# Locate Utilities To Cable A Drain?



## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

Not the first time I've heard about this. Came up on the PDL about a year ago.


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

Sounds like a big dose of CYOA. 

What possible difference could it make to locate the utilities? If the line is backed up, what are the chances you will be able to tell until the line is cleared and you can camera it?

Now, I can see, if the utility company just ran a line, and you are having problems, but yet again, how will you know until you snake or jet the main. 

Sounds like the real problem is the plastic gas line. I know a snake can tear the plastic up, but no way its gonna tear up iron, or the equivalent.


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## Nevada Plumber (Jan 3, 2009)

They are trying to remove liability from themselves if you do hit one of their gas lines. Directional boring takes away a lot of problems with running new lines, but it unfortunately also adds some.

It seems to me what we should be doing to be safe is to first cable the line with a small head to punch a hole in it. Send the camera down to inspect, then follow up with a larger head if necessary. That should help to minimize problems.

And a camera charge on the ticket is also a nice thing to have.


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## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

Nevada Plumber said:


> And a camera charge on the ticket is also a nice thing to have.



Who is supposed to eat that expense?


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## easttexasplumb (Oct 13, 2010)

I got that same letter, I was wondering if they will buy me a new camera so I can make sure that they have not bored any gas line through sewer lines.


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## Txmasterplumber (Oct 2, 2010)

First time for me, not a gas line, but I did have 2 seperate houses on the same street in a new subdivision that had a 1 1/2" pvc conduit for cable tv bored thru the building drains. Found one 2 weeks after HO moved in, the other was a year later. Both under the driveway, of course. Sent the bill for the drain cleaning and the repair to the contractor who did the horizontal boring, finally got a check a couple months later.


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

Lets see, around here the C/O's are typically near the building, the stoppages are in alley turn down as often as anywhere else on property. Sounds like they saying we responsible to locate on gas main, then on sewer cable head. I see the clock tick tocking away here and gonna be hard to recover the labor.


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## ckoch407 (Sep 30, 2009)

Should write them a reply letter requesting that they do locates on all of the homes in your market, since at some point or other drain cleaning will be done and send a nice mailing list covering the entire city. What kind of response do you think that would get?


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## Kevan (Jul 5, 2010)

Those folks are amazing.

The utility company here in Memphis ditch-witched right through my new sewer when they showed up to run gas to the house we'd built. When people moved in, started flushing, and got a backup, I came and dug down and found the problem.

The utility guy came out, saw what had happened, and pronounced that it wasn't their problem because I hadn't posted a sign indicating where the sewer was. (The two cleanouts weren't enough, apparently.) The builder had to pay me to repair the line.

Our question was, of course, if I dig and hit YOUR line and you don't have a sign up telling me where your lines are, whose problem would THAT be, hmmm?


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