Inspection pit in a domestic garage - 'legal'?

[dreamer75]

I have a pit in my garage - its been useful for a couple of things, but just inspection. I keep meaning to use it for storage, but those 1-2 times I've actually used it in anger have put me off filling it up with tyres etc. !

[2Btoo]

hardcastlephil said:

Pits are definitely a bit rubbish, but they're infinitely better than nothing at all...

Exactly this. Pits are a poor alternative to a proper lift, but they are a hell of a lot better than a garage floor with some jacks and axle stands.

And if, like me, you live in a terraced house with no garage and you end up doing ALL your car maintenance on the street, a decent garage with a pit is the stuff of dreams.

[soad]

Watch out for the spiders!

[tobeee]

Could use it as a wine 'cellar'.

[motco]

tobeee said:

Could use it as a wine 'cellar'.

And fall arse over tit into when in your cups..

[C Lee Farquar]

I built a double garage with a pit when I was in my twenties. I was doing 4x4 trials at the time and it made removing propshafts and diffs much easier. I can see that for a basic front wheel drive car there would be little that a pit would help for other than inspection.

It leaked with a plastic membrane so I cement tanked it and it was bone dry.

I have a bigger workshop and ramp now, but remember my pit fondly.

[kev b]

Pits were probably more relevant back when cars needed an oil change and chassis grease every 1500 miles, in those days tools such as hydraulic jacks were very expensive making a pit a handy asset.

Nowadays a decent jack and stands costs relatively little and a pit limits what jobs you can do easily, everyone I know with a pit does not use it and most pits fill with water regularly, they also seem ideal for housing large spiders.