Gas Line
- Thread starter DougM
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mark777
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Wooops, I stand corrected. I have a quick reference emergency response HAZMAT book (can't find it now) that listed them as ..(transposed)...after looking, your not rusty at all. I Must have suffered from another senior moment. Mark
Ronbo
Silver Member
If they came out and marked the location and it was improperly marked, you are not responsible. They have to bear the cost of repair.
Ron
Ron
virgil
Gold Member
in 1996, I was farming 3600 acres in west texas. I was on some new land that the previous owner had severly neglected.
I started about Christmas with 4 John Deere 8100"s and 4 Baker, 5 bottem switch plows.. We was running all 4 machines 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. DEEP BREAKING about 18 inches deep.
I visited the local gas company who had a low pressure, unstenched (cain't smell it), natural gas line running across about 2 sections of my land. Told them they should come out at find out how deep the line is now. They promptly informed me that that line was a minumam of 36" deep and for me not to worry about it..(yea, right). I told them that we would be crossing that line in about 10 days.
The dirt in that area that was what I call "sugar sand". It moves around with the never ending wind if you do not take care of it.
Plow, plow, plow, work, work, work...
One of my drivers did pass over (or threw) the line one night. The wind was blowing 20 MPH, and he plowed up about a mile and a half of 2 inch natural gas line.. He never knew it. (lucky).
Well I show up the next mourning to help with the changing of tips, wings, blades and drivers. I did not notice the SMALL pieces of orange plastic pipe sticking out of the field.
Then all of a sudden here comes the calvery...er I mean the gas company. with an Archie Bunker as their fearless leader. They were coming around the corner on 2 wheels, and just a "gettin it".... They turn and attempt to run out into the fresh deep broken field and promptly get the first pickup stuck. It gets about 50 yards. The driver realized his mistake, and kills the engine and radio, gently opens the door and proceads to walk away --- upwind. The second pickup has 4 wheel drive and makes it to the first pickup with ease. It has the boss in it. He leaves the engine running, and is a talking on the radio. The third pickup has the "new hired hand" in it. He is not so eager to run out into a deep broken field with a gas leak. (Maby he should be boss ?)
Well, The bosses truck soon catches on fire, which spreads to the first truck.... What a circus show.
Archie, I mean the boss CAN move when he has too!
The new hand shakes his head, and leaves to go start turning off valves to shut the line down.
What a mess. what a show. It was better than Americas Funnest Videos.
We pulled out the burnt pickups a few days latter. The gas boss that I visited in his office, (that started the fire), says he's gonna sue, I tell him to get a number and get in line and wate!
About a week later the Gas company replaces the line, 36" deep, and manages to break a huge underground water main that feeds the city. YES>>> FREE WATER, PLEASE CONTINUE
To make a long story short, gas company breaks the water line, the water co. breaks the gas line, the gas co. breaks the water line...on and on all year long.
Moral of this true story, those underground utilities are seldom where they supposed to be. Call before you dig, and dig where YOU supposed to be.
Did OK that year. Good Lord sent the rain when I needed it and how I needed it. Some free water from the water co. , good crop, plus some money from the gas and water company for tearing up my land and crops all year long.
No one was hurt. Just a few tempers, and pride.
I started about Christmas with 4 John Deere 8100"s and 4 Baker, 5 bottem switch plows.. We was running all 4 machines 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. DEEP BREAKING about 18 inches deep.
I visited the local gas company who had a low pressure, unstenched (cain't smell it), natural gas line running across about 2 sections of my land. Told them they should come out at find out how deep the line is now. They promptly informed me that that line was a minumam of 36" deep and for me not to worry about it..(yea, right). I told them that we would be crossing that line in about 10 days.
The dirt in that area that was what I call "sugar sand". It moves around with the never ending wind if you do not take care of it.
Plow, plow, plow, work, work, work...
One of my drivers did pass over (or threw) the line one night. The wind was blowing 20 MPH, and he plowed up about a mile and a half of 2 inch natural gas line.. He never knew it. (lucky).
Well I show up the next mourning to help with the changing of tips, wings, blades and drivers. I did not notice the SMALL pieces of orange plastic pipe sticking out of the field.
Then all of a sudden here comes the calvery...er I mean the gas company. with an Archie Bunker as their fearless leader. They were coming around the corner on 2 wheels, and just a "gettin it".... They turn and attempt to run out into the fresh deep broken field and promptly get the first pickup stuck. It gets about 50 yards. The driver realized his mistake, and kills the engine and radio, gently opens the door and proceads to walk away --- upwind. The second pickup has 4 wheel drive and makes it to the first pickup with ease. It has the boss in it. He leaves the engine running, and is a talking on the radio. The third pickup has the "new hired hand" in it. He is not so eager to run out into a deep broken field with a gas leak. (Maby he should be boss ?)
Well, The bosses truck soon catches on fire, which spreads to the first truck.... What a circus show.
Archie, I mean the boss CAN move when he has too!
The new hand shakes his head, and leaves to go start turning off valves to shut the line down.
What a mess. what a show. It was better than Americas Funnest Videos.
We pulled out the burnt pickups a few days latter. The gas boss that I visited in his office, (that started the fire), says he's gonna sue, I tell him to get a number and get in line and wate!
About a week later the Gas company replaces the line, 36" deep, and manages to break a huge underground water main that feeds the city. YES>>> FREE WATER, PLEASE CONTINUE
To make a long story short, gas company breaks the water line, the water co. breaks the gas line, the gas co. breaks the water line...on and on all year long.
Moral of this true story, those underground utilities are seldom where they supposed to be. Call before you dig, and dig where YOU supposed to be.
Did OK that year. Good Lord sent the rain when I needed it and how I needed it. Some free water from the water co. , good crop, plus some money from the gas and water company for tearing up my land and crops all year long.
No one was hurt. Just a few tempers, and pride.
SkyPup
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Wow, that is pretty funny.
Best be careful nowadays though as you could become a suspect terrorist for breaking gas lines, water mains, and such to a city.... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Best be careful nowadays though as you could become a suspect terrorist for breaking gas lines, water mains, and such to a city.... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Bird
Epic Contributor
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The dirt in that area that was what I call "sugar sand". It moves around with the never ending wind )</font>
Yep, Virgil, and even if isn't sugar sand, erosion definitely changes the depth of buried lines. When I was on the board of directors of our water company, I learned that we had some small water mains actually on top of the ground through some pastures and fields and they were supposedly buried a minimum of 2' when they were installed.
And when I was doing a gas leakage survey west of San Antonio, while we were crossing one plowed field, the gas company guy with me told me that the previous Spring, the farmer had plowed up the gas line. It already had the odorant in it and he knew when he hit it. Fortunately, he also knew where the nearest shut off valve was and he bailed off the tractor and ran to that valve and shut if off himself before calling the gas company.
Yep, Virgil, and even if isn't sugar sand, erosion definitely changes the depth of buried lines. When I was on the board of directors of our water company, I learned that we had some small water mains actually on top of the ground through some pastures and fields and they were supposedly buried a minimum of 2' when they were installed.
And when I was doing a gas leakage survey west of San Antonio, while we were crossing one plowed field, the gas company guy with me told me that the previous Spring, the farmer had plowed up the gas line. It already had the odorant in it and he knew when he hit it. Fortunately, he also knew where the nearest shut off valve was and he bailed off the tractor and ran to that valve and shut if off himself before calling the gas company.
Currmudgeon
Gold Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm rusty on my chemistry, but isn't H2SO4 sulphuric acid in aqueous form and H2S is hydrogen sulphide in a gaseous state? I guess hydrogen sulphide gas could react with entrained water and form sulphuric acid - which would eat through the walls of metallic pipe. Sorry for the ramble, I'm thinking as I'm writing... )</font>
H2SO4 isn't so bad on steel pipe that is full, but it corrodes partially filled pipes and eats concrete like crazy. You get it in stale sewers all the time.
H2SO4 isn't so bad on steel pipe that is full, but it corrodes partially filled pipes and eats concrete like crazy. You get it in stale sewers all the time.
Currmudgeon
Gold Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Call before you dig, and dig where YOU supposed to be. )</font>
It's best to have them come out and mark the lines. If you're concerned, you can call for them to uncover the lines in places, to verify the depth. The gas company is usually pretty good about field locating their lines, because they don't like circuses like yours.
Around here, if they mark the line, it's not where they said it was, and you break it, it's theirs. If you don't have them mark it, it's yours.
It's best to have them come out and mark the lines. If you're concerned, you can call for them to uncover the lines in places, to verify the depth. The gas company is usually pretty good about field locating their lines, because they don't like circuses like yours.
Around here, if they mark the line, it's not where they said it was, and you break it, it's theirs. If you don't have them mark it, it's yours.
virgil
Gold Member
H2S is some bad stuff..
There is a lot of it out there around Seminole Texas.
There is a lot of it out there around Seminole Texas.