The Green Industry's Resource Center

Lawn-Scapes · #1 04-29-2005, 05:00 PM

This has been my worst year for cutting cables and wires running under ground. I believe it's been 3 cable tv lines and a half dozen underground dog fence wires up until today. This is not to big a deal.. as I can fix them.

Well today I believe I hit a telphone line

It appears that I only opened up the outer jacket. The inner wires looked to be intact... Not sure though. This cable was barely an inch underground. I'm not sure what the code is.. 4-6" or 6-8" but I know it's NOT AN INCH! WTF?

Anyway.. has anyone done something like this? Do you think I'm liable???

DLCS · #2 04-29-2005, 05:36 PM

Depends on what is code for your area. If I had to guess, I'd say no, since the line was only barried a 1" in the ground. What line was it, one that runs from the street to the home or one that the homeowner may have put in to run to a garage or something. I think here underground utilities have to be at least 10" under.

Jeff@SGLC.ca · #3 04-29-2005, 05:50 PM

Contract lol. Make sure you state the homeowner is responsible to mark all barried utilities and also state you will not be responsible for any damage done to improperly installed uitilites such as phone, cable and irrigation. That's hind site but for the future.

Current problem, if the outer jacket is opened but the inner wires look ok, just electrical tape it up. You want to make sure tht the inners are stripped and touching.

lawncare3 · #4 04-29-2005, 05:51 PM

I hit a cable line this year it was buried about 12". After they reinstalled it the new burial depth was around .75"
Now I don't know y they don't bury these damn thing more then a 1/2" - 1"

Lawn-Scapes · #5 04-29-2005, 05:52 PM

I don't know what kind of line or whose line it was. It appears to run from the main box (which happens to be on my clients property) and head towards the street... so it may feed multiple houses in that direction.

I just can't believe it. I purposely only edged to a depth of one to one and a half inches to try and avoid this.

MMLawn · #6 04-29-2005, 11:17 PM

I ahve started just calling the 1-800 number and having all the lines marked with the collor coded paint as it has become such a hassle when using the EZ-Trench bed edger and these dang line buried at 1" that are suppose to be at 6". I qouted a job last week where the customer had "underline" dog fence EVERWHERE with dozens of feet of it above ground where they were to lazy to bury it properly!

Lawn Masters LC · #7 04-29-2005, 11:25 PM

I recently cut a cable line with my bed edger. The line was approx. 2-3" deep. The business owner was outraged, not at me, but at the cable company. Repair was on the cable company, not us.

Lawn-Scapes · #8 04-29-2005, 11:26 PM

Well the client didn't seem worried about it when I told her... so I'm not going to be. I just picked up this account 2 weeks ago and all she wanted to do was tell me how great the lawn looked. That was nice...

Jeff@SGLC.ca · #9 04-30-2005, 01:23 AM

The cable company doesn't even send anyone out anymore to mark where the lines are. In their eyes, it's easier to come out and fix it after you may or may not hit it then go out and mark it the first time. I know the customer doesn't wanna hear that but its the way it works now.

LawnScapers of Dayton · #10 04-30-2005, 06:05 AM

phone co. is the same way.......they can tell you where the main trucks are but as far as each residential drop ....they have no idea......

I cut 3 cable lines and 1 dog fence last year.

This year at my new house.....I hooked but did not cut my cable line........and had my phone line cut by a bobcat......

Derek