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Mystery water line

B

Bkpigs

Member
Used divining rods to locate a water line. Dug a 6 foot long 18" wide and 42" deep trench and still haven't found it. Fun Saturday.
 
Be thankful you're not "up nort" where water lines commonly reside 6' or 7' deep!
 
We used to be out in the field, trying to drain a wet spot. Dad would go cut a forked branch off some brush, and use it to "find" an existing tile for us to tap into. He'd walk around with the fork/branch in his hands pointing straight up. Then eventually it would pull straight down. We'd dig, and find nothing. It drove my cousin nuts that it wouldn't work for him. I said it didn't matter, it didn't work anyway!
 
The weird thing is the rods will cross at the same spot multiple time in each direction. Then I do it again and it is a foot or two over. Again doing it from different directions. Oh well, guess the area needed some DEEP plowing any how.
 
Ours here in sandy loam are around 12 - 18 inches deep and it takes around 10000 gallons to show a leak.

How do you find one at that depth?
 
I lived in rural Arizona for several years. A dowser was hired by a land owner to find buried waterlines. He spent 4 hours and gridded out the location of 15 lengths of
underground pipe, that were intended to supply a housing development that didn't happen. Digging produced nothing at any marked location. The original owner was located
and within an hour located them all because he buried them. and measured from boundary pins. The dowser was way off of every pipe. Dowsing in Montana, for a neighbors
well was a similar experience of expensive drilling. The local drilling company eventually found the aquifer 300 feet from the sight dowsed (he had a clue from the
geology and history of the area) Jim
 
My grandfather laid clay tile for a living, he could locate the lines, but I also think he could read the layout of the ground.

I am not a believer.
 
From past experience, I am no good at finding electrical wires. But I can do a pretty good job with septic tanks!
 
I use 2 pieces of number 6 copper wire. Probably about 18 inches long. Bend a handle on one end. Hold them about 6 inches apart and walk
slow across where you thin the line is and they should cross. Then locate from the opposite direction and you should be pretty close. I have
located phone lines, water lines and even culvert pipe this way. I also have dug dry holes before and learned that this will locate overhead wires
as well. Good luck.
 
The wires will always cross your body, that’s why two wires cross. I have done dowsing with one wire and it crosses my body every time. Go figure! I have had only moderate luck locating tile lines. I’m still trying to figure out how it works.
 
Divining rods, water witching, I don't believe in those, and there is zero scientific evidence that it actually works. I like to use a Ouija board, works every time.
 
Have tried dowsing several times with no luck but have found a much more accurate method, just stick me on the backhoe and I can find anything. Not always with good result.
 
You can hire one of these companies that can locate the line with sonar,just had one done.They can locate electric lines and graves too very interesting talking to the guy that did it.
When I was at the concrete plant a company was pouring large pier holes up to 100 ft deep and 5ft in diameter they could tell what was all a long the hole before they drilled.
 
Didn't have a leak, trying to put in a other yard hydrant.


Hadn't thought about the overhead wire. That may have been causing the wierd readings. The other times I tried it it worked fairly good.
 
Never used a stick or piece of wood but used acetylene rods just bend the ends to a 90 . They actually work better if the water line is
running water through it because it causes static electricity that's basically what the rods are working from. I didn't believe it either
till i saw with my own eyes my boss locating the line.
 
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