Call before you dig

Drstrangeglove · Mar 8, 2025

If you cut this cable, i am told it is $800,000 per hour till it is back in operation. This is a fiber optic cable the runs between Houston and Atlanta. It is a main east west internet cable. It took about 12 hours to repair.

A contractor my company hired cut it. They called 811 and lumen said there was no cable there. It is luman's fault since they didn't locate it. My guess is that it will lay in that yard for months. That driveway in the distance, it is about two inches deep. Such a valuable cable, such little care.

We would have made a permanent repair no matter how long it took. Given the importance,we would have laid a temporary cable and then would have started the permanent fix and respliced at midnight.

Jstpssng · Mar 8, 2025

Yikes! I bet that you are glad they called.

Drstrangeglove · Mar 8, 2025

Jstpssng said:
Yikes! I bet that you are glad they called.

It would have been their problem or their insurance company. That is in every contract.

BravoXray · Mar 8, 2025

I have 5 fiber conduits running through my front yard, I watched them plow them in years ago. They connect a local switch to one a couple of miles away. So last spring I was going to replace my mail box post, an old uglt, rusty H beam stuck in the ground about 3 feet deep with a 4" tube post powder coated Kubota orange, and since it's been such a long time since the fiber was installed, I didn't remember just how far from the post they were. I called the phone company, they said call 811. Called 811, they said they only locate gas and electric services, call the phone company. Called the phone company back and explained what 811 said, they said the fiber wasn't theirs, call 811. Called 811 again, they came out and located my gas and electric services which are 100 feet from the mail box post. I went out and asked the 811 guy who I need to contact about the fiber, he said he didn't know.
So I pulled the H beam out with the Kubota and relocated the hole a foot farther back from the road, using a post hole digger. I didn't run into any of the fiber conduits, but I know they are there close.
I never have found out who to contact to locate those fiber runs.

4570Man · Mar 8, 2025

BravoXray said:
I have 5 fiber conduits running through my front yard, I watched them plow them in years ago. They connect a local switch to one a couple of miles away. So last spring I was going to replace my mail box post, an old uglt, rusty H beam stuck in the ground about 3 feet deep with a 4" tube post powder coated Kubota orange, and since it's been such a long time since the fiber was installed, I didn't remember just how far from the post they were. I called the phone company, they said call 811. Called 811, they said they only locate gas and electric services, call the phone company. Called the phone company back and explained what 811 said, they said the fiber wasn't theirs, call 811. Called 811 again, they came out and located my gas and electric services which are 100 feet from the mail box post. I went out and asked the 811 guy who I need to contact about the fiber, he said he didn't know.
So I pulled the H beam out with the Kubota and relocated the hole a foot farther back from the road, using a post hole digger. I didn't run into any of the fiber conduits, but I know they are there close.
I never have found out who to contact to locate those fiber runs.

There’s an internet line that’s ran areal across my property. It’s sagged down to about 6 ft off the ground. The internet company is useless about fixing it. I’m tempted to just drive a dump truck under it and see if I don’t get faster results.

ChiefBodie · Mar 8, 2025

My friend calls his middle buster / subsoiler a "non-discriminating utility line locator!"

ultrarunner · Mar 8, 2025

4570Man said:
There’s an internet line that’s ran areal across my property. It’s sagged down to about 6 ft off the ground. The internet company is useless about fixing it. I’m tempted to just drive a dump truck under it and see if I don’t get faster results.

Had problem with cable for a building I managed and my tenants were not allowed to get cable unless I trenched.

The odd part is this made no sense as cable for the adjoining apartment building was stapled to my building.

I couldn’t get anyone to come out.

Somehow the cable running across my building became severed… cable company was there in under 2 hours… I busted the guys chops saying he was not allowed on my property since none of my renters could get cable…

About an hour later a regional guy appeared…

Cutting to the chase I let cable run a new cable only when cable agreed to hook up the renters in the 4 plex I managed.

Probably nothing would have happened had the neighbors cable to 12 units not been severed.

Drstrangeglove · Mar 8, 2025

A few years ago, we were plowing to a new tower and hit a unknown spur to the gas line. It was feeding the next county over and they paid to leave the plow in place for about a week with the gas line leaking and a team just sitting there. Don't remember it all, but I think they were looking for a certified welder. They finally found one in Texas.

Complete Turf Care · Mar 9, 2025

Drstrangeglove said:
If you cut this cable, i am told it is $800,000 per hour till it is back in operation. This is a fiber optic cable the runs between Houston and Atlanta. It is a main east west internet cable. It took about 12 hours to repair.

A contractor my company hired cut it. They called 811 and lumen said there was no cable there. It is luman's fault since they didn't locate it. My guess is that it will lay in that yard for months. That driveway in the distance, it is about two inches deep. Such a valuable cable, such little care.

We would have made a permanent repair no matter how long it took. Given the importance,we would have laid a temporary cable and then would have started the permanent fix and respliced at midnight. View attachment 2984601

If I submit a locate ticket, the phone company (AT&T) will come out and locate all of their lines. There are at least 2 fiber optic cables running through my property on the highway frontage. All of the fiber cables around here are much larger than what is in your picture. They are at least 2" and are bright orange.