Building over buried lines

[Freds]

I guess this is like a Murphey's Law kind of question, but here goes...
Given the choice, or lack of, do people build garages/pole barns over known buried lines? Would it depend on what kind of line it is?

I have been kicking around putting up a building to park my vehicle and tractor in. (It isn't feasible for me to keep my tractor in the pole barn in the winter months because of location, so it sits outside all winter), but the only *good* locations for a building would be on top of where the water & gas line are run to my business, which is 70 ft from my house. There is also the possibility of finding the gas line that feeds my house where it runs from my gas well. No one seems to know or remember where it was ran since the owner did it himself and didn't mark it in anyway /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif.

I don't know much about building structures, but I was thinking of something that didn't require a foundation and keeping the floor gravel just in case. These are relatively new lines, being just 4 years old, but still.....
I don't want the garage to be too far away (in a low area that sometimes sees overflow from my creek) and to tie it in with my existing drive in a practical manner would set it right on top of the trench where the water and gas were ran from my house to my business.

The electric from the pole was ran in an underground conduit, so I don't think there would be a problem if I wanted to pave everything one day, but that has crossed my mind, too.

Is this done in worse case scenarios?

Thanks

 

[chuck1975]

In our area (state) Indiana you could not do it with out 2 things. 1. permint 2. permit would require relocating all lines. I guess there is another option though I wouldn't try or do it, build without permit.

The cost of relocating the lines may be an expensive thought but then you have them 1. where you know they are 2. where you need them to be for future additions or fixing problems (broken).

Probably not the answer that you're looking for but the better answer to have for future problems, (like building bigger building, selling the property).
HTH
chuck1975

 

[Freds]

Hey, any answer is appreciated!
I can see not being able to build over public utility lines, but these lines are mine to maintain. Don't know if that makes a difference.
I guess in my mind I know it's not a good idea, but I might as well not even put up a building if I can't put it where I want it. Relocation is something I hadn't thought of. Thanks.
...but I would just as soon move them if I had a problem.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I am sure people will call me crazy and say that this will not work but find someone who can whitch the lines for you. Like an old plumber.

some people say it doesn't work, others have never heard of it, but I found an entire horizontal geothermal loop on a finish grade yard. We had had an extremly dry summer and when the dirt was piled over the trench for rain to compact it it never happened, landscaper finished the yard perfectly but still the trenches were not compacted. My job till it was dne was to go out there and "find" the loop and use a garden hose to sink the dirt to compact around the lines so they would have enough contact with the dirt ofr a heat exchange.

Yeah it sounds like it may have been easy to spot, but I am telling you I have never seen a yard (still dirt now) so beautifully graded. When I left there wer three 500' long trenches in the yard.

 

[Farwell]

In my opinion the best choice would be to relocate the utilities and in the long run relocating may be the cheapest as well. If you chose to relocate the utilities keep in mind that you could possibly use the old lines to supply your new building with water and gas if they are located in an area where it could be done easily. Using the old lines could save you a tidy sum of $ if it works out that way. It cost me around $1000 for a 200 foot gas line, dug and installed, to my pole barn.
Farwell

 

[EddieWalker]

The problem with building over lines is not being able to get to them if you need to. It's very, very rare to have to get to them, but it does happen.

My thinking is go ahead and do it. If you have to dig up the lines, than it's the same work as haveing to relocat them anyway, just a little more tricky because of the building in the way.

But before I did anything, I'd know for sure where they wre and how deep. Use a metal detector, a probe or a shovel. More than likely you will need all three.

Know exactly where they are before doing anything.

Here in Texas, there are burried pipelines all over the place. They are suposed to be at a certain depth, but the contractors that burriend them learned that nobody was inspecting their work, so they save a ton of time and money buringy them just a few feet down.

When they mark their lines where any sort of digging is going on, they will dig down by hand with a shovel and a probe for that very reason.

Eddie

 

[rambler]

'Where it runs from my gas well..."

Um. Where is the pressure regulation, if this is your gas well, and not a utility feed? I believe you will have a very hard time getting a permit to build over a high pressure, or unregulated line. That would not be cool.

You likely would have to locate & protect the line if it is a lower pressure line. If local satute allows that.

By that time, would be easier to relocate the line, & send a feed to the shed....

If something goes wrong with the water line, you have a wet sinking mess. Oh well.

If the electric cable goes bad, most likely a breaker will blow, tho you could get a fire or curl your hair. Bothersome, but not too much threat to others, oh well.

If something goes wrong with the gas line - well, when the leaking propane tank filled the shed 7 miles from my farm...... The tin shed we were in rattled when the fellow pushed the garage door opener & lit off the shed full of gas. Wrecked several houses around, and the fellow - who lived through it - had to leave the area, no one wanted to deal with him.

I'd be uncomfortable with the gas line deal.

--->Paul

 

[kayssupply]

In my area, you have to sleeve any line under a building that could do damage, burn or blow up. We have to sleeve them out until they clear the slab/floor. I have done water lines the same way but there are untold thousands of water lines under concrete. A sleeve on it would allow you to pull it out from under the floor if a leak happened without damaging your floor. I do it under driveways all the time. $20 worth of plastic pipe could save hundreds down the road.

 

[Freds]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Um. Where is the pressure regulation, if this is your gas well, and not a utility feed? )</font>

The gas line nobody knows where it's at has a high pressure regulator back at the well. It also has another regulator at the house.

I have shut this line down at the well when there was digging being done for my business and when I was putting up fencing, but I was kind of hoping it would be "found" just so I had some idea where it was at or what direction it entered my house from.

The gas line I ran then comes back out of my house, goes over to my water well and from there they both run to my business. I know exactly where these lines are and how deep. These are the lines I know will be where I want to locate a garage.

I like Eddie's idea of build over them and if I have a problem, then dig them up on either side of the garage and relocate them at that time, but a possible gas line break occuring underneath the garage bears a lot of thought. That's why I said this was a Murphy's Law kind of question. It'll probably never happen... until something is built over it.

 

[Freds]

kayssupply,
Is it possible to sleeve existing lines? Would this require breaking the lines in two spots and adding joints?.... I'm guessing brass connectors and hose clamps on the plastic lines?
This may not be a bad idea if I end up putting something in that requires a foundation and I have the equipment to do lots of digging.