Yelled at

CarsonChris

Elite Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2019
Messages
1,911
Location
Carson City, NV
An old codger yelled at me last night while I was curb striping. I yelled right back. Ten minutes later he’s out talking to me and being friendly. Making sure I don’t hit a utility line going to his house.
 
... Making sure I don’t hit a utility line going to his house.

And ... naturally .... you told him that you called the 3 digit utility-Co. phone # before you went down that street . Right ? You know, those "Call-before-you-dig" phone #'s, that contractors are supposed to call before heavy-equipment excavating trenches and such.

Humorously .... the utility Co's admonition (requirement that you "call before you dig") doesn't specify HOW deep. Just says any digging.

Thus .... OF COURSE you and I (and all md'rs) call that # before we embark on any md'ing excursion :laughing:
 
In all seriousness, would a detector pick up those knifed-in lines, like your telephone or cable tv line? They're relatively pretty shallow, but I'm not sure how deep they actually get to.

Roger
 
In all seriousness, would a detector pick up those knifed-in lines, like your telephone or cable tv line? They're relatively pretty shallow, but I'm not sure how deep they actually get to.

Roger



This question/subject has come up on threads in the past. Like... fiber-optic cables, for instance, can be surprisingly shallow ? Ok, even if true: Does anyone here know of any instances of md'rs doing damage to utilities? And if so : Does any of us plan to start calling the 3-digit # each time you dig ?
 
Yes, Having been in the Telecom business for 30 years - I have seen all sorts of damage to underground cables - from stalpath to fiber-optic. From an errant diggers shovel, or farmer's tractor to a county backhoe.....
 
Yes, Having been in the Telecom business for 30 years - I have seen all sorts of damage to underground cables - from stalpath to fiber-optic. From an errant diggers shovel, or farmer's tractor to a county backhoe.....

thanx for chiming in. So what relevance or impact does this have on us md'rs who dig ?
 
I got yelled at again. I’m between a 6’ fence and the road next to a city bus stop. Guy comes out screaming I’m on his property. We discuss city property and his property. Apparently his property runs to the bus stop sign even though his fence is 4 ft from it. After he calms down I’m ok to hunt there. He then tells me places I should try. Unfortunately he wouldn’t let me search his yard. His home was built in 1873.
 
Yes, Having been in the Telecom business for 30 years - I have seen all sorts of damage to underground cables - from stalpath to fiber-optic. From an errant diggers shovel, or farmer's tractor to a county backhoe.....
Telecom service drops are typically buried shallow, from placed directly below fresh sod, to about 6” on average. I repair at least a few dozen per year. Miss dig hardly bothers to locate buried drops anymore, as many are vacant.
 
The telephone and TV cable lines that are knifed to my house are extremely shallow near my house. The come from the road very close to a giant oak tree and the didn't even try to get them deep. They would be both detectable by a metal detector and easily cut by a shovel.

Would you want to hit one if you got permission to hunt any home?

Since most of us/none of us are going to "call before we dig", maybe it'd be wise to note the location of the cable and phone boxes on the side of the house and or the location of any "hub" at the road. We can always ask where those lines are buried.
 
Around here the fiber optic lines are installed in orange tubing. (See link) At least, for the main runs on major roads. I've seen them at work installing them around town and they appear to be 12"+ deep except where they have to bring it up to the surface. I think they are even using the combined sewer/storm drain system wherever they can. They plant these four foot tall ugly plastic tubes to note their presence.

From what I can tell, the lines usually eventually run up a pole and connect to homes that way.

Still, there are a lot of places where you'd be a fool to sink a 9" shovel full force with your foot. So, it's hand digger only for me if I'm in a curb strip and not 100% sure of.


https://www.consolidated.com/blog/artmid/3914/articleid/40/big-orange-spools-everywhere
 
The telephone and TV cable lines that are knifed to my house are extremely shallow near my house. The come from the road very close to a giant oak tree and the didn't even try to get them deep.

Google was installing fiber around here and they were knifing the lines in very shallow in the yards and streets of the neighborhoods they were targeting. But, before they even finished the project they quit and just left it all behind.
 
Don’t just ask where the cable run is. No way to know unless for a locate, um kay. We don’t have X-ray vision. You don’t want to pay an expensive fine. Fiber drops are shallow. There’s so much stuff in the ground it’s not funny.
 
Sorry I am new. What is curb stripping?


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I actually do the opposite. I wear a safety vest curb strip hunting, and when anyone asks what I’m doing I say surveying utility lines. Nobody not once has asked me for who :laughing:

AAaahh, I consider coins and rings to be "utilities". Don't you ? :aok:
 
Was building a new home. Plat showed the 5000 pair phone lines on the next lot down the street. None of the little flags they put out were on the edge of the lot where I was building. Plumber cut the phone lines. They came out and did the repair. Did not bury more than three inches deep and the landscaper broke it again.

Phone company rep came out and wanted to know who to bill for all the repairs. I pulled out the plat map and showed him that his phone lines were trespassing. His attitude changed immediately. Next question was will you give us a utility right of way? I said you will have to discuss that with the people who are buying this house.
 
Was building a new home. Plat showed the 5000 pair phone lines on the next lot down the street. None of the little flags they put out were on the edge of the lot where I was building. Plumber cut the phone lines. They came out and did the repair. Did not bury more than three inches deep and the landscaper broke it again.

Phone company rep came out and wanted to know who to bill for all the repairs. I pulled out the plat map and showed him that his phone lines were trespassing. His attitude changed immediately. Next question was will you give us a utility right of way? I said you will have to discuss that with the people who are buying this house.

excellent post.
 
Was building a new home. Plat showed the 5000 pair phone lines on the next lot down the street. None of the little flags they put out were on the edge of the lot where I was building. Plumber cut the phone lines. They came out and did the repair. Did not bury more than three inches deep and the landscaper broke it again.

Phone company rep came out and wanted to know who to bill for all the repairs. I pulled out the plat map and showed him that his phone lines were trespassing. His attitude changed immediately. Next question was will you give us a utility right of way? I said you will have to discuss that with the people who are buying this house.

One thing that may be relevant or not, most old properties prior to 1900, their propert lines are actually on the middle of the adjacent road. The county just has an legal right of maintenance for the public good and the don't own the property the road is on in fee simple. Usually in such case in order to do new construction such as road widening they would have to buy the property outright from you. So what this means as an above post eluded to was the grass strip between sidewalk and curb could very well be private property.
 
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