Marking lines

[boojababy]

Does anyone else who detects their own back yard habe someone come out and mark where powerlines and things are?

 

[Holyground]

Wha...wha...WHAT!?

 

[boojababy]

You know, the people that come out and mark where derground power lines ect are so you don't hit them digging.

 

[Rawhide]

As for power lines, my detector lets me know real quick as they throw off a lot of EMI. Also they go to and from the street to the house in a straight line. Now old gas and water lines are pretty deep. Most detector dont pick those up like my F75 does. You know again by the line going in a straight line and not just one area. Now if your using a back hoe or a pick, yes I would have the lines marked out for sure.

 

[boojababy]

I won't dig deep enough to hit anything?

 

[Dr. Syn]

Maybe the cable for your cable TV, those folks only go about 2 inches down when they run the cable to your house if you have underground utilities.
Also not always do the installers of utilities follow code. At our current place, the drain pipe to the sewer is 4 inches under the grass. Found that out when a neighbor drove across the yard.

 

[Tpmetal]

look online, around me its a number you call, dig in ny or something. they have all power phone and gas companies come out and mark the lines for you. Do not just go punching holes in the ground if you don't know. Building in my town blew up a few years ago from a leaking gas line that someone drove a stake through. Leaked into the cinderblock wall then a furnace ignited it and blew half the building off. Also if you hit the gas line your liable to pay for all the gas that leaks. and they take their sweet time getting there. Could end up being thousands of dollars when all said and done when you hit a line.

 

[Phishfarmer]

The deadly one would be a power line and in our neck of the woods that's gotta be a minimum of 30" deep which should be well beneath any holes you're digging. EMI should alert you also. Cutting a telephone or tv cable would be most likely they are shallow but not deadly; might be a relief to have them out for a few days(or weeks, months, etc.)

 

[smokeythecat]

Only thing to especially watch out for is idiots who run an electric line to the shed or outdoor receptacle and put it a few inches underground and do not put it in the required plastic grey protective tubing. That would be most likely 115 volt and it would hurt.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Only thing to especially watch out for is idiots who run an electric line to the shed or outdoor receptacle and put it a few inches underground and do not put it in the required plastic grey protective tubing. That would be most likely 115 volt and it would hurt.

Yup, the previous owner of my home did that. They ran the wires out to my garage with no protection and only about 5 inches down. My driveway has eroded over the years and now I can see the wires! Going to be a pain to undo that screw up.

You also have to watch out for outdoor pole lights. I almost hit my pole light wires because they weren't very deep and they didn't go in a straight line out from my foundation. Stick with a small hand digger with a plastic handle and never use a shovel when you dig near your house.

 

[Loco-Digger]

Never had to have Miss utility come out. I always double check a good signal and if the signal runs from the house to the sidewalk I'm pretty sure it's nothing I want to dig.

 

[smokeythecat]

I had two lines going out to receptacles outside yards and yards away from the building. Just shoved maybe 6" down, no protective conduit, nothing. A few years ago I said heck with this nonsense, as one is where it can FLOOD and be underwater, so I turned off the power, disconnected the lines from the appropriate junction boxes, then removed the lines out of the building and cut both ends off!