle sits on top of the concrete.

[Zx2guy19]

No ledge unfortunately. I figured anything I could make/have made would need to be a bit oversized so I could fasten it to the concrete.

[zeitgeist57]

I've got a HF flux-core welder if you want to put something together.

 

I've also got some thick plate metal Ryan gave me. I'm thinking you could cut slits in a flat piece of metal, and weld four "pegs" at the bottom that will fit the plate over and be positioned/centered over the hole...

[Zx2guy19]

Crisis averted- thank you all for your help. Rocks were approved by insurance...

[iwashmycar]

LOL. nice!