Sweet Witch
Be the flame, not the moth.
Premium,MVM
join:2003-07-15
Gallifrey
 ·Comcast
| And this is why You call the utility companies beforehand!! How many times do we have to see the commercials about exactly this thing before we actually do it?
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The most courageous thing you can do is be honest.
The weight of a tongue can destroy a person. | |
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John Galt
Forward, March
Premium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
 ·CenturyLink
| Re: And this is why said by Sweet Witch  :You call the utility companies beforehand!! Just to clarify...
They will only do the utility side of the meter (gas, electric, whatever). If the line is on the customer side of the meter, then the property owner is responsible for the locating.
The article gives no clue as to what side was punctured...utility or customer.
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major marco
Res Firma Mitescere Nescit
Premium
join:2003-02-13
Stepford, CA
clubs:
| Re: And this is why said by John Galt :said by Sweet Witch :You call the utility companies beforehand!! Just to clarify... They will only do the utility side of the meter (gas, electric, whatever). If the line is on the customer side of the meter, then the property owner is responsible for the locating. The article gives no clue as to what side was punctured...utility or customer. To further clarify - Calling "the utilities" for a matter such as this one isn't the solution. No one will come out and check anything for cable-related matters other than the cable co. And if your cable co. tech is an idiot, then you're SOL-JWF just like the 2 dead people in the article. Cable connectivity is not considered a utility by the law.
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The Toll
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John Galt
Forward, March
Premium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
·CenturyLink
| Re: And this is why said by major marco :To further clarify - Calling "the utilities" for a matter such as this one isn't the solution. No one will come out and check anything for cable-related matters other than the cable co. Calling the 'underground service alert' line for your area will notify ALL of the 'utilities'...cable company included.
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major marco
Res Firma Mitescere Nescit
Premium
join:2003-02-13
Stepford, CA
clubs:
| Re: And this is why said by John Galt :Calling the 'underground service alert' line for your area will notify ALL of the 'utilities'...cable company included. Interesting. Where would I find that #.
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The Toll
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John Galt
Forward, March
Premium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
·CenturyLink
| Re: And this is why said by major marco :said by John Galt :Calling the 'underground service alert' line for your area will notify ALL of the 'utilities'...cable company included. Interesting. Where would I find that #. Google 'utility notification dig' or look in the front of your phone book or call any utility.
Easy!
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malvado6
I pee on Bushes.
join:2003-09-13
00001 | Re: And this is why And to clarify even.. you MUST call for a locate when doing ANY kind of digging, that includes driving groundrods.
In california, it's digalert.org | |
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| | | | dOoD1379
join:2005-04-20
Elk Grove, CA | Underground Service Alert 1(800)227-2600 | |
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i1me2ao
Premium
join:2001-03-03
TEXAS | here in texas they will go from your house until the edge of property.
for free.. | |
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rawgerz
In Debt we trust
Premium
join:2004-10-03
Grove City, PA | How can you pierce a iron/steel gas line with a 6 foot copper rod? And how did the gas get inside the house from outside? | |
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| alfnoid
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-18
| Re: And this is why said by rawgerz :How can you pierce a iron/steel gas line with a 6 foot copper rod? And how did the gas get inside the house from outside? Cause most gas lines put in over the last several years are plastic.
peace | |
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Corehhi
join:2002-01-28
Bluffton, SC | Re: And this is why Their using hard plastic for gas lines now? I wouldn't call that safe. | |
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| | | backness
join:2005-07-08
K2P OW2 | Re: And this is why no spark, sparky | |
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Combat Chuck
Too Many Cannibals
Premium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA
| said by Corehhi :Their using hard plastic for gas lines now? I wouldn't call that safe. So you'd rather have the rusty metal?
I'm sure that if someone was really determined to drive that ground rod in they could puncture metal pipe too.
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Early to rise, early to bed;
Makes a man healthy but socially dead. | |
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| | | Shark_615
join:2006-01-17
Pickering, ON
| You think using a heavy material that corrodes easily, can create sparks AND carry an electric current safer then a nuetral, non-corrosive and non-conductive material that will not create sparks under any circumstances?
Scary. Not to mention that the approved piping for this sort of thing is tested and certified under very strict rules right? | |
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| DMS1
join:2005-04-06
Carrollton, TX
| said by rawgerz :How can you pierce a iron/steel gas line with a 6 foot copper rod? And how did the gas get inside the house from outside? Incoming gas lines are yellow plastic of some sort, with only the risers at each end being metal. A metal spike hammered into the ground would easily go through this. Given that the ground rod would be within a few inches of the house I would have thought that it wouldn't be too hard for the gas to creep in somehow. | |
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| | mwf
join:2000-11-26
Granite Quarry, NC | Re: And this is why The yellow plastic is just sheathing, the actual gas line inside the yellow is metal and flexible. | |
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| | | DMS1
join:2005-04-06
Carrollton, TX
| Re: And this is why said by mwf :The yellow plastic is just sheathing, the actual gas line inside the yellow is metal and flexible. Are you sure? I must admit I have never seen the inside of a gas line here, but I know in England the lines look identical and they are 100% plastic. Are you sure you are not confusing the meter-to-house connection with the main gas lines which can be metal coated in yellow plastic. Even if they are metal, the fact that it is flexible means it is also thin. | |
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| | | alfnoid
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-18
| said by mwf :The yellow plastic is just sheathing, the actual gas line inside the yellow is metal and flexible. Sheathing is only on the tracer wire buried with it.
The lines that I have had exposure to are 100% plastic.
In fact, if the tracer wire has been cut you can't even locate the lines and you must dig until you can find the tracer wire to be able to locate it.
(I am a former locator and gas was one of my utilities)
peace | |
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| | | | tmies
join:2002-10-11
Champaign, IL
| Re: And this is why Plastic Gas line is made of HDPE (high density polyethylene). I installed the same material for high pressure CO2 gas a couple years ago. I has a high pressure rating, and typical 5x burst rating, so it is very safe as long as it not punctured. It is naturally black, but has yellow pigment added for nat. gas id. The material with flex metal liner mentioned above is for inside distribution. | |
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| | | ltship
join:2002-08-11
Sturgeon Bay, WI
| there are gas lines that are totally plastic, from the main in the street to the service connecting it to the metal riser to the meter at the facility it is serving. Here in WI you can have up to 8" mains in newer areas that are plastic (without a metal or sleeved insert).
Most states have a "One Call" facility to handle locate before you dig services. In this case, it is not the home owners responsibility to call in the locate, it is the cable company or their installers responsibility. It does not say if this was a aerial to the home, and the installer was grounding the interface box on the side of the home, or was a direct buried to the home and he was again installing a interface box that needed grounding.
It doesn't take much to punch a hole in a plastic service line to a home. Investigated allot of those type damages in my time, luckly without loss of life. | |
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captokita
Premium
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC
| said by rawgerz :How can you pierce a iron/steel gas line with a 6 foot copper rod? And how did the gas get inside the house from outside? Well, my guess would be, since the installer was injured as well, it happened as he was sinking the rod. When the rod pierced the gas line, it sparked and blew the thing up, since the line is attached to the house, the gas in the house went up as well.
Scary. It's possible (probable) the installer never knew there was a gas line there. Bad communications..... if you have to pound in a ground rod, you should ask if there's a chance you may hit something. (power, gas) - just as the homeowner should know where the lines come in. Again, they probably didn't know what the installer was doing either. | |
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| | DMS1
join:2005-04-06
Carrollton, TX
| Re: And this is why said by captokita :Well, my guess would be, since the installer was injured as well, it happened as he was sinking the rod. When the rod pierced the gas line, it sparked and blew the thing up, since the line is attached to the house, the gas in the house went up as well.] From the article, it sounds like the installer realised what he may have done and reported it, and subsequently the gas company came to investigate. It was then that the explosion happened. This does beg the question as to why the installer didn't immediately close the valve at the meter. Perhaps he was too busy smoking a cigarette! | |
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Michieru2
zzz zzz zzz
Premium
join:2005-01-28
Miami, FL | Re: And this is why Or he probably knew nothing in regards to gas and simply said "I am not touching anything". | |
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malvado6
I pee on Bushes.
join:2003-09-13
00001
| said by DMS1 :said by captokita : This does beg the question as to why the installer didn't immediately close the valve at the meter. Perhaps he was too busy smoking a cigarette! That wouldn't have stopped any explosion, since he probably hit the service line which is before the meter. | |
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SteveCon
IBEW 2222 Boston, MA
Premium
join:2004-09-02
Burlington, MA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| A ground rod is copper plated STEEL. It's nearly impossible to drive a 5/8" diameter 100% COPPER rod more than a foot or two in most soils before it bends.
The gas piping around here (that's not some sort of plastic /PVC material) is black iron - (both of) which can be cracked or shattered when struck under the right circumstances.
CATV guys get to drive only 6 footers?? Those lucky bas*ards! The NEC specifies 8 footers for grounding electrical systems ::sigh::
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United we bargain, divided we beg. | |
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| | DMS1
join:2005-04-06
Carrollton, TX
| Re: And this is why said by SteveCon :A ground rod is copper plated STEEL. It's nearly impossible to drive a 5/8" diameter 100% COPPER rod more than a foot or two in most soils before it bends. I believe that gas lines are only required to be buried 18" down so I'm sure that unless the soil was really hard a couple of good swipes with a hammer would have reached the line and gone straight through it. | |
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| | bogey780
join:2004-03-19
Here
| BellSouth proper grounding specifies the equipment should be grounded to in order of importance the ground wire, ground rod, dedicated #6 ground wire set to ground bar, and the metal pipe or box. If a ground rodis placed it has to be bonded to one of the power grounding options. The telco equipment should not be on a seperate ground whatsoever from the power as the possibility of a diferential exists. | |
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acid343211
Hallo lisa Aus Amerika
Premium
join:2001-08-31
Byron, GA
1 edit | said by SteveCon :A ground rod is copper plated STEEL. It's nearly impossible to drive a 5/8" diameter 100% COPPER rod more than a foot or two in most soils before it bends. I had to ground my Dish with a 7 ft rod you can do it. not Impossible,
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Visit-fromisrael2lebanon.info/
israel uphold un 242-338 resolution | |
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i1me2ao
Premium
join:2001-03-03
TEXAS
·Comcast
| to me when i trenched yards, the company found shutoffs and called utlitity company before hand. it was called job planning. it does not take away from profit, hell it adds it. when cutting corners you receive the above..
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(insert company name)we are not responsible for defective products or could care less about your product after we have your cash.. | |
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