For many people who grew up in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the coolest superheroes imaginable. They had cool weapons, could eat pizza whenever they wanted and got to hang out with a talking rat! Many of these same people will even recall trying to climb into the sewers to find their favorite heroes in half-shell. The need can still arise for the occasional trip underground—although admittedly, it won’t be to tell the Turtles your fool-proof plan for stopping the evil Shredder. When you must descend underground, you need to know about the essential tools necessary to access sewers.

Manhole Hook

There are many different tools available to lift utility hole covers out of the ground. It’s important to select the appropriate option based on the amount of force required. It’s usually a manhole hook. This tool is simple and quick to use, which is a crucial benefit on any job site. For the majority of homeowners, a manhole hook will be all that’s ever needed.

Manhole Cover Lift Dolly

There are occasions when a hook isn’t able to get the job done. When that happens, the next step up is a cover lift dolly. This tool is perfect for minimizing strain on workers; some can lift 400 pounds or more. These feature a permanent magnet, making them great for when a source of electricity isn’t available.

Magnetic Cover Lift Dolly

When a basic dolly simply isn’t enough, there is also the option of using a magnetic cover lift dolly. These have much greater lifting power; some are rated into the 1,000s of pounds. These are used for manhole covers that refuse to budge with the standard tools necessary to access sewers.

Septic Lid Lifter

Finally, there is the question of how to access septic systems. Like the different types of dollies for manhole covers, there are also regular and magnetic options available for lifting these lids as well. Each one has special attachments that allow workers to properly secure the lifting apparatus to each of the different types of septic systems.

When you find yourself needing to head underground, the team at Penn Tool Co. is more than happy to help open the way. We carry a wide array of manhole tools and accessories to help you and your team get the job done right.