big silver colored pipe

[re-tek]

at two different sites now i have unearthed a shiny silver colored pipe thing maybe 8-10 inches down. whatever its made of, it doesnt tarnish. judging from the bit i did uncover, its maybe 4-6 inches in diameter.

one was found in the courtyard of a 1920's estate in the stable area. it had the look of freshly melted solder, really bright and watery looking silverish. its deffinitely been there for more than 20 years yet still shined. site is within few hundred feet of the ocean. i was able to follow it about 15 feet and then it went under some recent slabs they poured.

the second was found on virginia key (island now linked by roads) in an area that is mostly beach and hammocks. there is a school, and water treatment plant on the island but its all on opposite ends of the island fron where i was. its also within a 100 feet or so of the ocean and surrounded by trees. this one looked like extruded aluminum but was still shiny and seemed to have another thin pipe that looked like stainless running next to it. this one i could only get about a foot or so to detect, as if its only a peice, or maybe it rises at this location for some reason.

some have suggested gas pipeline or old phone lead cable. the problem i have with these theories is that as a phone man, i know lead encased cable turns a dull grey and this shined. the gas pipeline theory is plausible but to run stainless (or whatever else doesnt tarnish) seems like tons of money. i always thought they just used thicker steel pipe that would end up looking like any other pipe in the ground.

i just want to know what the blasted thing is! im stumped by the untarnishing metal in the ground.
ideas?!?!?

 

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[CodyCat Borat]

Do you have a picture of it?

 

[BioProfessor]

Very few things remain shiny in the ground. Especially after 20 years. Steel pipe is galvanized so it is a dull gray, stainless is not usually shiny. It has a brushed appearance. Iron pipe is rusty. And so on. The only thing I have seen remain shiny in soil after years and years (other than precious metals) is foil or some form of aluminum.

I would not assume that is has been in the ground for 20 years. When they put in cable and pipe these days, they use a horizontal boring machine and GPS to put the pipe underground without digging a trench. You may have hit a trunk cable of some kind that carries digital information that is wrapped in a foil type covering. It may be something you may not want to be banging on with your shovel.

It might be a good idea to notify the utility company in the area and ask if there are any cable running in the area. They will come out for free and see what it is.

You know the old rule in stores - You break it, you bought it. The same thing applies to utility cables and the like if you don't ask first if there are any in the area.


Daryl

 

[wesfrye53]

Bio,

Your response brought to mind something that should have crossed my mind given the line of work I'm in....."Dare Dig"! A program that in most States requires you call a specific number before you dig "anything" and give the utilities the opportunity to mark and utilities in the area that is to be dug.

In Tennessee, if you dig and damage a utility without calling "Tennessee One Call", you are liable for any damage to utilities. If the utility fails to respond or mis-marks their lines, they eat the repairs. I myself have tried to be cautious but in the true sense, am not following established codes in Tennessee.

Now I know that MDing and digging don't seem to be any threat to utility lines but......just curious if anyone has encountered a situation where their hunting resulted in damaged utility infrastructure. Re-tek's experience may indicate how simple it would be to get involved in a quagmire.

 

[stefen]

'Dig Alert' is another agency to contact rior to digging.

Anything in a lead pipe, encased or shielded should raise a caution flag.

Most older antennae and antennae farms will have lead encased lines. (Antennae farm is a military, DOD and FAA terminology where a site has numerous antennaes, many for different agancieds. You want to be popular, and get immediate attention, just cut one...)

Also, lead piping was common at the turn of the century.

 

[irbaddadjoe]

I can tell you cause I bury gas lines on a daily basis that I have dug up some utility services such as phone and cable buried less than a 12" deep. Md ers can definitely get into these. I agree with whats been said already if there is any doubt . You should do , one call or dig tess. Utility companys will mark their lines within 48 hours. Only thing is that they usually wont locate city water and sewer. . I dont know what a shiny silver pipe could be.