So I'm detecting a church property and I just found a 1941 Merc. Two feet away I get the same signal on the Etrac. So I'm down on my right knee and cutting a plug in the grass when ZAP? Next thing you know I'm on my back with a dazed feeling. I compose myself and sit up on the ground and look around. I see the electric service coming into the building from overhead. The pole that the service feed comes from is on the edge of the grass at a paved parking lot. A light is mounted to the pole and I see a light switch mounted on the pole about 6' above the ground. I turn to look back at the building and I spot a romex line coming out of the brick veneer just about 6" above grade. The romex goes into the ground and apparently over to the light switch on the pole for the parking lot light. What dumb#@$ would have buried romex less than 8" below grade?!!!!!
I had a talk with the priest and in turn with his ground keeper/maintenance guy. They said they would take care of it. I drove by a week later and no signs of digging for a trench were present. I did end up with 49 coins for the day.
So I send out a mass text to my friends and wife describing my ordeal and that I'm going to chill out and have a beer or two. Many return texts came back in including one from the wife who said that I should hang up the detector, do not drink too much and mow the grass.
Fast forward less than one week. I'm on a new property, same town, house built in 1860. I have 6 coins so far and I'm hopefully digging for my seventh and lo and behold I uncover a buried romex cable at 6" deep. I see at the house where it comes out of the wall and down into the ground and probably feeds a circuit in the detached garage. This one I did not slice into with the Lesche, Thank God. Maybe I'm being told a message? Maybe my wife was right for me to hang up the detector!
So, has anyone else run into buried electric lines and what's your take on this issue?
Second thought, the new property that I'm hunting is one of three that I got permission for. I'm reluctant to tell the property owner of this issue for fear that he will kick my off so that liability will not become an issue. On the other hand if one of his renters gets out a shovel to plant a bush or whatever and finds the line, it could have been prevented.
I had a talk with the priest and in turn with his ground keeper/maintenance guy. They said they would take care of it. I drove by a week later and no signs of digging for a trench were present. I did end up with 49 coins for the day.
So I send out a mass text to my friends and wife describing my ordeal and that I'm going to chill out and have a beer or two. Many return texts came back in including one from the wife who said that I should hang up the detector, do not drink too much and mow the grass.
Fast forward less than one week. I'm on a new property, same town, house built in 1860. I have 6 coins so far and I'm hopefully digging for my seventh and lo and behold I uncover a buried romex cable at 6" deep. I see at the house where it comes out of the wall and down into the ground and probably feeds a circuit in the detached garage. This one I did not slice into with the Lesche, Thank God. Maybe I'm being told a message? Maybe my wife was right for me to hang up the detector!
So, has anyone else run into buried electric lines and what's your take on this issue?
Second thought, the new property that I'm hunting is one of three that I got permission for. I'm reluctant to tell the property owner of this issue for fear that he will kick my off so that liability will not become an issue. On the other hand if one of his renters gets out a shovel to plant a bush or whatever and finds the line, it could have been prevented.