Dug Up Phone Line.... What next?

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Here's the follow up story from a explosion a week ago when someone hit a gas line with a excavator before calling for location )</font> I find it strange that this follow up story contains nothing of the history of the cause of this explosion. May I surmise that you had read the original so that's how you knew it was an excavator accident? You sure wouldn't know from the story eh? Thanks, John

 

[nobull1]

What it was John was a story that they only keep online for a week.So the follow up was all that was available when I went to the site.Too bad as they had pic's of the whole area.If a person wanted to research maybe you could find the original story.I will attach the link to the article.It was posted on another site a little while ago and I did not realize they only keep them for a week on line or I would have saved it. explosion

 

[KiotiJohn]

Thanks, Nobull. Sounds like a horrible situation. I feel for those homeless people, and the person who caused it. John

 

[nobull1]

I have a excavating co. myself and that would be a disaster.The lawsuits, I bet it will be millions I doubt the co. has enough insurance to cover it all.There could be many people ruined by this just because of not calling first.ALWAYS CALL FIRST if they tell you the wrong spot you at least have someone to blame.

 

[JimR]

Thank God for above ground utilities. I have nothing under ground but my well pipe which is 4 feet down.

 

[PineRidge]

JimR sorry I don't agree. Underground utilities make for a cleaner installation. In my case my home is better than 750 feet off the main road. The utilities companies gave me a choice as to telephone poles or trenching, I took the latter. Now when I knock down a tree I don't have to worry about electric lines being hit. If I can only stay away from the foot mounted transformer. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[riptides]

Well, I don't know if Verizon WILL bill them. Sometime they do and sometimes they don't.

I have got horror stories about lines to my house. And we HAVE ALWAYS called "Miss Utility" BEFORE any digging occured. In our situations it should be called "HIT Utility" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I am not kidding when I say I have lost the following:
Phone Lines to House- 4 times
Phone Lines to neighboors- 2 times
Cable to house - three times
Electric to house - 1 time

Between the bad markers, missed the electric completely! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif The phone and cable guys were like having a contest on who could cut the other guys line! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

The electric was really scary. The main line was missed by over 50 feet. And this was right after the hurricane. So getting them to respond was an adventure when they had ten of thousand of people still out.....

I use to splice the lines myself, as far as phone went, when my neighboor hit his.... just watch out for that one line!

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[polecat]

I can't EMPASIZE ENUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOBULL......Is so on the money!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!ALWAYS CALL FIRST!!!!!!!
Almost 20 yrs in the utility business......and yes I've been on of those travelin subcontractors...have traveled all around the country building everything from substaions, distribution(aireal and underground power round towns and cities) transmission ...up to 750kv.(thats 750,000volts!!!!) mountain top to mountaintop..cross cotton and soybean fields, trenched miles of fiber optics,coax, and up to 900 pair telephone (14lbs a foot) spliced cable t.v..lets say if it is on a pole or you watch t.v. on it, talk on it, play with yer p.c on it, or it runs yer lights i've done it....have never done water or gas though..not do i want 2!!! don't like gittin a trench or gittin my boots fulla mud /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif....I like bein in the air..where u have a much better view...and the air is always a little cooler /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
???Why r u guys runnin into all these wires???
Most of the developments (not all) that ya'll r living in or diggin were built a few years back...not all the lots were sold or built on when they built yer houses...nowadays because of new laws and more stringent building codes when u drive into a new development where there may only b one house built the power,phone,cable tv, gas and all the utilities r already in..u can drive around and u see all these green peds(short for pedestals "for all the guys that have asked me not to abbrev. so much" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) and no houses??? the larger hunter green steel boxes r yer power!!!!.....THESE HAVE PRIMARY POWER IN THEM!!!! and depending on the size of the development some have 3 PHASE PRIMARY!!! If u dig into this stuff you'll b lucky to walk away!!!!! Most underground voltage in this country is 7200v phase to ground..some are 19900v phase to ground..that'd b 12470v phase to phase and 34,500v phase to phase for the above 2 voltages in a 3 phase circuit..
I,ve seen the result of jist a little ol' 7200v single phase screwup with a backhoe in n.h.....He literally blew the tires off his full size backhoe...he was very lucky he kicked the cutout (an aireal fuse on all main line feeds to an underground system) and the only thing that probably saved him was the fact that the ground was very wet....I couldnt believe that the voltage going thru his backhoe boom didn't get him....!!!
Electricity can do some really weird things!!!!
While working up here in Maine in my early 20's in norway/south paris doing a reconducting job(thats pulling out the old 3 phase wire and puttin in new for stepping up the voltage to mordernize and upgrade the system) I was jist a lowly 3rd class lineman/groundman and my working foreman swung the lower boom of his 50' pitman bucket into 7200 volt s. 2 min prior I was workin off of the back of the truck makin tie wires up..but fortunatly i was over near the pole driving a ground rod!!!! His lower boom didn't have a fiberglass shieve(section) in it!! To make a long story short ...if I had'nt been away from the truck..I would've been part of a killer circuit...the 4 outriggers literally melted into the tar!!!!..p.s. The circuit was on one shot and never even kicked!!!!..I would not b typin 2 ya'll right now!!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
As i stated earlier i've never done gas...but for those of you that dont know most of it is buried in !!!!!PLASTIC PIPE!!!. which means if you git into it its super easy to sever!!! My n scotia friend posted a really scary story...The house( if thats watch u wanna call it) we live now has propane..whick i've replaced a lot of the lines..copper... and 2 b honest the stuff is great for cookin and the like(my first house with it) but i'll tell u the truth(as I always will) the stuff scares me!!! I don't like anything round me that'll blow u and yers off the map..i've bumped the stove burner button accidentally b4 and come into the kitchen and said OH MY GOD!!!.JIST ONE SPARK AND WE'D A BIN GONERS!!!...THAT'S AFTER IT COMES OUT OF A REGULATOR!!!(RELATIVELY LOW PRESSURE)..I cant imagine hitting a main!!! cyaaaaa......
very dangerous stuff...You'll find most underground power is buried in nice fine sand..with a warning tape buried 1' to 3' above it...
So please call your utility co. b4 digging ...DONT GUESS >>IT COULD SAVE YER LIFE!!!
by the way...loved the pill bottle trick ...Love a guy who thinks on his feet!!! Even smart nuff to check his work /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif THe phone call...laughed so hard when i saw that /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif...The reason the wayward phone lines>>>>>>>The house nxt door wasnt there ,the lineman thot he could git the job done quicker by makin a straight line, there was a big tree(hence lotsa roots!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) so a big circle,he had to go round a fence , flowerbeds...a million different reasons and possible dijrections to git a wire in the ground from the pole to yer house or ped....CAN'SAY ENUFF.... CALL FIRST!! Enjoy..Nope..... LOVE!!! this site so much would b heartbroken 2 hear someone gittin hurt bcause I didn't YELL this loud enuff...
JIM...agree with u on liking to b able to see (aireal) lines /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Also agree that underground looks neater butya better know where it is!!! And if anyone out there is buildin and going with underground...do the next homeowners a favor and put it on yer map/deed with proper locations....Bet u wouldnt have needed a pill bottle if u had known the locations!!! What if that had been gas!!! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Alright i'll git off of my soapbox...jist really care is all!!Don't wanna see anyone hurt is all..and its so easy 2 do...IE: When i lived in huntsvill al. the gas co.ran a new gas line in our neighborhood....the main line was onlyburied 2' deep!!!! I couldnt blieve it !!! 3"yellow plastic in a fairly rural area and no warning tape!!!!! that was 5yrs ago...all grown over now and some poor guy could dig that up with one bite with some of the beautiful equipment i've seen pics of that u guys have!!!!!! It would b a shame 2 screw up a nice piece of equip. like that if u know what i mean /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Take care!!
TODD

 

[Soundguy]

Sprint came out and flagged my neighbors tele line that runs diagonally across the front of my pasture before I put up a fence. The fence mans auger hit the line 3 times in a row.. oh.. about 100 feet from where the locator marked it.. go figure. All I know is that someone other than me and the fence guy paid for it.. as we had called 'no-cuts' BEFORE fencing began..

Soundguy

 

[AvoMan]

This type of damage would be covered under the personal liability section of the homeowners policy since the phone line was not his own property. There is generally no deductible applicable to liability claims.