Underground 250ft run

stevenal wrote:
private underground pipes and cables may not be owned or maintained by member utility companies, therefore they are unable to locate them.

Unable meaning unwilling. That makes no sense. They will let a homeowner run the risk of digging up a line rather than spend 10 minutes locating it. I'll go out on a limb here and submit it's a liability issue.

2oldman wrote:

stevenal wrote:
private underground pipes and cables may not be owned or maintained by member utility companies, therefore they are unable to locate them.

Unable meaning unwilling. That makes no sense. They will let a homeowner run the risk of digging up a line rather than spend 10 minutes locating it. I'll go out on a limb here and submit it's a liability issue.

Lol. You’re upset that a public utility company won’t go above and beyond to do favors for every private landowner with their own private utilities that are of no responsibility to nor any control of by the utility company?

2oldman wrote:

stevenal wrote:
private underground pipes and cables may not be owned or maintained by member utility companies, therefore they are unable to locate them.

Unable meaning unwilling. That makes no sense. They will let a homeowner run the risk of digging up a line rather than spend 10 minutes locating it. I'll go out on a limb here and submit it's a liability issue.

Newer (at least 1978 or later) construction has a tracer wire buried with the utility which makes it easy to trace. Once it hits the end of the utility service, likely no tracker wire which makes it harder to trace. And then copper/galvanized pipe, electrical wires are easier to trace w/o a tracer wire.

2oldman wrote:

stevenal wrote:
private underground pipes and cables may not be owned or maintained by member utility companies, therefore they are unable to locate them.

Unable meaning unwilling. That makes no sense. They will let a homeowner run the risk of digging up a line rather than spend 10 minutes locating it. I'll go out on a limb here and submit it's a liability issue.

Utility companies are only required to mark location of underground cables to the meter, after that it is private cabling. There are companies that will for a price come out and attempt to locate underground utilities.

rhagfo wrote:

2oldman wrote:

stevenal wrote:
private underground pipes and cables may not be owned or maintained by member utility companies, therefore they are unable to locate them.

Unable meaning unwilling. That makes no sense. They will let a homeowner run the risk of digging up a line rather than spend 10 minutes locating it. I'll go out on a limb here and submit it's a liability issue.

Utility companies are only required to mark location of underground cables to the meter, after that it is private cabling. There are companies that will for a price come out and attempt to locate underground utilities.

At least around here 811 is a free service, likely funded by the utility companies and gov't. Purpose is to keep YOU from damaging THEIR utility and then YOU needing to pay for the damage. Saves both parties from possible damages and at a minimum expense to repair. Worst cast injury or death getting across an underground power line.

Whats on YOUR side of the utilities is YOUR repsonsibility and on YOUR dime to locate.

What is interesting in our area is that Sewer becomes your repsonsibility as soon as it hits your property line so all the sewer locate will do is mark from the manhole cover to the street.

OP has left the building.

Grit dog wrote:
Lol. You’re upset that a public utility company won’t go above and beyond to do favors for every private landowner with their own private utilities that are of no responsibility to nor any control of by the utility company?

And you're upset that I'm upset. I can always count on you for a smart-aleck answer.

What I don't get is that they post these signs "Call before you dig", but, if they only locate up to private property, that would indicate they only locate in the public right-of-way. Why would I be digging up the public right-of-way?

What am I missing here?

Locating service may be different by region, but in my area, they mark whatever area you plan to dig. Front yard/back yard, public right of way, they cover it all, when you call. No charge for service, but can't speak to damage, for not calling.

Yup, they say "call before you dig", and seem happy that you did.

Jerry

2oldman wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
Lol. You’re upset that a public utility company won’t go above and beyond to do favors for every private landowner with their own private utilities that are of no responsibility to nor any control of by the utility company?

And you're upset that I'm upset. I can always count on you for a smart-aleck answer.

What I don't get is that they post these signs "Call before you dig", but, if they only locate up to private property, that would indicate they only locate in the public right-of-way. Why would I be digging up the public right-of-way?

What am I missing here?

Anytime I had locates they marked to the service entry points. That would be to the meter for water electric and gas and to the junction box on the house for cable and phone. Past wthose points it was on my dime to contract with a locate service to mark any underground lines since those are technically my responsibility.

MFL wrote:
Locating service may be different by region, but in my area, they mark whatever area you plan to dig. Front yard/back yard, public right of way, they cover it all,

That makes sense to me.