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.

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...

On Sun, 17 May 2009 15:22:52 GMT, aemeijers wrote:

....

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

Old age I guess, I know I was thinking about posting the
question yesterday, but I did not remember doing it and it did not
show up under new messages when I posted this one.


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.

You have given me some great ideas. Hopefully I can use a
couple of them.

Thanks

In article ,
wrote:

...

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

Old age I guess, I know I was thinking about posting the
question yesterday, but I did not remember doing it and it did not
show up under new messages when I posted this one.

I see you also spammed us with the same god damn post from your website,
homedestructionbanter.com, using your sock puppet. That's not at all
cool.

On Tue, 19 May 2009 08:34:14 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

...

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

Old age I guess, I know I was thinking about posting the
question yesterday, but I did not remember doing it and it did not
show up under new messages when I posted this one.

I see you also spammed us with the same god damn post from your website,
homedestructionbanter.com, using your sock puppet. That's not at all
cool.

????? What the heck are you talking about?

In article ,
wrote:

On Tue, 19 May 2009 08:34:14 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:


I see you also spammed us with the same god damn post from your website,
homedestructionbanter.com, using your sock puppet. That's not at all
cool.

????? What the heck are you talking about?

I'm talking about these two posts:

FIRST:

In article ,
wrote:

I would like to put a fence up at the back of my yard, but it
would need to go in over existing underground high voltage wires. Not
the usual 220V but the main underground lines to the local
transformers.

I have had the crew out to mark the line locations, but they
are unable to tell me how deep they are. I would guess they know
where they should be, but because of various problems, they may not be
as deep as the should.

Any suggestions?

I am thinking of several possible fence types, generally
decorative but also I am interested in keeping the neighborhood kids
out of my yard and since I am on the local foot path, eliminate the
foot traffic of kids taking a short cut.

SECOND:


In article ,
WILLIAM21 wrote:

I would like to put a fence up at the back of my yard, but it
would need to go in over existing underground high voltage wires. Not
the usual 220V but the main underground lines to the local
transformers.

I have had the crew out to mark the line locations, but they
are unable to tell me how deep they are. I would guess they know
where they should be, but because of various problems, they may not be
as deep as the should.

Any suggestions?

I am thinking of several possible fence types, generally
decorative but also I am interested in keeping the neighborhood kids
out of my yard and since I am on the local foot path, eliminate the
foot traffic of kids taking a short cut.

Are you saying you're not William 21?

wrote in message
...
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 missed the posts from yesterday so I don't know what might have been said.

Code (here) calls for house drops to be a minimum of two feet deep and the
main lines to be deeper. A 24" deep 4x4 in concrete on 8' CC posts will
support a 6' privacy fence if you take the time to pick center cut posts and
stringer material. You can't just grab the first pieces of lumber in the
pile!

You are not going to crack a pvc conduit with a clam shell digger so dig
away. If you find a shallow conduit simply increase the width of the hole
and pour a bigger wad of concrete. You can get away with a 24 inch circle
12" deep for a post or two. And the chance of hitting it more than once or
twice on a 50 run is slim.

The utility company will most likely never need to dig it up and if they do
they will repair what they tear up.

Colby

Colbyt wrote:
....
You are not going to crack a pvc conduit with a clam shell digger so dig
away. ...

The run won't be in conduit.

--

dpb wrote:

Colbyt wrote:
...
You are not going to crack a pvc conduit with a clam shell digger so dig
away. ...

The run won't be in conduit.

--
Believe code requires the power line to be 52" deep, but grades change.
Usually if the power is in the street or along sidewalks it's direct
buried, if crossing under your property or along a property it should be
deeper and in conduit. Keyword: SHOULD How deep do you need to go for a
fence post or footer?
--
"You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK"
Running Mandriva release 2008.0 free-i586 using KDE on i586
Website Address http://rentmyhusband.biz/

evodawg wrote:
dpb wrote:

Colbyt wrote:
...
You are not going to crack a pvc conduit with a clam shell digger so dig
away. ...
The run won't be in conduit.

--
Believe code requires the power line to be 52" deep, but grades change.
Usually if the power is in the street or along sidewalks it's direct
buried, if crossing under your property or along a property it should be
deeper and in conduit. Keyword: SHOULD How deep do you need to go for a
fence post or footer?

Utility lines in general are not, strictly speaking, subject to NEC but
to whatever the particular utility specifications are.

But, while it is _possible_ they ran conduit, it would certainly be
unusual anywhere I've seen for it to be except very specific areas; not
the entire length of a run.

That said, it is likely to be deeper than OP is going to need to dig but
it would be much smarter to simply move to one side or the other of the
line for the fence. Or, go ahead but just be damn'ed careful. He won't
get any sympathy at all from the utility company if he finds it after
they specifically came out and marked it...

--


--

On May 17, 2:57*pm, dpb wrote:
evodawg wrote:
dpb wrote:

Colbyt wrote:
...
You are not going to crack a pvc conduit with a clam shell digger so dig
away. *...
The run won't be in conduit.

--
Believe code requires the power line to be 52" deep, but grades change.
Usually if the power is in the street or along sidewalks it's direct
buried, if crossing under your property or along a property it should be
deeper and in conduit. Keyword: SHOULD *How deep do you need to go for a
fence post or footer?

Utility lines in general are not, strictly speaking, subject to NEC but
to whatever the particular utility specifications are.

But, while it is _possible_ they ran conduit, it would certainly be
unusual anywhere I've seen for it to be except very specific areas; not
the entire length of a run.

That said, it is likely to be deeper than OP is going to need to dig but
it would be much smarter to simply move to one side or the other of the
line for the fence. *Or, go ahead but just be damn'ed careful. *He won't
get any sympathy at all from the utility company if he finds it after
they specifically came out and marked it...

--

--

If the power company has marked it off just set your post to straddle
the cables. Thats what just about eveybody in my neighborhood has done
including yours truly.


JImmie