I have a 1" PVC water line from the road to the barn approx 1000". anyone know how i could locate this line? I have a general idea where its at but we have not had rain in 6 months and its clay soil so I dont want to be hand digging all over the place any more than I have to. I dont know anything about witching or if it really even works.
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- Thread starter J-TEX
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Bryan inIowa
Member
Get yourself a couple dowser rods ,,make them or buy them,,They do work ! take two 3 foot wire rods,welding rod or whatever handy . bend 90 degrees about a foot . Hold one in each hand pointing forward ,,walk where you suspect the water line is ,,when rods cross over each other ,bingo ! there ya go .
To expand a bit on Bryon's post.
....hold the rods level/parallel to each other...kinda/sorta like holding/pointing a pistol
....keep your fists/thumbs/fingers/knuckles together and elbows tucked into your side.
....walk slowly
....rods may cross as Bryon suggested or they may swing out to each side.
I am NOT a big proponent of witching/dousing, but I've used it a few times to locate water lines and/or electric/TV cable/etc.
Now don't ask how/why it works cause I don't have a freakin' clue!!
Rick
....hold the rods level/parallel to each other...kinda/sorta like holding/pointing a pistol
....keep your fists/thumbs/fingers/knuckles together and elbows tucked into your side.
....walk slowly
....rods may cross as Bryon suggested or they may swing out to each side.
I am NOT a big proponent of witching/dousing, but I've used it a few times to locate water lines and/or electric/TV cable/etc.
Now don't ask how/why it works cause I don't have a freakin' clue!!
Rick
Snoop I don't know how it works either.
My Nephews FIL did it for a living plus well drilling.
I tried it and nothing. he proved a weird point when he took one side of an apple limb I held the other nothing happened till he grabbed my other hand and I couldn't hold it.
He said a good dowser in the lines in his hand must have an unbroken "W" Hw could tell you how deep within a few feet also.
I have seen it done with a big pair of pliers too.
My Nephews FIL did it for a living plus well drilling.
I tried it and nothing. he proved a weird point when he took one side of an apple limb I held the other nothing happened till he grabbed my other hand and I couldn't hold it.
He said a good dowser in the lines in his hand must have an unbroken "W" Hw could tell you how deep within a few feet also.
I have seen it done with a big pair of pliers too.
I do this all the time for well drilling. Not so much for finding water, but rather for avoiding and marking underground utilities.
Just take a couple of marking flags, rip the cheap flag part off. bend over 90 degrees (the flag, that is) about 5" from the end. Make sure to make both bends the same length.
make a fist with your thumb on top, then open slightly so that you could fit your finger in the opening in your fist. insert the short end into the opening in your hand. walk over the area with your elbows tucked in. rods (fists) should be no more than 12" apart.
I rub the rods together first, and hold them at a very slight downward angle so when they cross I know it's not a fluke. Some do this, some dont. It works for me.
cross back and forth over your suspected line, and mark at each cross of the rods. Good luck!
Just take a couple of marking flags, rip the cheap flag part off. bend over 90 degrees (the flag, that is) about 5" from the end. Make sure to make both bends the same length.
make a fist with your thumb on top, then open slightly so that you could fit your finger in the opening in your fist. insert the short end into the opening in your hand. walk over the area with your elbows tucked in. rods (fists) should be no more than 12" apart.
I rub the rods together first, and hold them at a very slight downward angle so when they cross I know it's not a fluke. Some do this, some dont. It works for me.
cross back and forth over your suspected line, and mark at each cross of the rods. Good luck!
Nebraska Cowman
Well-known Member
They swing out for me, (must be my magnetism?) You can use a pitchfork too. just hold it balancing on your finders with the fork pointing ahead. The fork will wag and then bob when you cross where the water is. I have no idea why it works.
Nebraska Cowman
Well-known Member
fingers
Fullers Farmalls
Member
I'd agree with everyone elses post. Works every time. You can use a coat hanger in the L shape. Just made sure not to hold it to tight.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
I am going to submit this one to MYTHBUSTERS. I can not believe there is anything to it. Is witchin what 1-800 one call or 1-800 dig safe uses ? Does anyone have a local utility, gas-water-electrical with have guys running around with bent wires or dead tree branches looking for its lines ? This has to be nonsence!
fixerupper
Well-known Member
The L shaped wire works for me and my son but doesn't do a thing when dad or Marilyn try it. Go figure! Jim
Well, I can assure you it does work, for some people. I had always figured it was hooey, but well driller cut me a forked branch, showed me how to hold it, and it worked for me. When the stick pulled down, I tried twisting upward to move the stick back up, and broke the stick. About half of my family could do it, but none of daughter-in-laws family.
Daughter worked in the summer for the local sewage treatment plant (they called it the feces factory). They trotted all the help out one morning, with a set of metal dowsing rods (bent in an L like the others have posted). About half them could find the known water lines that were about about 2 feet down. A couple of them even found a known line 8 feet down.
Daughter worked in the summer for the local sewage treatment plant (they called it the feces factory). They trotted all the help out one morning, with a set of metal dowsing rods (bent in an L like the others have posted). About half them could find the known water lines that were about about 2 feet down. A couple of them even found a known line 8 feet down.
jim in N M
Member
I've seen it done with two pieces of nylon 20in. long rivited at the end and held live "V" but bend the legs in a curve....Jim in N M
Ken Macfarlane
Well-known Member
Dowsing doesn't work so don't waste your money. The dowser makes the wires point where he wants them too. A good dowser means they are good at looking at the lay of the land and guessing where stuff is buried.
If you can slide a copper wire in from one end you can find it with a wire locator service.
Otherwise start digging.
If you can slide a copper wire in from one end you can find it with a wire locator service.
Otherwise start digging.
buickanddeere
Well-known Member
Too much occult for me.
(quoted from post at 12:07:46 03/31/11) I am going to submit this one to MYTHBUSTERS. I can not believe there is anything to it. Is witchin what 1-800 one call or 1-800 dig safe uses ? Does anyone have a local utility, gas-water-electrical with have guys running around with bent wires or dead tree branches looking for its lines ? This has to be nonsence!
One Call services will not locate private lines. Just public utilities up to your property lines. Some guys are nice and trace public utilities to your foundation, but they are not required to do so.
John Harmon.
Member
I've found many a water,sewer,feild tile when running with two 90' shaped brazing rods doing what is called dowsing. Some people can do it and others can not. Must be a Iron level in your blood thing,You think? Two metal brazing rods 3 ft.long,bend 6" of both to a 90 degrees from the long part. Loosly hold the 6" Pc.,one in each fist with the long part sticking out straight ahead,slowly walk across the suspected area of the water line,When you cross the water line the two long rods will come around and cross each other.This works for a line of copper,steel etc. Not sure about plastic as I have never did it with a plastic line.
> Run a metal wire through the pipe and get some help from a telephone tech that locates their underground wires.
That's exactly what I was going to suggest. Just run a regular 100ft drain snake in on each end and use a metal detector. As long as it's a straight shot, you can probably connect the dots for where it goes the rest of the way.
That's exactly what I was going to suggest. Just run a regular 100ft drain snake in on each end and use a metal detector. As long as it's a straight shot, you can probably connect the dots for where it goes the rest of the way.
I worked with a sign contractor installing "Do Not Pass" signs in 13 counties in Southern Illinois. We had a guy who dowsed each sign location and spray painted a dot at the location of each water, sewer, gas, and telephone line. In 13 counties, we hit two water lines. I don't think we'd have done any better with professional locaters, especially since the water lines that we hit lacked a copper tracer wire. He could locate phone lines quicker than a phone tech could get the lid off of the pedestal. It takes a reckless confidence to do it like this guy did, but he had reason to be confident. He was good.
Paul
Paul
smallercrawler
Member
Grand dad did it for about 60 or so years (lived to almost 100), but only used green branch from apple tree, arms parallel to ground, thumbs down at start; branch would pull down and roll his hands up. Dad and I both nonbelievers-but seen it work numerous times for him. He used to get calls from miles away to "come witch a water well" ???????
There is a "free" cemetery beside our church, no lot survey, and when someone wants to be buried there, they get one of the board members to dowse the gravesite to make sure nobody has beat them to the spot. He can find unmarked graves, and even sez he can tell if it's a man or woman (don't ask me how). So far, he's 100% successful - they've never dug into an occupied grave - yet.
Paul
Paul
Billy Shafer
Well-known Member
Give my brother in law some post hole diggers and he can find anything. He keeps the local plumber were he lives busy. Gas lines,water lines,sewer lines and underground power cables. He can find them all.
Scott, as was stated below, the utility locate services will only find public lines on a given property.
I've use the methods described with very good success and I have absolutely no idea of how or why it works, but it does. We use it to find drain tile, owner installed electric, irrigation, private sewer lines, invisible dog fence, privately installed gas and propane lines, satellite TV lines, and the like.
It would make a good Myth Busters episode and would be interesting because it does not work for everyone.
I've use the methods described with very good success and I have absolutely no idea of how or why it works, but it does. We use it to find drain tile, owner installed electric, irrigation, private sewer lines, invisible dog fence, privately installed gas and propane lines, satellite TV lines, and the like.
It would make a good Myth Busters episode and would be interesting because it does not work for everyone.
Tony in Mass.
Well-known Member
Nothing evil here, just science. Some people can do it, some can't, some won't. I found every water and power line under the concrete floor at a job years ago, bent gas welding wire. The janitor wanted to track a soil pipe from a mens' room always giving him trouble, by letting the sink taps run and flushing a toilet every time they refilled, I tracked the whole line to the sewer main. We found it was 30 feet longer than his snake. It could be the magnatism from movement of current like water and power, but I have found dead pipes and wires too. The gas co. here lets guys dowse for other lines they might run into even tho the sniffer knows where theirs is. You want magic, figure out how a gas sniffer works!
Hello Mike. What's the secret to holding a forked branch? I've never been able to do it. I suppose part of it is the kind of branch used. I can find metal, wire, plastic pipe, and even pieces of buried metal using the brazing rods. I've dowsed and found unmarked graves in the cemetery as well. Thanks.
Didn't seem to matter what kind of wood, except it had to be deciduous, and had to be fresh. Cut a branch in the shape of a Y. Hold it in your hands, then twist a little outward from your body, so it forces the fork down a little. Adjust so it is horizontal, and when you hit water, it will go down on its own. Has to have a little tension on it, not just held loosley in your hands.
I think it works on magnetic potential in your body. "Some cats got it, and some cats ain't".
All I know is, its a real force, if you have "the gift"- I was as surprised as anyone when stick dipped, because I thought it was all BS. My uncle had so much magnetism in his body that a conventional (wind-up) watch would only last about a week on him before going crazy. He was a millwright in Oregon, and a darn good one, so his boss finally bought him Timex watches by the case- when his watch went nuts, throw it away and get a new one out of the box. He could dowse water, rub warts, catch fish where no one else could, etc.
I think it works on magnetic potential in your body. "Some cats got it, and some cats ain't".
All I know is, its a real force, if you have "the gift"- I was as surprised as anyone when stick dipped, because I thought it was all BS. My uncle had so much magnetism in his body that a conventional (wind-up) watch would only last about a week on him before going crazy. He was a millwright in Oregon, and a darn good one, so his boss finally bought him Timex watches by the case- when his watch went nuts, throw it away and get a new one out of the box. He could dowse water, rub warts, catch fish where no one else could, etc.
teddy52food
Well-known Member
My uncle did that to me when I was little & after that it works for me too.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Folks, I never said a utility locating service would would locate private lines, I questioned if any of these services used witching to find their lines. None, that I am aware of do. Thats because, I think, it dosen't work. In order for it to be true, the guy running the sticks,(wire?)would be blindfolded as not to be biased as to a logical location of a line. He would have to be put in several fields, 50% with known utilities and 50% known without, with results recorded. Then, turn some loose with ground penetrating radar, send them over the same course under similar circumstances and compare the results.I would hate to be the guy that used witching to clear a construction site only to have the excavator hit a pipe/line and get someone hurt or killed, then being in court trying to defend "The Witching Method", given that no one can explain how it works. Meanwhile,the alternative, the GPR guy that batted 100% on our field trials, could tell if it was a wire, a pipe, and what kind of pipe it is, and he would have have no trouble explaining his instrument/theory/method to the jury.
Ken maybe you can"t make it work but I can. Just take two wire and bend 90 degree angle in them and hold them flat. I have found tile lines and water lines by doing it. They where my own so who was I "tricking" by using it????? Had an old neighbor that could really witch water and springs. He would come out for maybe a beer or two and tell you where the springs was and how deep. I have seven developed on my farm for cattle watering and he found everyone of them within a few feet. One of these starts in the peak of a slope. So you can"t guess where it lays.
As to why it works??? No clue. I just know it does.
As to why it works??? No clue. I just know it does.
Ken Macfarlane
Well-known Member
Doesn't work from a dowsing rod. Works from the knowledge of the land and observations of the holder.
PeteTheRookie
Member
(quoted from post at 12:49:24 04/01/11) Doesn't work from a dowsing rod. Works from the knowledge of the land and observations of the holder.
Yeah, then how does a compass work? Magnetic field.
Same way water witching works. Water is very dense and effects the magnetic field around it.
Pipes have different density as they are hollow then soil around them.
Some people are more sensitive to the change in the magnetic field then others as well as some people learned how to witch properly and others have not.
Just like some people can hit a baseball or sink a basketball on others like me cannot.
Pete
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