Making a 'water displacement' Geocache

[+NoPunchline]

Hello all!

 

I am considering the idea of one day making a 'water displacement' Geocache. This would involve having a floating Geocache inside a vertical tube (such as a PVC pipe) and pouring water into the tube would cause the Geocache to rise to the top, for retrieval.

 

I am wondering - what sort of factors would make this type of Geocache a 'bad' idea? How about as a 'good' idea? Have you seen any of these Geocaches before? What did you think of them?

 

I live in a climate where we get snow in the winter - the temperature drops below the freezing point of water. Under this premise alone, I would be confident that this would make retrieval a very bad idea in the winter, since water would likely not drain through the frozen soil, as well, any remaining water in the tube would freeze inside the pipe. As much as I would love to introduce an innovative Geocache in my area, I don't know if our winter weather would make this a good idea, and marking it as inaccessible during the winter would not necessarily deter everyone. Thoughts and opinions are appreciated!

[+NanCycle]

Hello all!

 

I am considering the idea of one day making a 'water displacement' Geocache. This would involve having a floating Geocache inside a vertical tube (such as a PVC pipe) and pouring water into the tube would cause the Geocache to rise to the top, for retrieval.

 

I am wondering - what sort of factors would make this type of Geocache a 'bad' idea? How about as a 'good' idea? Have you seen any of these Geocaches before? What did you think of them?

 

I live in a climate where we get snow in the winter - the temperature drops below the freezing point of water. Under this premise alone, I would be confident that this would make retrieval a very bad idea in the winter, since water would likely not drain through the frozen soil, as well, any remaining water in the tube would freeze inside the pipe. As much as I would love to introduce an innovative Geocache in my area, I don't know if our winter weather would make this a good idea, and marking it as inaccessible during the winter would not necessarily deter everyone. Thoughts and opinions are appreciated!

 

water would likely not drain through the . . . soil,

 

This makes it sound like your tube would be sunk into a hole in the ground. If so, that fact alone makes it not just a "bad idea" but a violation of the guidelines.

 

I have found a couple water displacement caches; one was attached to a fence and was about 6 ft tall, the other was attached to a sign post and was only about 2 ft tall. These were fun caches to do.

 

I think you would have to remove it over the winter as it would not work when frozen.

[+cerberus1]

Not really innovative, we saw float-to-the-top hides when we first started. Meh.

Sticking a pipe in the ground may be a problem with publishing today.

 

We've seen more than one log say that they didn't have enough water to fill, so "added a little of my own"...

Besides the guideline problems, we stopped doing those hides for that reason.

There isn't enough Purell.

[+wmpastor]

Not really innovative, we saw float-to-the-top hides when we first started. Meh.

Sticking a pipe in the ground may be a problem with publishing today.

 

We've seen more than one log say that they didn't have enough water to fill, so "added a little of my own"...

Besides the guideline problems, we stopped doing those hides for that reason.

There isn't enough Purell.

Those "geocache app" n00bs are at it again!

[+NoPunchline]

Hello all!

 

I am considering the idea of one day making a 'water displacement' Geocache. This would involve having a floating Geocache inside a vertical tube (such as a PVC pipe) and pouring water into the tube would cause the Geocache to rise to the top, for retrieval.

 

I am wondering - what sort of factors would make this type of Geocache a 'bad' idea? How about as a 'good' idea? Have you seen any of these Geocaches before? What did you think of them?

 

I live in a climate where we get snow in the winter - the temperature drops below the freezing point of water. Under this premise alone, I would be confident that this would make retrieval a very bad idea in the winter, since water would likely not drain through the frozen soil, as well, any remaining water in the tube would freeze inside the pipe. As much as I would love to introduce an innovative Geocache in my area, I don't know if our winter weather would make this a good idea, and marking it as inaccessible during the winter would not necessarily deter everyone. Thoughts and opinions are appreciated!

 

water would likely not drain through the . . . soil,

 

This makes it sound like your tube would be sunk into a hole in the ground. If so, that fact alone makes it not just a "bad idea" but a violation of the guidelines.

 

I have found a couple water displacement caches; one was attached to a fence and was about 6 ft tall, the other was attached to a sign post and was only about 2 ft tall. These were fun caches to do.

 

I think you would have to remove it over the winter as it would not work when frozen.

 

Thank you for bringing that point up - I would have to find another way for it to drain rather than through the soil. I suppose poking holes in the bottom would be a feasible possibility, although testing would be necessary.

 

Is that something people do-removing a cache in the winter or for certain months of the year? To my best understanding, a Geocache should be placed to permanent, and if it had to be removed during parts of the year, I'm not sure if that would follow guidelines.

[+NoPunchline]

Not really innovative, we saw float-to-the-top hides when we first started. Meh.

Sticking a pipe in the ground may be a problem with publishing today.

 

We've seen more than one log say that they didn't have enough water to fill, so "added a little of my own"...

Besides the guideline problems, we stopped doing those hides for that reason.

There isn't enough Purell.

 

Unfortunately, in my area, the vast majority of Geocaches are placed within reach of your hand, and can be opened seconds thereafter. The most difficult cache to access involves climbing a tree where the cache is 15 feet off the ground. (excluding bushwhacking through brush)

 

Luckily, we have many creeks near where I would want to place this cache, so access to water is not a concern. Hopefully using non-water liquids would not be thought of as a possibility...

[+cerberus1]

Not really innovative, we saw float-to-the-top hides when we first started. Meh.

Sticking a pipe in the ground may be a problem with publishing today.

 

We've seen more than one log say that they didn't have enough water to fill, so "added a little of my own"...

Besides the guideline problems, we stopped doing those hides for that reason.

There isn't enough Purell.

Those "geocache app" n00bs are at it again!

Not quite. Long time premium member.

[+NanCycle]

Hello all!

 

I am considering the idea of one day making a 'water displacement' Geocache. This would involve having a floating Geocache inside a vertical tube (such as a PVC pipe) and pouring water into the tube would cause the Geocache to rise to the top, for retrieval.

 

I am wondering - what sort of factors would make this type of Geocache a 'bad' idea? How about as a 'good' idea? Have you seen any of these Geocaches before? What did you think of them?

 

I live in a climate where we get snow in the winter - the temperature drops below the freezing point of water. Under this premise alone, I would be confident that this would make retrieval a very bad idea in the winter, since water would likely not drain through the frozen soil, as well, any remaining water in the tube would freeze inside the pipe. As much as I would love to introduce an innovative Geocache in my area, I don't know if our winter weather would make this a good idea, and marking it as inaccessible during the winter would not necessarily deter everyone. Thoughts and opinions are appreciated!

 

water would likely not drain through the . . . soil,

 

This makes it sound like your tube would be sunk into a hole in the ground. If so, that fact alone makes it not just a "bad idea" but a violation of the guidelines.

 

I have found a couple water displacement caches; one was attached to a fence and was about 6 ft tall, the other was attached to a sign post and was only about 2 ft tall. These were fun caches to do.

 

I think you would have to remove it over the winter as it would not work when frozen.

 

Thank you for bringing that point up - I would have to find another way for it to drain rather than through the soil. I suppose poking holes in the bottom would be a feasible possibility, although testing would be necessary.

 

Is that something people do-removing a cache in the winter or for certain months of the year? To my best understanding, a Geocache should be placed to permanent, and if it had to be removed during parts of the year, I'm not sure if that would follow guidelines.

 

The tall one that I found was a length of PVC pipe sealed at the bottom, with several holes drilled near the bottom that a person could hold closed with their fingers. This cache required 2 people to do, because the other person would then pour the water in from the top. (Except for those people who taped over the holes.)

 

Making it tall enough would solve (or at least seriously lessen) the "adding my own water" issue.

 

It's not too uncommon for caches to be seasonally unavailable. Just start it in the spring so that you get in a few good months before you have to disable it for the winter.

[+MKFmly]

We have done a few of these. As others have mentioned if it is designed to drain in the ground, it will likely be a problem. With pre-drilled holes (that you need to cover) it will work in all weathers but your natural source of water (close by) may be another problem.

 

One issue we just encountered at a cache like this was that the "tube" was forcibly removed from the host to get the cache without using water. A little disappointing to say the least, so you may want to account for that approach in your design.

[+NanCycle]

We have done a few of these. As others have mentioned if it is designed to drain in the ground, it will likely be a problem. With pre-drilled holes (that you need to cover) it will work in all weathers but your natural source of water (close by) may be another problem.

 

One issue we just encountered at a cache like this was that the "tube" was forcibly removed from the host to get the cache without using water. A little disappointing to say the least, so you may want to account for that approach in your design.

 

Yes, in theory it will work in all weather, but after someone tapes the holes, the water will freeze in the tube when the weather is cold enough. Then your cache will be trapped in the ice until it thaws.

[+Ringrat]

There are a few of these near me. They all have holes (or one big one) drilled in the bottom that you have to cover. They are all attached to something up off the ground (tree, fence, etc.). They've all been in good shape. Obviously your container will need to be very very waterproof...

[+msrubble]

Bad idea:

 

No sufficient supply of free water nearby. No one wants to haul 5 gallons of water half a mile through the brush.

 

Area cannot tolerate repeated sudden pouring of water. Soil is prone to erosion, there are delicate plants right under the proposed cache, etc.

 

Water drains faster than it can be poured in. That's just mean.

 

Method of hiding does not account for the temporary weight of the water and its sudden addition. That zip tie might go around a PVC pipe, but will it hold a few gallons of water?

 

No indication of anything unusual in the cache description. I suspect someone who is looking for a 1.5/1.5 micro would be annoyed when they saw what was required.

 

Good idea:

 

Type of cache is unusual in your area, and you have obtained a waterproof container for the log.

[+K13]

There are two caches like this in my area. Each is attached to a pole (by using zip tie straps), open top PVC pipe with a cap plugging the bottom with holes drilled to allow the water to drain when your finger is removed. It required about a pint of water to float the contained to the top.

To make one like this, I would buy the PVC of a size that my container will fit inside, then cap one end. Put the container inside, and add one (or two) pint bottles of water. Mark the water level, then trim the PVC pipe at that level. Drill a hole about 3/8 inch diameter for the drain. Then deploy and enjoy.

[+wmpastor]

Not really innovative, we saw float-to-the-top hides when we first started. Meh.

Sticking a pipe in the ground may be a problem with publishing today.

 

We've seen more than one log say that they didn't have enough water to fill, so "added a little of my own"...

Besides the guideline problems, we stopped doing those hides for that reason.

There isn't enough Purell.

Those "geocache app" n00bs are at it again!

Not quite. Long time premium member.

I'm not talking about you, C - I'm suggesting maybe the people who "added a little of their own" & created problems with those caches might have been intro-app types.

[+WarNinjas]

We have one out and seems everyone likes it. I have put in the description that if you don't want to play water games just log it as a find and enjoy your day. I know that you are supposed to sign the log but would prefer them to log it rather then to cut it off to sign. It has been cut off a few times still. I feel bad when someone finds it after this but we go fix it after hearing about it. It don't freeze here though so not sure if you should do it there or not.

[+cerberus1]

Not really innovative, we saw float-to-the-top hides when we first started. Meh.

Sticking a pipe in the ground may be a problem with publishing today.

 

We've seen more than one log say that they didn't have enough water to fill, so "added a little of my own"...

Besides the guideline problems, we stopped doing those hides for that reason.

There isn't enough Purell.

Those "geocache app" n00bs are at it again!

Not quite. Long time premium member.

I'm not talking about you, C - I'm suggesting maybe the people who "added a little of their own" & created problems with those caches might have been intro-app types.

I understood fully what you meant.

The problem cacher was a long time premium member.