How deeply are power lines that run to a house from a ground-level
transformer actually buried? I am going to be putting in a fence
across where there is a such line and I was about to call the "Call us
before you dig" number but their web site says that they only need to
be called if I am digging deeper than 24 inches. I am just driving in
normal steel T posts which are probably less than a foot deep into the
ground but I am still a bit nervous.

They usually come out for free locate the buried stuff.
Or I guess you could find out the hard way.
What about phone lines?

"WDS" wrote in message
oups.com...
How deeply are power lines that run to a house from a ground-level
transformer actually buried? I am going to be putting in a fence
across where there is a such line and I was about to call the "Call us
before you dig" number but their web site says that they only need to
be called if I am digging deeper than 24 inches. I am just driving in
normal steel T posts which are probably less than a foot deep into the
ground but I am still a bit nervous.

Once while digging up a lilac, I hit a power line 12 inches down. The power
guy who came out and patched it said it should have been 36 inches down. My
point is: power lines are not always at the depth they are supposed to be.
GEt the locating people out before digging.

Note: THey didnt charge me for the repair just because it was not where it
should have been. I was lucky not to get killed.

"WDS" wrote in message
oups.com...
How deeply are power lines that run to a house from a ground-level
transformer actually buried? I am going to be putting in a fence
across where there is a such line and I was about to call the "Call us
before you dig" number but their web site says that they only need to
be called if I am digging deeper than 24 inches. I am just driving in
normal steel T posts which are probably less than a foot deep into the
ground but I am still a bit nervous.

On Sep 19, 4:05 pm, "Bill" wrote:
What about phone lines?

Nope. No where near there. I had put in a fence a few years ago and
they marked it then but the posts for the new one will come out in
different places.

I would call them anyway, it should be free. Around here we spray-paint the
area where we will be digging with a white line. Or outline the dig area
with white lines. So just paint a white line where the fence will go.

There can also be cable TV, natural gas, water, sewer, and phone. One call
to the locate service around here gets them all marked.

Note: I've seen some phone lines 2 inches below the surface. It was
initially buried deeper, but someone excavated...




"WDS" wrote in message
How deeply are power lines that run to a house from a ground-level
transformer actually buried? I am going to be putting in a fence
across where there is a such line and I was about to call the "Call us
before you dig" number but their web site says that they only need to
be called if I am digging deeper than 24 inches. I am just driving in
normal steel T posts which are probably less than a foot deep into the
ground but I am still a bit nervous.

On Sep 20, 10:39 am, "Bill" wrote:
I would call them anyway, it should be free. Around here we spray-paint the
area where we will be digging with a white line. Or outline the dig area
with white lines. So just paint a white line where the fence will go.

I am going to call them and see what they say.

There can also be cable TV, natural gas, water, sewer, and phone. One call
to the locate service around here gets them all marked.

Nope, none of those, power is the only concern. This is a rural area
and we had the house built. There is a box on the property line with
my neighbor where the power comes in from the street and is split for
the two houses. The feed into the box is quite deep as it was
trenched right next to the water line along the driveway and they just
continued over to the box while the water (and phone) went right to
the house. No natural gas or cable TV.

On Sep 20, 11:49 am, WDS wrote:
I am going to call them and see what they say.

Well, it turns out they have a really nice web site that they prefer
you to use instead of a phone call:

http://www.gopherstateonecall.org/

I'm out in the country also and elected, err paid, to have mine buried
as I did not want poles on the property for the 330' run to the house.
They are buried at 48" but I also was able to put the phone line in
the same trench as long as there was a 12" seperation so it is at 36"

--Ben

On Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:49:16 -0000, WDS wrote:

On Sep 20, 10:39 am, "Bill" wrote:
I would call them anyway, it should be free. Around here we spray-paint the
area where we will be digging with a white line. Or outline the dig area
with white lines. So just paint a white line where the fence will go.

I am going to call them and see what they say.

There can also be cable TV, natural gas, water, sewer, and phone. One call
to the locate service around here gets them all marked.

Nope, none of those, power is the only concern. This is a rural area
and we had the house built. There is a box on the property line with
my neighbor where the power comes in from the street and is split for
the two houses. The feed into the box is quite deep as it was
trenched right next to the water line along the driveway and they just
continued over to the box while the water (and phone) went right to
the house. No natural gas or cable TV.

"WDS" wrote in message
oups.com...
How deeply are power lines that run to a house from a ground-level
transformer actually buried? I am going to be putting in a fence
across where there is a such line and I was about to call the "Call us
before you dig" number but their web site says that they only need to
be called if I am digging deeper than 24 inches. I am just driving in
normal steel T posts which are probably less than a foot deep into the
ground but I am still a bit nervous.


Call for a markdown on all of the utilities. It's usually free and will
give you piece of mind. Supposedly there is a national number for this;
811. I've never tried it, but give it a shot.