Locating Buried Electric Lines?

[GB_Amateur]

An acquaintance has asked if I can locate buried electric lines that run from a house to a well pump.  There are a couple obvious solutions:

1) Contact the local utility line locating people and get them to do it;

2) Buy a device specifically made for the purpose.

But sometimes 1) isn't possible (e.g. in remote areas) and 2) isn't cheap.  Given that electrical lines put out EMI, has anyone tried locating buried hot lines this way?  Also, given that utility line locators are a combination of an activation source and a detector, is it possible to buy the generating device and use either a standard VLF or PI detector for this purpose?

[Joe D.]

 Utility line location is free here in Florida, and i believe in most other states; i.e. call or internet search 811!  But one DIY way that is inexpensive, is to run a string line from panel to pump, if not blocked or turned by obstacles! Than you just have to determine the depth with a test hole, if needed! If depth is dug to code; if followed, it may be out of range of a detector, unless specifically designed for that!🍀👍👍

[Gold Seeker]

3 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

An acquaintance has asked if I can locate buried electric lines that run from a house to a well pump.  There are a couple obvious solutions:

1) Contact the local utility line locating people and get them to do it;

2) Buy a device specifically made for the purpose.

But sometimes 1) isn't possible (e.g. in remote areas) and 2) isn't cheap.  Given that electrical lines put out EMI, has anyone tried locating buried hot lines this way?  Also, given that utility line locators are a combination of an activation source and a detector, is it possible to buy the generating device and use either a standard VLF or PI detector for this purpose?

 

3 hours ago, Joe D. said:

 Utility line location is free here in Florida, and i believe in most other states; i.e. call or internet search 811!  But one DIY way that is inexpensive, is to run a string line from panel to pump, if not blocked or turned by obstacles! Than you just have to determine the depth with a test hole, if needed! If depth is dug to code; if followed, it may be out of range of a detector, unless specifically designed for that!🍀👍👍

Indiana's 811 service is free and you are "REQUIRED" to call 2 days before you dig, doesn't matter if it's big or small digging!

"Not contacting Indiana 811 before digging can lead to inconvenient utility service outages along with an expensive repair bill or serious injury. That’s why contacting Indiana 811 before you dig is mandated by law."

https://indiana811.org/homeowners/submit-a-ticket-homeowners/

[Mstempky]

I have used my sdc2300 to successfully locate buried lines for years. Most utility marking companies do not locate 'local' lines, i.e. lines not owned by them. This would include power to a well or any 110/220 run by a homeowner, irrigation wires, etc. The only issue of course is depth. I would say the max is was able to go was approximately 16-18" deep on a 110 line and it's a whisper. Sometimes it was a matter of removing layers of soil until i got a signal and general direction, then jumping ahead 10-15 feet until i found it again. Rinse and repeat. I know other contractors who used equipment more similar to what line marking companies used but I never went that far myself. But I do know that calling the public services will not be of help to him unless the rules are different than here in Michigan

[Mstempky]

It does help if you're used to listening for those small targets. Some of my Arizona gold

[chrisski]

1 hour ago, Mstempky said:

I have used my sdc2300 to successfully locate buried lines for years. Most utility marking companies do not locate 'local' lines, i.e. lines not owned by them. This would include power to a well or any 110/220 run by a homeowner, irrigation wires, etc. The only issue of course is depth. I would say the max is was able to go was approximately 16-18" deep on a 110 line and it's a whisper. Sometimes it was a matter of removing layers of soil until i got a signal and general direction, then jumping ahead 10-15 feet until i found it again. Rinse and repeat. I know other contractors who used equipment more similar to what line marking companies used but I never went that far myself. But I do know that calling the public services will not be of help to him unless the rules are different than here in Michigan

Curious.  How deep were most lines.  I thought they were supposed to be buried 18”.

[Mstempky]

In my area direct burial is 24 inches. Inside metal conduit is 18 inches.   But the reality is most are much shallower. Code is  arbitrarily followed or enforced when people are most of the time doing it themselves with no oversight

[Geotech]

The free 811 locating service is only for public utilities. Once you get to a home's power meter, everything on the other side is private and you have to hire someone.

I've used a Fisher Gemini 3 to trace the buried power line out to my well house. For that, you disconnect the wire from power and connect the Gemini TX box to the wire. This is "active tracing." You can also do "passive tracing" by detecting the 60Hz power signal from the live wire. For this, you want to do it when the pump is running and drawing current. There are specific locators for doing this, but you might be able to do it with an ordinary metal detector that has a frequency offset feature. In this case, adjust the offset until you get maximum interference and use the biggest coil you have.

Finally, there are rental places that often have line tracers like the Fisher TW-6 (same as the Gemini) or passive/active tracers like a Rigid or Radio Detection unit.

[GB_Amateur]

22 hours ago, Geotech said:

...You might be able to do it with an ordinary metal detector that has a frequency offset feature. In this case, adjust the offset until you get maximum interference and use the biggest coil you have.

Does choice of PI vs. IB matter for this?