Found water main!

fishman · Mar 11, 2003

I've been getting all this voyeuristic enjoyment out of other people's problems, I figured it was time to post one of my own. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Bird · Mar 11, 2003

Yep, we all have'em from time to time, John. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif They're just more fun when they happen to someone else.

Alan L. · Mar 12, 2003

If you'd been looking for it you would have dug up the whole yard. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

mwechtal · Mar 12, 2003

Fishman,
And of course when Murphy's law is in full effect the people who will most enjoy your mistake are always there. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Don't worry about it. We all make mistakes. Your's wasn't even very expensive.

Remember, if you're not making mistakes you're not doing anything!

Mike

chrisjbell · Mar 12, 2003

<font color="blue"> Start drilling with the digger I bought from Centex (thanks! works great). Digging fine, when all of the sudden "snap" the shear bolt goes and water starts welling up out of the ground like I struck oil! </font>

I couldn't help but relate to this one. This is nearly exactly how I found the electric lines that power my well. I was using a trencher to put in some sprinklers and cruising along just great when I looked behind me and noticed that there was a bunch of red, black, and green wire strung long the trencher blade (which for those who haven't had the pleasure looks exactly like a giant chain saw).

I thought that odd, as I knew that the trench that has the water and gas lines (and power, of course), is clear on the other side of the pasture. So I "unstrung" the wire (which was lots of fun) and continued on my way.

Later That Same Day...my wife comes out and tells me that there isn't any water. I'm confused (this isn't unusual /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif) and start checking out the pressure tank, etc. No water anywhere, the well has been activated - the breaker hadn't even tripped /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif.

So I finally got to the checked the breakers in the junction box on the wellhead...and noticed that there was this piece of green wire that was mostly stripped and was broken off short. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the red and black wires were stretched tight - the insulation was all that was holding them together.

A light started to come on as I looked at the pile of wire I'd cleared out of the trencher that was lying on the other side of the pasture...

Turns out that my electric lines were in a PVC pipe (the grey kind, as it should be) but only about 12" down. I suppose that is OK, but they also happened to run in a more direct line from my house's breaker panel to the well than the other trench. You should see what a trencher will do to PVC...

The wires had been pulled clean out of my main breaker panel (thank goodness!) or something really nasty could have happened. I suppose the breakers would have tripped before anything happened to me - my guess is that the trencher blade was providing a really good earth ground at the time /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif.

So I got to run down to town and get new wire. Fortunately I only had to replace a couple of feet of the PVC pipe, and my neighbor is a contractor and he helped me hook the wires back up to the main panel. And suddenly, we had water again...

But boy, did this bring up some memories... Thanks for letting me share /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif...Chris

fishman · Mar 13, 2003

Whew!

That story makes me feel a little better. I am not alone /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

wroughtn_harv · Mar 18, 2003

Yesterday afternoon, about three thirty, last hole for the day, knew the water main was close. I probed around and found what could have been the main but it was out of line and only about thirty inches deep where everywhere else it'd been thirty six or better.

I took a chance, had the tractor at idle with little down pressure. Three inch schedule forty PVC shattered like China.

I jumped off the skid steer and called the water company. Put away the skid steer and grabbed the backhoe. I dug a big pit beside the line. When I saw the water stop boiling I knew they'd cut it off and I started bailing with the bucket. By the time they got there the line was partially exposed and almost all the water was out of the hole.

A half an hour later they were back in business. I then turned to the main man and asked him how much my error was going to cost my insurance company.

He complemented me on being so helpfull and explained that if I hadn't been that ways there would be a considerable charge. But since it was obviously an honest mistake there would be no charge.

This isn't the first time my good nature has came to the rescue of my lack of patience butt.

Taylortractornut · Mar 18, 2003

Harv Dad told me one time I have the natural ability to find anything someone else buried. I quit a terrible job and was having a time finding one so a friend of mine that was a plumber let me work for him under his insurance since he only had a shovel. We put in a new tank for his customer that used to be over the utilities in that town. He had marked where he remebered he lines that ran to his green house... propane, water, electric , and telephone. His propane tank was in line of where he wanted his water garden at, and i told him the line would probably be straight. We haggled a minute then I decide I had lost the argument. He outlined the edges of the pond and on the first scoop I had a copper line, a pvc pipe, 2 types of wire, and a blue spark on the bucket that almost made me wet myself. He told me later that he thought since i was only 19. The lines werent that hard to fix but it was a very good experience to learn about what could be in the ground.