Call before you dig

   / Call before you dig #61  
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.
"I didn't take it down. It was that group of feral hogs that run through there." That excuse also works for anything that's not buried at least a foot down.
 
   / Call before you dig #62  
Dumb question: if you own an excavator or backhoe and you want to be able to dig year round all over your property because you’re always doing something, do you call before you dig every month? Because where I am the markings are only good for thirty days.
I think the call before you dig is about liability. If you know where stuff is and you are 500 ft away, it doesn't matter. In my experience it isn't that useful. They don't mark my underground power, water or coax, only the utilities' main lines. They never mark the fiber, though there are 3 ft high fiberglass posts to mark the general area. All our utilities are in the front 50 ft of the land, the back 10 acres have nothing. I call when I'm digging up front but am constantly doing something in the back and not calling.
 
   / Call before you dig #63  
Some state it's law the to call Dig Safe,doing so there no responsibility on landowner if damages result.
It must be that way in New York.

All of our utility lines, power, telephone, Internet/TV are on poles. Too rural for public water or sewer. Even so, a few years back, when the County snowplow driver took out our mailbox post (Driving WAY too fast, threw the snow too hard), the County had to call 811 before they would replace the post and box. This, even though we have been here for 76 years, and know where all the lines are. No doubt they've had others that were as SURE as we are about where things are, only to be surprised when they dig something up.
 
   / Call before you dig #64  
When I was stationed in West Germany
and lived "on the economy" in a German home, I observed a new water line being laid. It was about four feet deep. After filling about two or three feet, they laid a pale blue tape in the trench and finished filling. That way, if at some time in the future an auger or backhoe came up with a pretty blue ribbon, they would know that they are on a water line and to stop digging. Brilliant. Different color tapes are used for each type of utility. Why don't we do that? Especially for water lines of PVC pipe that cannot be located with a metal detector.
 
   / Call before you dig #65  
Here in Wisconsin you are supposed to call diggers hotline before doing ANY digging, even in your garden !
So how do all those Wisconsin dairy farmers manage to work their fields?
 
   / Call before you dig #66  
Dumb question: if you own an excavator or backhoe and you want to be able to dig year round all over your property because you’re always doing something, do you call before you dig every month? Because where I am the markings are only good for thirty days.

That’s what the state law says you’re supposed to do but if you have already called once for that property and got the all clear I’m not going to keep calling.
 
   / Call before you dig #67  
Here is one good reason to call 811. In addition to marking the line, the natural gas pipeline company that crosses our property provides a gate and the posts for an H brace on both sides of the gate if your new fence crosses their pipeline. They need access for mowers to mow the right of way. That new gate is handy as a pocket.
 
   / Call before you dig #68  
I think the call before you dig is about liability. If you know where stuff is and you are 500 ft away, it doesn't matter. In my experience it isn't that useful. They don't mark my underground power, water or coax, only the utilities' main lines. They never mark the fiber, though there are 3 ft high fiberglass posts to mark the general area. All our utilities are in the front 50 ft of the land, the back 10 acres have nothing. I call when I'm digging up front but am constantly doing something in the back and not calling.

I do pretty much the same. I call when I'm near any utilities, but otherwise I don't. After recently getting a large gas line that crosses my property located, I now have all underground lines drawn up precisely in Autocad.
I did have to call "Miss Utility" for my pole barn build even though there was nothing anywhere in the area in case the inspectors asked... Which they didn't.
 
   / Call before you dig #69  
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.
That orange pipe you saw is not the actual cable. That is called interduct. It is hollow and the fiber is run inside. I know of no fiber cable that is not black. 39 years Southern Bell, Bellsouth, AT&T. Retired.
 

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