• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Going through Withdrawls.

Don't feel bad, I helped a friend put his satellite in. We got everything ran, and hooked up, all we had to do is bury the cable, he said fuck it, it's hot lets drink some beer, and I'll bury it when it's cooler. About 3 days later he ran the lawn mower over it. I still remind him of that from time to time.
 
811 is your friend, and it's free too. Cable lines are typically just scratched in anyhow, it's easy to hit them doing anything including tilling a garden. I have a new house so I'll be calling in a complete locate to be done before I dig in for the new garden this spring, and again for the deck posts I plan on digging later this summer. A locate/dig ticket is typically only good for 7-14 days, depending on locality, so you have to do it each time to cover your ass and not pay for the repairs if you do hit something, as well as the fines that many places will slap you with if you don't and still dig.
 
811 is your friend, and it's free too. Cable lines are typically just scratched in anyhow, it's easy to hit them doing anything including tilling a garden. I have a new house so I'll be calling in a complete locate to be done before I dig in for the new garden this spring, and again for the deck posts I plan on digging later this summer. A locate/dig ticket is typically only good for 7-14 days, depending on locality, so you have to do it each time to cover your ass and not pay for the repairs if you do hit something, as well as the fines that many places will slap you with if you don't and still dig.
Take pics lots of pics preferably with a tape measure from a permanent unmovable object such as the curb, property stake, or a tree. In SC they give themselves 36" each side of their mark. I have seen them bastards come back and try to repaint their marks after I hit some shit outside their 36" zone. I told the locator "nice try asshole, but I already got pics showing where your original marks were....LOL"
 
Typically it's on you to pay for the repairs if you didn't call 811.
Sometimes cable companies will fix them for free.
 
It could have been a gas line. Not that I ever hit one with an auger or anything....
 
  • Love
Reactions: Maggot
Take pics lots of pics preferably with a tape measure from a permanent unmovable object such as the curb, property stake, or a tree. In SC they give themselves 36" each side of their mark. I have seen them bastards come back and try to repaint their marks after I hit some shit outside their 36" zone. I told the locator "nice try asshole, but I already got pics showing where your original marks were....LOL"
Up here ALL of the locator services video tape their work after they are finished.
 
Yep. Gotta call 811, even if they totally botch it. I hit my neighbors underground electric when I was putting in our water line. Locate was 8 feet off. I was just about to start hand digging in a couple more scoops of the backhoe and BOOM!. Took me a second to realize it wasn't the neighbor shooting a 22. Fuse blew at the junction of the highline to underground. I feel pretty lucky I didn't get hit. Electric company paid for everything, or someone else did. They said if I wouldn't have called 811 and had the mark right there to show how far off they were it would have been a nice bill.
 
I was running a sewer line from a new house to the sewer tap over the summer I hit the top of the conduit of the main power line that feeds this entire neighborhood and a fiber-optic line lucky for me they were both outside the locator's marks. The fiber-optic wasn't even close the power line was about 6" away from being in the zone. Them bastards at Dominion Energy still sent me a bill for $900 and I helped their guys by excavating around the conduit so they could put their repair coupling on it.
 
I was running a sewer line from a new house to the sewer tap over the summer I hit the top of the conduit of the main power line that feeds this entire neighborhood and a fiber-optic line lucky for me they were both outside the locator's marks. The fiber-optic wasn't even close the power line was about 6" away from being in the zone. Them bastards at Dominion Energy still sent me a bill for $900 and I helped their guys by excavating around the conduit so they could put their repair coupling on it.
Did you pay it?
 
my rule is, you didnt call; and then cut it and leave it for me to unfuck, you are going to pay.

if you called, and the marks are off, you are fine.

once in a while, guys accidently hit stuff and have it dug up for me so i can get right in and fix it. those guys get a talk about calling next time, but no bill. Unless they are frequent flyers who already got the talk.
 
I've seen more than a few of these dudes:
1583807591410.png

Plenty of flags and paint, it'd be nice if they were close.
Don't tell the directional drillers you are all done when you really mean with lunch...

R
 
Take pics lots of pics preferably with a tape measure from a permanent unmovable object such as the curb, property stake, or a tree. In SC they give themselves 36" each side of their mark. I have seen them bastards come back and try to repaint their marks after I hit some shit outside their 36" zone. I told the locator "nice try asshole, but I already got pics showing where your original marks were....LOL"
Taking pics is standard for us too. We had a fellow crew rip through a 120 strand fiber trunk that wasn’t located properly by the communications company, their guy came out and tried to paint the lines after the fact and say he located it, but our manager had already sent in the pics. Guess who was looking for work the next day...
 
Fucking DOT doesn't call for locates. The assholes will fill in the hole and leave.
 
If it's coax it'll have a solid metallic wire in the middle. A regular crimp on connection will not work because it'll allow water in.
 
My gardener cut mine 6 months ago. It got in his way...

Quick trip to Ace to get some connectors, spliced it back together and it's been fine since then.
 
My gardener cut mine 6 months ago. It got in his way...

Quick trip to Ace to get some connectors, spliced it back together and it's been fine since then.
Until it degrades with time


Here in Ohio the law changed a few years ago to read that the guy doing the excavating has the final say and is responsible for damages


We worked 4/10's and I always took video of the next 900 feet.
Come Monday I could guarantee you just about every homeowner or landscaper moved our flags and put them back where ever.

We had a couple expensive hits until we realized what was happening,luckily no one was injured or killed.
After that everyone living in the allotment received a certified letter explaining that it's a felony to move the markers.


You could always tell who played well because there would be growth around our markings.

Then you always have that one asshole.
I started requesting marking service to be done on Fridays or Monday's 900 feet a day.
A homeowner moved my shit and i ripped a 2" medium pressure gas line out.
By the time the fire department,police department, Dominion got done with the guy he was into it for about 10k

Dominion called 911, Strongsville brought out all their trucks,a couple of ambulances,chief's cars, half dozen cops on OT for crowd control and evacuation.
It pissed me off, before they even arrived I had already bent the line in half and taped it to keep from spreading open
Embarrassing
 
Last edited:
So one day one of my contractor buddies wanted me to auger holes for a wheelchair ramp, which involved a shit load of holes, I asked him did you get it marked, he said no Just do it.
I said all on you but, I'm not digging near the power line you'll have to hand dig those, I hit the cable,telephone no big deal the last hole I found the 2" gas line that was fun, fire department and others showed up.
I won't do electric too close, not good for the completion, in a bobcat you have nowhere to go.
A friend of mine hit a 440 line
He was hand digging (it was miss marked) he is lucky to be alive.
Knocked out two big subdivisions.
Be as safe as possible, just a phone call Maybe a little time plan ahead.
 
Heard gas line rupture on the radio news one afternoon. Location was same area as a project of mine. Hit up the super on two way asking if everything was alight. He confirmed they hit a utility. Said he had guys trying to fix. I'm asking how he thinks he's going to fix a gas line and he tells me they're trying to piece back together the municipal sewer force main. Gas main and force main in same dip. Work till you hear it coming and run like hell, I guess.... of course the FD called in Co hazmat for the pressurized shit rupture.... Good times...
 
At my house nothing is that far under ground. Still waiting to hit water for the straight flush.
 
Where can I buy one?
Go to any Lowe’s, Home Depot, Menards or other electrical supply and ask for a RG6 underground splice kit, make sure you get a type F connector as well. Just double check it’s the standard type coax first, not all cable companies bury the same shit. Google is your friend here, strip some back and pull up pics to verify RG 6 is what you have.
 
Go to any Lowe’s, Home Depot, Menards or other electrical supply and ask for a RG6 underground splice kit, make sure you get a type F connector as well. Just double check it’s the standard type coax first, not all cable companies bury the same shit. Google is your friend here, strip some back and pull up pics to verify RG 6 is what you have.
Thanks
 
  • Like
Reactions: Redmanss