A close call
First, short circuit the drama… I’m fine. No injury, beyond a bit of bruising. Just a close call.
I built a ‘cap’ for our well house a few years back. Treated 2x4’s, treated ½” plywood, ridged foam insulation, topped with leftover painted steel from our roof. Sturdy… and heavy. Since the day I built it, I’ve struggled moving the thing. Couple hundred pounds, anyway.
A few weeks ago, I installed a whole house water filter in the well house. Works great, but now I’ve got another reason to get into that well house regularly. Since we filled our pool from the well, I drastically shortened the lifespan of the first round of filters. Bought a new set and was going to install them yesterday. Also got the bright idea to put some stainless-steel handles on the well cap. Make it a bit easier to move around.
So, I attached the handles, and was moving the well cap aside so I could change out the filters…. Placed my hands, facing down, through the handles. Directly above, is a 3” drip edge of the steel roofing. I start sliding the cap towards me, it over balances… and heads for the ground. Pinching my hands between the handles and the edge of the steel roofing, with the weight of the cap behind it.
I suddenly had visions of pulling up bloody stumps where my hands were.
I basically yanked, pulling my hands free as fast as possible, just before the well cap hit the ground. Deep creases across the back of both hands. I had to stand there, waiting to see if they were going to start bleeding, or not. Happily, they didn’t. A few hours, some cold compresses, and the steel edge marks started to fade. It’s morning now, hands are bruised, stiff, sore, but in tact.
I think I'm going to build a new well cap next weekend. 2x2 frame, foam board, and a lightweight plastic top. Ultra-light, no steel guillotine edges.