Information on pet tag locators.

[John White]

Here is a "Wiley E, Coyote" question. Any one know anything about these pet locators that work off of Bluetooth on your cell phone.? Once in awhile I have to locate a PVC sewer pipe or septic tank. I know they make the flushable transmitters and the snode transmitter that you attack to a snake, but these are expensive for occasionally use. Question is. If a string was attached and flushed down the toilet or down through the vent stack. Would you be able to track it on your gps on the phone? (might flush a Road runner down first):laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Give a link to the type of bluetooth pet locator you're looking at, but as I recall, they work on the principle of "in the general neighborhood". So it could narrow it down to "your dog is probably in that yard over there" but not "your dog is buried exactly here +- 6" and 4.6' down."

 

[oosik]

My Garmin GPS unit, at the very best, meaning all available satellites are locked in and tracking - and given sufficient time on a non-moving target and with the target and GPS unit out in the open and exposed - will most normally indicate the location + or - ten feet. You put that target four feet below ground and I don't even know if it would track.

Most pet trackers work on the GPS principle and like Moss indicates - in the general area is probably about as good as it will get.

 

[k0ua]

And blutooth, doesn't work worth a crap thru walls let along being in a pipe. No way, no how, not even.

 

[oosik]

I'll got even a little further, James. In general, I've found that blutooth doesn't work for crap anywhere. At least with my vast knowledge(sic) in the wireless field I certainly can not make it work. Got a wireless keyboard and mouse from Logitech and both work great.

The many times that I was involved in locating a sewer line or septic tank for a homeowner(I worked for Health Dept in Anchorage, AK) - we called the electric company and then the Municipal Sewer Utility. They had portable units - like a metal detector. Worked great to find buried sewer lines and septic tanks.

 

[John White]

Well that Wiley Coyote idea was shot down.

 

[MossRoad]

Don't give up... keep thinking...

 

[4570Man]

How long have you lived in the house? A lot of times the grass will die over the tank in the summer or if it’s a warm snow fall it’ll be the last to stick over the tank.

 

[John White]

I pump septic tanks and know most of the methods of locating tanks. Some times often times I get a call where they don't know where the tank is and hasn't been pumped in several years. Most larger septic pumping co. send out two people. I have always run mine by myself. In dry weather you wont have much luck in probing for a tank. I know that the way I do it any more is just simply call a plumber and they can use a flushable sonde locator or a camera with sonde and go through the vent pipe. At my age I cant justify the cost of 3 to 4 K for a good set up. These guys charge $100. Well worth spent when you don't know where your tank is. Then if it is very deep, you then have to get a backhoe to comer in and dig it up. I use to dig up a few with my backhoe. But no more. The last one I did, I had a good understanding with the owner. I would only dig where he wanted me to dig . He had only a vague idea from when it was installed 20 years ago. He said the top of the tank was over 8' down. When I finally got done, his yard looked like the mine field. Here is my reasoning why I quit digging them up. Law requires that all septic tanks have a riser to top of ground. I can show up with my pumper truck and pump a tank in about 30min and be on my way to the next customer. If I show up with my back hoe it is almost a all day job and longer as I have found elec. wires running right across the tank. Law requires you to wait 72 hours after notifying the "call before you dig". And I have had a couple cave in while hand digging. It doesn't make sense to have a $40,000 boat in your drive way and you don't know where your septic tank is and never had it pumped. Just pumped one the other 2 months ago, hadn't been pumped in 20 years. 18' to top of tank with riser. On a very small lot, no sewer. I told the home owner it had failed due to not pumping and would fill back up. Sad situation. Older woman on a fixed income and no money. It filled back up in a week and she called the health dept. and said I didn't pump it. Water from rain saturated ground and it came back in and flooded basement. I got a call from a contractor fri. to come to a certain address. They had a track hoe in there and had a humongous hole. Need tank pumped out so they could crush it. Health dept. said she had to install a mound system, it is going to take up the whole back yard. In the mean time I guess I will just continue using my "Wiley Coyote" witching coat hangers to try and locate a tank.

 

[GaryM]

I'd like to point out that many of the tracking devices depend on other users of the system have the App on their phones and running. Your dog is 2 miles away and of course Blue Tooth is not good for more than 50' or so. But another user of the App passes by and the tag makes contact with their phone. The system than notifies you of the location.

If you're like most of us and living in a rural area, don't waste your time or money.

 

[4570Man]

What kind of area are you tracking? I’d crawl under the house and find the pipe going to the tank. That should give you a general direction and depth. After that you should be able to find it with a ground probe.

 

[kenmac]

I don't know for sure, but I hear ACME has a model out that works very well:laughing:

 

[k0ua]

I don't know for sure, but I hear ACME has a model out that works very well:laughing:

I don't remember ANYTHING Acme made that worked well! And that includes that "instant hole" product!:laughing:

 

[gemutlich]

I don't have but a little experience with snake cameras with transmitters and a hand-held receiver for locating. Screen tells you how much snake you've run out and camera shows you where you are in that run but it's still a calculated guess where the transmitter is.

Takes about the same amount of time when trying to locate a septic tank to pick up the phone book and start calling the local pumping companies who've been in business in town for a while. Chances are one or more of them have pumped the tank before and know right where it is from their own records.

Generally, they've been more accurate than the "as-built" drawings down at town hall - IF they even have 'em...