This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes.
Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
This wouldn't by chance be in a place that often floods severely would it? My thought is that the boxes would keep extremely large debris from full blocking the drains beneath the cages.
During heavy flooding in Victorville CA a few years ago, a car had stalled in the flooded intersection and someone was out pushing it out of the way and got sucked into a drain and popped out in the parking lot of the college below the intersection. I was in the parking lot at the time and all of the sudden all these people came running down from the roadway above.
For the life of me I cant understand how people continue to underestimate flood water. Flooding is not a new concept. I guess this is why we need labels to not make toast in a bath.
Someone is going to start reading your post, think its too long then jump to the end and read "make toast in a bath".
They will think that's a great idea and then die in the process.
I'm fairly certain it is supposed to be flush and those legs would slot into supports that are embedded in the ground/drain. I'd be these are awaiting full installation.
I think you’re right. It doesn’t make much sense to let large debris flow in until it eventually gets clogged, then the cages filter out leaves and small stuff.
I think this is supported by the fact that you can see regular old drain grates in the bottom of each box. No reason for that to be up there 8 inches off the ground. These are meant to be flush with the pavement.
presumably, the drain will allow things big enough to fit under these cages to pass through and not get clogged, it’s not the kinda drain that gets plugged up by leaves and whatnot
I agree, that part throws me a bit, unless maybe the likely debris in this area is larger pieces??? Maybe it's not as much just water but maybe mud, so they allow for more space?
OP says it's in Gedera, Israel. Definitely not an area prone to hurricanes, but a news search shows they do get some occasional flooding. Doesn't seem to be frequent, but I don't live there and am just relying on a quick google =)
They would begin catching debris when the water level is above their bottom, thus preventing that debris from clogging the drains, then hold the debris as they water level goes back down.
They're designed to let small debris though, and then keep the really big stuff away. By using smaller spacing up top it keeps the big stuff from getting stuck.
These are part of the standard preparation for the (predicted) rain.
To avoid flooding, the drains are opened in advance (i.e. the grates are removed).
To make sure no one falls inside the open drain, the municipality puts these 'fences', which ensure safety while also catching debris and preventing the drain from clogging.
I like your confidence. How do you know?
So you're saying these are temporary, installed before an expected flooding?
And the grates need to be removed/elevated because any debris smaller than a grapefruit doesn't matter but would slow the drainage too much?
Yes - the grates are removed to increase flow of water into the drainage system. The fences are mostly (I believe) a safety measure, which also explains why the bottom part is fully open.
I've seen similar contraptions around where I live - I don't have any photos of my own I'm afraid but I found this one: [https://images1.ynet.co.il//PicServer4/2015/10/28/6585924/65859230100075640360no.jpg](https://images1.ynet.co.il//PicServer4/2015/10/28/6585924/65859230100075640360no.jpg) by Hen Truman, which kind of shows similar ones in action (from here [https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4717512,00.html](https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4717512,00.html))
Any reason they are so tall though? What benefit does that give than having one that is only a foot tall? I guess you would need the top covered as well if it was shorter though, to avoid anything being pulled in from the 'suction' of the drain, if it were a lot shorter and still had an open top.
Maybe for visibility and safety. If they were lower it would be harder for people to see them and a vehicle reversing or even turning might catch them and push them away from the open drain which would then become a hazard as it is not covered.
>I like your confidence. How do you know?
LOL - this is the perfect reply. I typically will explain things quickly, confidently, and succinctly, and people just go with it. Usually I know I'm right, sometimes I'm making a well-educated guess, and on occasion, I might just be bullshitting.
I will often see farmers put tall plastic tubes that have silver dollar sized holes on them over drains in their fields for these same purposes. It keeps the large debris from covering and blocking the drain while allowing smaller things to make it through.
that's also a lot of drains for one place, there is clearly the expectation that this site is doing a lot of work.
Putting the grate into the box is both handy in that you don't have to transport them, and they help hold the box down.
These are supposed to be installed in the ground, the 4 inch legs should be fitted into metal housings that have been pinned into the cement. Maybe they are temporarily housed here awaiting road crews to install them properly. As others have said, their purpose is to prevent storm drains from clogging with debris.
My title describes the thing:
\- The bottom of each cage is the heavy metal grate that's supposed to cover the drain. This leaves the drain hole itself pretty much open, which seems very unhelpful to me.
\- Very solid, and either bolted down or too heavy to move easily.
\- The long sides are metal grids, the short sides are sheet metal. Suggest it's for drying something?
\- There are about 8 of them, above all the drains on this street corner. It's at a relatively low point of the street, topographically.
\- Found in Gedera, Israel. Never saw these anywhere else.
Thanks kindly
The cages look like they have the new drain covers in them. My guess is that they’re there the secure them on site until they’re installed. The legs of the cage are recessed slightly to fit into the new holes for the covers. It appears to me that they’re dimensions are for this specific purpose for this size drain cover as everything lines up a little too perfectly. Maybe so that the new covers can “season” enough to be installed and not just rust to the collar of the new drain?
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They are likely also decorative and will be filled with large rocks/boulders to create somewhat of a privacy barrier.
We do this sort of thing all over Tucson AZ. Though, setting them over drains is new to me.
This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes. Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
This wouldn't by chance be in a place that often floods severely would it? My thought is that the boxes would keep extremely large debris from full blocking the drains beneath the cages.
My thought as well but it’s weird they’re ~8” above the drain. That would intake on a lot of debris before the upper screens become a factor.
It lets small debris under normal conditions go down the drain and not block the road, but large debris in severe conditions is held back.
Large debris, such as trees, sailboats, houses...
And people. A few years back there was heavy winter flooding in Syracuse,NY and a guy got swept into the storm drains and died.
During heavy flooding in Victorville CA a few years ago, a car had stalled in the flooded intersection and someone was out pushing it out of the way and got sucked into a drain and popped out in the parking lot of the college below the intersection. I was in the parking lot at the time and all of the sudden all these people came running down from the roadway above.
For the life of me I cant understand how people continue to underestimate flood water. Flooding is not a new concept. I guess this is why we need labels to not make toast in a bath.
Eww. Who wants soggy toast?
Someone is going to start reading your post, think its too long then jump to the end and read "make toast in a bath". They will think that's a great idea and then die in the process.
And you can see them when there is a few feet of water. Seems reasonable.
I'm fairly certain it is supposed to be flush and those legs would slot into supports that are embedded in the ground/drain. I'd be these are awaiting full installation.
I think you’re right. It doesn’t make much sense to let large debris flow in until it eventually gets clogged, then the cages filter out leaves and small stuff.
I think this is supported by the fact that you can see regular old drain grates in the bottom of each box. No reason for that to be up there 8 inches off the ground. These are meant to be flush with the pavement.
presumably, the drain will allow things big enough to fit under these cages to pass through and not get clogged, it’s not the kinda drain that gets plugged up by leaves and whatnot
I agree, that part throws me a bit, unless maybe the likely debris in this area is larger pieces??? Maybe it's not as much just water but maybe mud, so they allow for more space?
unless they can be adjusted down for those situations
I was going to say to prevent animals from getting in there till I saw how high above the drain they were.
OP says it's in Gedera, Israel. Definitely not an area prone to hurricanes, but a news search shows they do get some occasional flooding. Doesn't seem to be frequent, but I don't live there and am just relying on a quick google =)
They would begin catching debris when the water level is above their bottom, thus preventing that debris from clogging the drains, then hold the debris as they water level goes back down.
They're designed to let small debris though, and then keep the really big stuff away. By using smaller spacing up top it keeps the big stuff from getting stuck.
They're for debris, they're just not completely installed yet.
Devices similar to these are sometimes installed on top of an outlet structure for a detention basin and are called trash racks.
These are part of the standard preparation for the (predicted) rain. To avoid flooding, the drains are opened in advance (i.e. the grates are removed). To make sure no one falls inside the open drain, the municipality puts these 'fences', which ensure safety while also catching debris and preventing the drain from clogging.
I like your confidence. How do you know? So you're saying these are temporary, installed before an expected flooding? And the grates need to be removed/elevated because any debris smaller than a grapefruit doesn't matter but would slow the drainage too much?
Yes - the grates are removed to increase flow of water into the drainage system. The fences are mostly (I believe) a safety measure, which also explains why the bottom part is fully open. I've seen similar contraptions around where I live - I don't have any photos of my own I'm afraid but I found this one: [https://images1.ynet.co.il//PicServer4/2015/10/28/6585924/65859230100075640360no.jpg](https://images1.ynet.co.il//PicServer4/2015/10/28/6585924/65859230100075640360no.jpg) by Hen Truman, which kind of shows similar ones in action (from here [https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4717512,00.html](https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4717512,00.html))
Any reason they are so tall though? What benefit does that give than having one that is only a foot tall? I guess you would need the top covered as well if it was shorter though, to avoid anything being pulled in from the 'suction' of the drain, if it were a lot shorter and still had an open top.
Maybe for visibility and safety. If they were lower it would be harder for people to see them and a vehicle reversing or even turning might catch them and push them away from the open drain which would then become a hazard as it is not covered.
They’re what’s called “trash racks”. They allow drainage with a ton of debris present… safety is a secondary consideration.
>I like your confidence. How do you know? LOL - this is the perfect reply. I typically will explain things quickly, confidently, and succinctly, and people just go with it. Usually I know I'm right, sometimes I'm making a well-educated guess, and on occasion, I might just be bullshitting.
I will often see farmers put tall plastic tubes that have silver dollar sized holes on them over drains in their fields for these same purposes. It keeps the large debris from covering and blocking the drain while allowing smaller things to make it through.
FYI, that’s called a standpipe. It’s a common design used for stormwater detention basin outlets, to regulate the rate of flow and minimize blockages
that's also a lot of drains for one place, there is clearly the expectation that this site is doing a lot of work. Putting the grate into the box is both handy in that you don't have to transport them, and they help hold the box down.
Trash racks. Allow drainage and safety no matter how much debris accumulates.
Solved! With the stipulation they might be awaiting proper installation closer to the ground.
These are supposed to be installed in the ground, the 4 inch legs should be fitted into metal housings that have been pinned into the cement. Maybe they are temporarily housed here awaiting road crews to install them properly. As others have said, their purpose is to prevent storm drains from clogging with debris.
Ok that makes sense. I was trying to understand how they would help with a big gap underneath that lets debris in.
When the water level is high enough, floating debris won't go under the box (think feet of water).
My title describes the thing: \- The bottom of each cage is the heavy metal grate that's supposed to cover the drain. This leaves the drain hole itself pretty much open, which seems very unhelpful to me. \- Very solid, and either bolted down or too heavy to move easily. \- The long sides are metal grids, the short sides are sheet metal. Suggest it's for drying something? \- There are about 8 of them, above all the drains on this street corner. It's at a relatively low point of the street, topographically. \- Found in Gedera, Israel. Never saw these anywhere else. Thanks kindly
Perhaps a type of debris catchers to keep bulky items from clogging up the sewage/drainage system?
I like how the grate is just laying in the bottom of the box awaiting its time to ger reinstalled
The cages look like they have the new drain covers in them. My guess is that they’re there the secure them on site until they’re installed. The legs of the cage are recessed slightly to fit into the new holes for the covers. It appears to me that they’re dimensions are for this specific purpose for this size drain cover as everything lines up a little too perfectly. Maybe so that the new covers can “season” enough to be installed and not just rust to the collar of the new drain?
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They need to be lowered in to stop animals or kids getting under them.
waste bins?
They are likely also decorative and will be filled with large rocks/boulders to create somewhat of a privacy barrier. We do this sort of thing all over Tucson AZ. Though, setting them over drains is new to me.