Line locates

[Greg5658]

As an excavating company we have our own locators to double check utility companies work, has saved our assess lots of times. Locators don't gaurentee anything and liability is on the excavator if you read the fine print. That being said if you're nice the utility companies often don't charge to come fix especially if you demonstrate that you did due diligence and hired a locate company. Your private locator is going to have all kind of unkind things to say behind your back if you ask him to fix it when you weren't even there to tell him what you wanted. We never even call in house service phone lines, we just fix them ourselves up to about 30 pair. Waterproof terminal kit is cheap. Even the utility company isn't usually more then a couple hundred.

 

[teamdirt]

Just wondering if someone knows the ins and outs of this.

I'm guessing I'm partially at fault here.

I needed to do some digging in my yard. I know that the current well is newer and that there was a different well on the property before. But I have no idea where this well was.
I also knew I had to cross my gas line with this trench I was digging.

So I hired a line locate company. As I figured they'd be my best bet to walk the area I'm digging in and let me know if I'm safe to dig.
I even went as far as taking a Google earth shot of my property and marking on that map where I am digging.

I was not home when they showed up to mark lines. And my wife being , well herself. Told the people that showed up she didn't know what I was doing or needed them to do.

I come home yard has yellow stakes for the gas line. Nothing else. Their report Marks out the gas line nothing else. So I assumed we were safe to dig.

Hand dug the around the gas line. They were spot on with their Marks.
Then used a backhoe and dug my trench.
We found we exposed a wire. My neighbor was pretty sure it was 14/2 wire.
Checked my breakers. Nothing tripped. Checked both ends of the broken wire. No power.
Thought maybe that's the old power line to the old well maybe.
Finished our job. Pushed the dirt back in.
That was Aug 8th and 9th.
Aug 27th we go to use the house phone. Dead. No signal. No tone.
So called telus.
They came out today and confirmed I'm good that the pole and at the house and that there is a break in between.

I've called and emailed that line locate company.

I'm just wondering if I can go after them to replace that line? Or if it falls on my shoulders because I wasnt home to walk out the picture I sent them?
I'm currently waiting for telus to send out someone else now to locate that line. So I dig it up as well as my options.

I'm hoping I can just do a section rather than the whole run.
My wife said the tech today advised to go wireless. But I want to get this fixed proper.

i operate a construction company for 12-15 years...

locates oNly cover commercial Electric/ gas/water. Private lines like to ur garage Or outdoor fireplace are not marked. Anything that can kill someone is marked. Telus/ Shaw etc is not marked, nor is It buried to code. If u break one of those lines they will replace at no cost as they R not done to a code...Nor does locates mark them...

 

[teamdirt]

As an excavating company we have our own locators to double check utility companies work, has saved our assess lots of times. Locators don't gaurentee anything and liability is on the excavator if you read the fine print. That being said if you're nice the utility companies often don't charge to come fix especially if you demonstrate that you did due diligence and hired a locate company. Your private locator is going to have all kind of unkind things to say behind your back if you ask him to fix it when you weren't even there to tell him what you wanted. We never even call in house service phone lines, we just fix them ourselves up to about 30 pair. Waterproof terminal kit is cheap. Even the utility company isn't usually more then a couple hundred.

just call the missed locates line- not your problem if they f’d up....U want the #? Pm me. They don’t take missed locates lightly!

 

[Cyle]

As an excavating company we have our own locators to double check utility companies work, has saved our assess lots of times. Locators don't gaurentee anything and liability is on the excavator if you read the fine print. That being said if you're nice the utility companies often don't charge to come fix especially if you demonstrate that you did due diligence and hired a locate company. Your private locator is going to have all kind of unkind things to say behind your back if you ask him to fix it when you weren't even there to tell him what you wanted. We never even call in house service phone lines, we just fix them ourselves up to about 30 pair. Waterproof terminal kit is cheap. Even the utility company isn't usually more then a couple hundred.

As long as work area is labeled properly (I always label work area as entire lot), and you don't dig within 2m of any marked lines and the first call is still valid, you are not on the hook for anything you hit. I have also spoke to my insurance company who said the same. The problem with the first call is they are so lazy. Most of them throw a few flags in and call it a day. No drawing of lines. No idea if someone moved the flags.

 

[imdoo'n]

Changes are they will blame the excavator. Deal with terrible locates on a regular basis, they have never taken any responsibility when we've hit a line even though been cleared. A lot depends on your paperwork communicating to them the excavated area if it's their fault or not. Drilled through a 6" water line that a private locate missed, they refused to pay for it, the company we did the work for picked up the tab as we were given paperwork showing in the clear. Gas lines, telus, electrical, everything missed at some point. It doesn't hurt to try but I wouldn't expect you'll get anything out of them. At least it's a very easy to fix line. I think if you pushed a bit, Telus will come fix it for free if it's excavated for them to get at.

how is a private locator going to find a unknown water or septic line without a map of where it runs?

 

[skid]

how is a private locator going to find a unknown water or septic line without a map of where it runs?

They won’t. Sometimes even with mapping it’s a difficult job, I do a few hundred a month and it’s not always fun.

 

[imdoo'n]

the biggest problem i see is multiple lines from the side of a building, locator puts transmitter on ground trying to induce a signal, (because it is quick and easy) traces what he finds, goes to next line along wall, signal follows the first signal, same happens on the the next. then trys the fourth line, finds it takes a different path than the first three. assumes the first three are correct and marks as such. excavator finds the first three lines take different paths.

what happened, transmitter sends signal down the best grounded line, you need to hook onto each line, only way to know if you have marked the lines correctly. have fired several "locators" for doing this. live an learn.