A Lesson Learned the Hard Way

I learned a valuable lesson the hard way this weekend about putting up an antenna mast...

I chose a spot close to the house for a short antenna mast. I got out the post hole digger and I began digging. About 24" down into the hole, I slammed the post hole digger down and I heard a loud PPPSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTT!!!! I looked into the hole to find it quickly filling up with water.

I had hit the water main leading into the house.

The plumbers are coming tomorrow to dig it out and repair the damage I caused. I learned the hard way that if you are going to do any digging into the ground at all, even for a shrub or an antenna mast or even a grounding rod, you must first call your city and get the property surveyed. The cost is usually for free, and they will advise you where the electrical lines, gas lines, cable and telephone lines, water mains and sewer lines are located. Save yourself a big repair bill. Learn from my mistake and always get a digging permit from your city first.

So sorry to hear about your misfortune. What you've encountered is the reason that "Dig Safe" exists and should be contacted before anyone starts digging holes in the ground anywhere near the house.

I'm hoping the cost to get this repaired isn't astronomical.

Good luck to you.

Russell

At least no one got hurt. Hopefully, the repair won't be expensive, and your antenna project will go smoothly after they repair the line.

wbswetnam said:

Save yourself a big repair bill.
Learn from my mistake and always get a digging permit from your city first.

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UR lucky. It could have been a gas line - KA-BOOM...

ALWAYS CALL 811 BEFORE YOU DIG

For New Englanders:
Dig Safe - MA ME NH RI VT - Call 811

it's actually the law to do so before you dig:
Dig Safe - It's the law!

mikepdx said:

UR lucky. It could have been a gas line - KA-BOOM...

ALWAYS CALL 811 BEFORE YOU DIG

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Or a fiber optic cable. MEGABUCS!

I agree, call 811.

Mike

In Arizona, it's a $5,000 fine, on top of repair costs, for not calling first. You can also do it online.
http://www.azbluestake.com

For Utah.
Blue Stakes of Utah

John
Peoria, AZ

I've had my yard marked numerous times and the water line was never something that got marked. It appears that the locator service contractor does not have a contract with the city like they do with cable, electric, and gas. Also, I doubt there's a method for doing so on the lines you own, like the water line past the meter as in the OP.

In that case, if the water line is not a '1Call' member, you may have to call them directly. Also, the locators work should be checked by an independant locator. You need to do due dilligence... even then line strikes still do happen. Plastic/fibre glass lines, with out tracer wire, usually het found by a hydro-vac or the guy digging... either way the OP should be hiring his own locating company to stake and sweep.

They will only mark it to the meter. I have 160 foot from the meter to the house.

For me, that 160' is mine and they will not touch it. Now if I see the guy and ask nicely, he will do it. Small rural area and nice people.

Gas is different.

Cut a copper bundle (luckily it wasn't a fiber bundle) last year working on a bridge construction project. We didn't know what it belonged too. Took after a few hours I saw some phone company trucks down the road...went and talked to them. They didn't believe it was theirs until they did a quick splice of a few of the lines. All of the plans, 811, the phone companies documents, etc. had that line on the otherside of the road...

Call all you want. My experience is the lines don't get laid where they are supposed to 75% of the time. Just becomes a big cluster when you're arguing about who should pay those repair bills.

mdulrich said:

Or a fiber optic cable. MEGABUCS!

I agree, call 811.

Mike

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My first home in Phoenix, AZ, had underground power. While installing additional underground water pipes (for a sprinkler system), I discovered the underground power feed. Specs require that utility to be 48" deep. The builder had cut some corners and had buried it at 18". I was very, very, lucky that I didn't bust through the insulation. Called the utility, and the next day it was lowered to 48" at no cost to me. Don't know who payed for it.

phask said:

They will only mark it to the meter. I have 160 foot from the meter to the house.

For me, that 160' is mine and they will not touch it. Now if I see the guy and ask nicely, he will do it. Small rural area and nice people.

Gas is different.

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If that is the case, YOU, the person digging, are responsible to have it located. Cost maybe $500-1000 depending on the size of the work area. Cheaper than repairing what ever you strike... IF you survive the strike itself.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

On the Arizona website, it states that lines can migrate up or down, and depth is not guaranteed. (Even political candidates signs should not be staked into the ground without calling first. I wonder how many volunteers actually call before pounding the rebar into the ground?) They also advise to hand dig within 2' of any marked line. They probably mean use shovels instead of a backhoe, but I think in some cases, garden trowels should be the biggest tool used, if you aren't digging, literally, by hand.

I would also suggest, that on your own property, once all the lines are marked out, take pictures and draw a diagram, with accurate distances measured out, for future reference.

John
Peoria, AZ