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Hit my first gas line

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44K views 71 replies 27 participants last post by  Wet_Boots  
#1 ·
I was hoping to get a few more installs under my belt before learning the hard way. I hand dug for a few feet around where it should have been but turns out is was about 2 inches from where I stopped. I should have just dug until I found it. I'm going to do that from now on. Get this- it was only about 10 inches deep. Isn't the rule for these two feet?

Anyway, it's that orange poly pipe and appears to be the common 1 1/8 outside diameter. Guess I'm headed to the plumbing supply in the morning to let them tell me how to fix it. Please no one rake me over the coals for posting this, I already feel like enough of a dumbarse.

PS This is for my four year old who's standing next to the computer and insists that I throw some in. :weightlifter: :cool2: :hammerhead:
 
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#5 ·
agree with grandview, never trust where anything is below ground, get mark outs, I mean, I don't understand why people don't call, it releases you of any liability. for free better yet, call 811 very simple to do, now do you have any idea how much it will cost you to repair that line, if its the poly, I don't think you can just re splice it, I maybe wrong, but my fathers a plumber and he tells me all the time don't hit the poly pipe cause you'll be out a grand easy. Next call,
 
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#6 ·
It sucks and it won't be the last time. My guys have cut the gas line with the shovel before just trying to find it.

Just make sure the get a dig ticket from now on and make sure the line you hit is repaired by a professional. Way too much liability at this point to have it leak down the road.

It does piss me off to find main lines to the house at times 4"-6"s deep when codes is making us plumb the backflow 24" from the tap to the device. Good thing most are poly lines now.
 
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#7 ·
My dad is in the underground utility business and the one thing I learned is to never assume anything. The last job I was on had a 30in water main mismarked by 5ft, an unmarked gas line and two unmarked 6" water lines.

Heres a few suggestions:
Always call miss utility before any digging. When utilities are marked in your work area, dig test holes to make sure you know exactly where the lines are(usually you only need to do this for gas lines, and cable tv/fios lines) for landscaping installs. Buy a soil probe to help locate a utility when digging.
 
#12 ·
You are lucky enough to be writing about this on the forum instead of being DEAD.

Everyone should know my stance on buried utilities so.....

How'd you shut the gas down if you damaged it?

In spite of what people think, calling for a locate does not automatically exclude your liability for damage.

Your best bet at winning a damage case begins with pre excavation documentation with tons of pics. Photos of the hand dig zone exploration and potholing. Photos of the excavation and remember that you can call for a no show or an emergency relocate, this is a 4 or 5 step process.
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#14 ·
greenmonster304 said:
Here it is very common to have the meter set far away from the house with perhaps 100' or more of piping that the Markout company won't mark because it is consumer owned. Many times there is no tracer.
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GAAAAAH! Talk about suicidal potholing :eek:
 
#15 ·
greenmonster304 said:
Here it is very common to have the meter set far away from the house with perhaps 100' or more of piping that the Markout company won't mark because it is consumer owned. Many times there is no tracer.
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I'm somewhat surprised that no marking wire doesn't create a major fail in the inspection department, the kind that means no CO no way.

Now that they have plastic gas tubing with an attached wire, a simple code change would fix the lack of marking wire.
 
#17 ·
Wet_Boots said:
I'm somewhat surprised that no marking wire doesn't create a major fail in the inspection department, the kind that means no CO no way.

Now that they have plastic gas tubing with an attached wire, a simple code change would fix the lack of marking wire.
Click to expand...
In high school I dated the step daughter of one of the local inspectors. We used to raid the liquor cabinet that was full of all the "gifts" from contractors.
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#21 ·
greenmonster304 said:
Here it is very common to have the meter set far away from the house with perhaps 100' or more of piping that the Markout company won't mark because it is consumer owned. Many times there is no tracer.
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I have found a couple properties like this in the last couple years. The worse I have found though was a property that had the main mounted at the main house. The line then went into the basement and was Tee'd off. One of the lines went back outside to feed the two garages and six rental cottages. The line that went outside was Tee'd underground to go to each of the eight buildings. After a day of potholing and not getting any further ahead, we decided it was cheaper & quicker to have a plumper just disconnect the outside line, if we hit anything we would pull new lines for him. Thankfully we somehow made it trough the whole job without hitting a single line.
 
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#23 ·
I dig across about 6ft over utility markings, scared to death of hitting something.glad ur ok. No one asked if u called for locates, but gave u grief for not! So, did u call?
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#26 ·
30" pipeline leak and explosion destroyed 38 homes and took 8 lives in 2010.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_San_Bruno_pipeline_explosion

PG & E has since sent residents near their pipelines postcards with a url for access to maps online. I found out I'm less than 50 yards one direction and about 100 in the other from two pipes this size that interesect down at the corner of the next block.
 
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