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DCS317(at)aol.com
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 Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 10:08 am Post subject: Finding a 220 volt buried line |
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This is way off the topic, but how do I find a live (in 2" plastic conduit) 220 volt cable buried 4' deep in the ground. I have no way of shutting off the power without calling the electric company (read $$$). I know the general location, but need to drill some 4' deep holes for a pole building and don't want the surprise of a short lifetime or have to splice cable. What sort of gizmo can I construct? A short Google search shows cable locators for greater than $600 and rentals for $90 (fifty miles away).
My apologies, but the group is so good at not wasting $$$ or EMF!
Do not archive!
Don
RV-8 pilot
[quote][b]
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dick(at)minetfiber.com
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 10:36 am Post subject: Finding a 220 volt buried line |
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Don;
Where I live the power company is more than happy to locate the cable at no charge. It's much cheaper for them to tell you where the cable is than to fix it after it has been damaged.
Call them and verify the $$$
Dick
[quote] ---
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JOHN TIPTON
Joined: 17 Sep 2006
Posts: 239
Location: Torquay - England
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 10:53 am Post subject: Finding a 220 volt buried line |
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I'm not sure what you require here: why do you need to shut off the power - surely the power company knows where their cables are if they are competent - if they don't they should be ashamed, and only too willing to find them at no cost
[quote] ---
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mrspudandcompany(at)veriz
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 10:58 am Post subject: Finding a 220 volt buried line |
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This is way off the topic, but how do I find a live (in 2" plastic conduit) 220 volt cable buried 4' deep in the ground. I have no way of shutting off the power without calling the electric company (read $$$). I know the general location, but need to drill some 4' deep holes for a pole building and don't want the surprise of a short lifetime or have to splice cable. What sort of gizmo can I construct? A short Google search shows cable locators for greater than $600 and rentals for $90 (fifty miles away).
My apologies, but the group is so good at not wasting $$$ or EMF!
Do not archive!
Don
[quote] We have a system called “Dig Safe” which is a no charge service. They will come and mark all of the buried utilities for you. Check that out. Roger[b]
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Bob McC
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 258
Location: Toronto, ON
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 11:01 am Post subject: Finding a 220 volt buried line |
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Don;
Don’t know where you’re located, but here in Ontario (and in many other Canadian provinces) it is a legal requirement to call “Ontario One Call” a non-profit corporation before doing any kind of digging in the province. They locate, telephone, cable, electric and gas lines free of charge before any work which might damage underground utilities is done. Check with your local municipality as they may have a similar service.
Bob McC
From: owner-aeroelectric-list-server(at)matronics.com [mailto:owner-aeroelectric-list-server(at)matronics.com] On Behalf Of DCS317(at)aol.com
Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2012 2:07 PM
To: aeroelectric-list(at)matronics.com
Subject: AeroElectric-List: Finding a 220 volt buried line
This is way off the topic, but how do I find a live (in 2" plastic conduit) 220 volt cable buried 4' deep in the ground. I have no way of shutting off the power without calling the electric company (read $$$). I know the general location, but need to drill some 4' deep holes for a pole building and don't want the surprise of a short lifetime or have to splice cable. What sort of gizmo can I construct? A short Google search shows cable locators for greater than $600 and rentals for $90 (fifty miles away).
My apologies, but the group is so good at not wasting $$$ or EMF!
Do not archive!
Don
RV-8 pilot
| Quote: | | http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?AeroElectric-List |
0123456789
[quote][b]
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Bob McC
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Mike Welch
Joined: 13 Feb 2011
Posts: 272
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 11:42 am Post subject: Finding a 220 volt buried line |
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Don,
Having spent the biggest part of my career in digging, including a few hundred buried "whatevers",
the first thing you are required to do is called your local free utility locating service. They are ALWAYS listed
in the front of the phone book!
I'm sorry to admit, but the last one I found my 2"PVC conduit 200A service to my shop, it was with my backhoe. Funny thing
about 2" PVC conduit, and service entrance cable...it rips out like you never knew it was there!!
The locating service can give you a very close approximation of the utilities location DIRECTLY below their detector.
They will NOT, however, tell you how deep the line is! (although I have had a couple of guys cheat and tell me anyway).
The reason they aren't suppose to give you a depth is, let's say he says it's 48". You fire up the Case 580, dig down to 46"
and snag it! Maybe where YOU dug it WAS 46" (obviously, it was, since you just tore it out).
The point is, the locator does not want the responsibility of everybody using any machine to dig down 98.45% of the way.
Generally, they don't mention any depths.
I have used my backhoe many, many times to expose water lines, electric lines, etc. The trick is have a spotter watching the hole
like a hawk!! You absolutely have to dig INLINE with the service, because there is a much less likely way of tearing it up,
compared to digging transversely.
The BEST way, and easiest and safest, is to have your locator guy mark the service on the ground. Then paralleling his
paint line about 24" off to the side, (and assuming nothing else is located--like gas or phone lines, etc), dig a really big hole. Really big!! Dig your hole
big enough to drop a car down into it, and extra deep. Then, after you have your big, deep pit "next" to the service, carefully
dig in the direction of your electric service......letting all the dirt fall down into your extra deep pit. The dirt will easily cut away and fall
your direction. This is a hellava lot better then having to excavate all the dirt with a pick and shovel.
Digging down 4' and finding a buried line is never easy, but that last suggestion is the best I've found.
In some areas, you have to be careful about getting into pits. Many people have been hurt or killed because the walls collapsed.
Mike Welch
On May 13, 2012, at 1:07 PM, DCS317(at)aol.com (DCS317(at)aol.com) wrote:
[quote] This is way off the topic, but how do I find a live (in 2" plastic conduit) 220 volt cable buried 4' deep in the ground. I have no way of shutting off the power without calling the electric company (read $$$). I know the general location, but need to drill some 4' deep holes for a pole building and don't want the surprise of a short lifetime or have to splice cable. What sort of gizmo can I construct? A short Google search shows cable locators for greater than $600 and rentals for $90 (fifty miles away).
My apologies, but the group is so good at not wasting $$$ or EMF!
Do not archive!
Don
RV-8 pilot
| Quote: |
href="http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?AeroElectric-List">http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?AeroElectric-List
href="http://forums.matronics.com/">http://forums.matronics.com
href="http://www.matronics.com/contribution">http://www.matronics.com/contribution
|
[b]
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ftyoder(at)yoderbuilt.com
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 1:26 pm Post subject: Finding a 220 volt buried line |
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Call Blue Stake.
[quote] ---
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millner(at)me.com
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| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 3:16 pm Post subject: Finding a 220 volt buried line |
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Try dialing 811 for "underground services alert" (USA) and the utility should come out and locate the cable for you!
Paul
On 5/13/2012 11:07 AM, DCS317(at)aol.com (DCS317(at)aol.com) wrote: | Quote: | This is way off the topic, but how do I find a live (in 2" plastic conduit) 220 volt cable buried 4' deep in the ground. I have no way of shutting off the power without calling the electric company (read $$$). I know the general location, but need to drill some 4' deep holes for a pole building and don't want the surprise of a short lifetime or have to splice cable. What sort of gizmo can I construct? A short Google search shows cable locators for greater than $600 and rentals for $90 (fifty miles away).
My apologies, but the group is so good at not wasting $$$ or EMF!
Do not archive!
Don
RV-8 pilot
--
Please note my new email address!
millner(at)me.com (millner(at)me.com) |
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