How to follow water pipe?

[J_J]

With all due respect, some of you amaze me with your beliefs. I have posted quite a bit on this subject. The whole gist of this , is that you have to believe it works. I have tried to believe it works and tried it many times, and it did nothing, and I could make the rods move anywhere I wanted to just by twisting my hands. Sure, you can believe it, I am a skeptic, and until I see this process work repeated and with accuracy I won't and can't believe it. . I sure thought you had to use an apple twig, a Y branch. And where did this process begin to locate anything besides water. PVC pipe ,septic lines, electric lines, graves, etc. The list goes on and on.

I sure hope you guys don't hold those rods in a boat on water, they just might start spinning and pull you out of the boat.

It seems like some of you are saying that if I put you on an unmarked property blind folded, and let you use your favorite sticks or rods, that you can locate my sprinkler lines , gas lines, septic lines, and septic tank, and wires going to my sprinkler valves, that you can do it with some accuracy.

I just wished I could believe stuff like this, sounds so impressive. How do you get other people to believe it.

What a waste of that thing called "BELIEF."

 

[Egon]

When we think of Witches think "Ergot"

 

[RippySkippy]

I respectfully dis-agree with the belief theory. And as mentioned in a previous post I know that not everyone can make it work....I've seen it happen. A handful of guys all using the same wires, and a known underground object, usually there's one that will not be able to make it work.

This past weekend, my neighbor was attempting to locate a drainage tile line to re-connect his new construction crawl space drainage. He knew with-in 20 foot range of where it should be, the foundation excavator just "cut it off", and backfilled with out marking it's location Out come the copper wires, walking in first a zig-zag pattern to get a rough idea of the tile location line, we placed small orange flags in the general proximity that created a rough line of the tile's location. Once we had consistency, we switched to going perpendicular to the new line of flags to verify. Not only did we find the line, we found where the line ended (the wires quit crossing), one hole dig later he was at the end of the tile.

I feel it has nothing to do with belief, but rather results. In a perfect world we all would lay a guide wire with everything buried underground, and we would all "call before we dig", and that isn't going to happen. In our area they will not locate anything other than "utilities", no drainage tile, yard sprinkler lines, etc. In the absence of perfection we resort to what works, not that it's right or wrong or works for some and not others...but we resort to the method that helps move the project forward.

If you were not so darn far away J_J I would LOVE to come down and mark your lines. It's not that I believe I could, it's that I know I can.

 

[John47]

Oddly enough, major corporations employ the services of professional dowsers.
BUT, if it doesn't work for you, then no amount of convincing or demonstrations will alter your way of thinking JJ.

Maybe, one day science will be able to answer why it works, until then, you'll have to accept many of us have this gift, I cannot explain it, other than I know it works.

 

[SweBota]

Sure, you can believe it, I am a skeptic, and until I see this process work repeated and with accuracy I won't and can't believe it. . I sure thought you had to use an apple twig, a Y branch.

JJ, I know how you feel. Trust me, there is noone more sceptical to non-scientific methods and mumbo-jumbo than me.

But, 10 or so years ago my ex's father showed me how to walk with a simple Y-branch that we cut and I could feel the strength of the force pulling that thing down towards the ground in some places. I couldn't keep it level, it twisted so the bark broke in my hands.

Couldn't explain it then, still can't. Don't know what was down there, I just know that something in the ground pulled that thing down with great force.


/;Marcus


BTW, here is an example of the technical solution:


http://www.tracerelectronicsllc.com/Brands/Radiodetection/Sondes/page66.html


/M

 

[xtn]

That must be why tree branches won't grow out over a water line. They obviously get broken off from the downward pull that is so much stronger than regular gravity.

 

[Dargo]

Since some are mentioning, witching/dowsing/diving, you should know it has been debated several times on TBN in the past, to no good end.

Those with high blood pressure, or those who don't want to be frustrated, should avoid this topic. You could end up: :mur:

Yup, I'm a 100% unequivical non-believer. I've seen several shows on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel where people have tried to claim the million dollar prize by getting witchcraft to find buried pipes. It's funny to watch these grown men so serious trying something so silly. Obviously not one person has ever found a single pipe with two sticks, two wires or two long fingernails. :laughing:

One of my best friends makes a huge living as an "underground plumber". He has millions of dollars of equipment and boring machines. He can do 48" bores under highways which doesn't leave the permanent dips and bumps made by digging the cut with a machine. He's invited plenty of people to find PVC pipes when no metalic tape was buried with them or wire run with them. In 30 years of business, not one person has found a single PVC pipe unless you can see an indention where it was buried, which doesn't hardly count.

He talked about getting some literature from some European company that sends an electrical current through the PVC pipe with a receiver that follows the current on the surface, but I don't think he ever bought such a device.

 

[Opti-Mist]

Well, some years ago we were building a new house which would need a well. I've dowsed over the years with a variety of implements. So, I bent a pair of lengths of 3/8 copper tubing, and dowsed the well location. Later, when my scientist wife came to the site and I explained how dowsing works, she took the rods and slowly walked the site. When she approached the spot that I had dowsed but not told her about, the rods crossed. She was as excited as a kid finding the key to the candy store. She crisscorssed the area and the rods crossed every time she passed over the same spot. When the well driller came to drill the well I told him where I wanted the well, and why, he didn't hesitate to set up. The well produced as much water as we could want. She still has that pair of rods.

 

[hawkeye08]

When we were getting ready to build, we hired a dowser, he found where several underground streams crossed and told us approx how deep we should find water.

We were curious walking back from the other side of the acreage and he explained it to us and showed both my wife and I how to do it.

I got some brazing rods, bend them 90 degrees about 6" from one end and practiced with my new rods. We were not able to build where we wanted so had to select another site, needed new well location.

I followed the instructions and marked 3 different spots (knolls) that were suitable for building. Once we selected our location, we called the dowser to come out. He marked the same spot I had marked, indicating we should get some water at 75' deep, several streams crossing at that point..

We have a nice well at that very location, water at 76', flows 22+ gpm.

Neighbor across road drilled two dry wells trusting well driller to pick spot. I shared our story with her and before she drilled again, she had a dowser come out and also some experts with expensive equipment. She ended up drilling right where the dowser marked, got a good well.

Pretty much the wells around us are hit or miss, most have less than 8gpm. The really good wells have been dowsed.

When wells cost thousands of dollars, dowsing costs $100 (at least that is what we paid)... why not stack the odds in your favor?

oh, the other thing the dowser told us... make sure the drilling rig is level and is drilling on the spot. Some (not all) of the underground streams are not very wide and you can miss them if you are off a few inches..

 

[JB4310]

I don't care what the Discover Channel or myth busters says, there's enough anecdotal evidence over hundreds of years. I would never argue with that kind of history.

I haven't had good luck with my limited attempts at locating pipes with one of those swivel antenna things, maybe I need 2 of them.
But I still would never doubt what works for others.

JB