water line

[504]

Can you trace a black plastic water line or just wait till I set a post on top of it.I know there is no tracer wire .

 

[Russ from MN]

My wife could find it with 2 pieces of copper wire. Should I have here fly her broom over and find it for you?

 

[Stephen Newell]

It can be done but isn't easy. See if you could pay your water company to locate the pipe. It takes special equipment which they would have.

 

[riverbend]

Our excavator friend found a busted plastic water line with two bent wire rods. It cut the corner and went under the deck...

 

[Tom from Buckeye Lake]

I use coat hanger wire. Bent 90 degrees 6 x 14. It takes a very, very light cradle in hands. Works to locate underground electrical too. Go ahead and laugh, it works for the chosen few

 

[indypower13]

No the plastic pipe is unable to conduct the signal needed to be able to locate with a locator.
Yes you can use two bent wires as described if the water is flowing.
You can also use a Rodder. Which is a locatable cable that is inserted into the plastic water line. Just need to make sure its sanitized as its put into the water line

 

[Dusty MI]

I can follow almost anything under ground with two bent, L shaped wires, I use steel wires.
Many years ago someone told me about it, so I gave it a try, and it worked. As easy as it is for me I would think anyone could do it.
I can even flow clay and plastic drain tile.

 

[Russ from MN]

Not everyone is Gifted

 

[Charles in Aus.]

I found our PVC sewer line nine feet underground using bent wires . I tried it not believing it would work but it did and with amazing accuracy. Try it , you might just have the ' gift ' .
Otherwise if it's not too deep ; within the range of a metal detector , run a flexible steel cable down the length and peg it out as you go . A direction from from both ends will most likely give you the path accurately enough .

 

[RobCons]

Try the two wires. It works for me. Most any wire seems to work. Bend each one at 90 degrees, hold one leg loosely in your hands, the other leg parallel to the ground and walk slowly through the area. The wires will swing together when you cross the line.

 

[grandpa Love]

You nailed it. ' voodoo sticks'.
Lol. Works great. We usually cut
a wire coat hanger and use a
couple pieces.

 

[Moonlite37]

In my opinion the bent wires do not locate the line, but locate where the earth was disturbed in cutting the trench, I made a set of wires bent them and placed the short end through !/2 plastic pipe with !/2 inch copper caps on each end of the plastic pipe. This prevented friction from the operator's hands. I used it to locate graves. I have heard that earth takes a charge after setting for a long time and in crossing disturbed earth the wires are permitted to move

 

[rustyfarmall]

(quoted from post at 18:46:52 01/09/23) My wife could find it with 2 pieces of copper wire. Should I have here fly her broom over and find it for you?

YES! That works. Doesn't even need to be copper.

 

[Richard G.]

Watched a fellow last year that was doing some work for our son.
Could find electrical lines and water lines in plastic.
He taught me how to do it also.
It is all in the way you gently cradle the 2 wires.
Also watched a fellow locate graves that were unmarked the same way.

 

[miangus]

How deep are you driving those steel posts? Here in Michigan water lines need to be 5 feet plus. If I drove my posts deep enough to hit a plastic waterline, they would be kind of short. It's a joke son, a joke.

 

[Frank(Mi.)]

Yep it works for me...

 

[Leroy]

And the ditching machine operator that said he did it all the time could NOT do it.

 

[teddy52food]

I used to use just one wire back when I could walk. It will swing in the direction the water is flowing. A friend followed a vein for a ways in the woods and found a spring. Try it some time.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Needing water running through plastic to find it is nonsense. I have found plastic tile with wires in dry time of the year no water in them.

 

[Two Dogs]

Another nice thing about living in the South. We only have to bury water lines deep enough to avoid cutting them with the lawn mower. TDF