DIYbanter - View Single Post - Installing fence over buried power lines?

aemeijers

wrote:
Any comments or suggestions on installing a fence over buried
high voltage power lines.

I had the power company come out and mark out their power
lines. There is no problem with the 220V lines to my home or the
neighbors, as I can miss them, but the fence will need to go over a
long stretch of buried high voltage lines.

I contacted the power company after they marked the lines and
they are unable/unwilling to provide information about how deep those
lines are. I would guess they don't want to say they are three to
four foot deep, only to have me found out that they are only two feet
deep where I am digging.

The fence is to be about 4 foot tall with an open (about 80%
open so minimal wind force issues, but young children may well try to
pull them so it does need to be solid.

I was thinking of building a mound of soil giving me more
distance from the power lines. However I can see that it might take a
year or two for that mound to solidify enough to help support the
fence. I was also considering using some sort of concrete, maybe
buried in or under the mound.

Just looking for ideas comments and maybe some experiences.

What? You didn't like the first set of answers and suggestions we gave
you yesterday?

But since you now provided additional detail- only 4' tall and mostly
open- here is another idea. Get some of those trapezoid-shaped 'tip
proof' concrete blocks like they use to hold signs in grocery store
parking lots, but that can be removed for snowplow guy. Put a plastic
rail fence on top them, suitably pinned together, so wind gusts don't
dismantle it for you. Disguise the concrete blocks with clumps of some
sort of tall-growing decorative grasses or flowers. You can also stain
or paint the concrete, to make it blend in. 5-gallon buckets of concrete
set six inches into the dirt would also work, if you can't find the
purpose-built blocks at your local concrete specialty products dealer.
If buckets are too ugly, same concrete dealer has mushroom-shaped
footing forms that would work to make a shallow footings for lightweight
fencing with low wind-load sail areas. All of these would make a 'strong
enough' fence that didn't deeply penetrate the soil over the power
lines, and could be easily and reusably removed if the power company
needed to dig back there.

--
aem sends...