Replacing Alkathene with MDPE

[Routy56]

Usual story - water supplier tells customer that their water consumption has increased
Horrible black alkathene has let go somewhere between water meter and rising main
Done this job for clients several times now.
However, the next one that I planning to do requires only 18m off me 50m roll and is causing me a headache
Went to site yesterday to 'have a look' and found that the required 750mm trench has to cross over ALL services.
Planning to swing off to one side of the old and up the side passage of the house then Insuduct through the wall by the old rising main
Fired up the trusty old CAT and Genny and managed to trace the steel gas main OK and is outside of dig area.....
.....however, I struggled to trace the electric supply cable.
Signal, which was injected via 13A plug socket, disappeared about a metre or so away from outside of the meter feed.
So, what's the best way to trace the underground electric supply fellas?
Will UKPowerNetworks rock and tell me where their cables are to the house?

 

[Grifferr]

Try connecting the Genny to the armour on the cable and make sure the Genny has an earth. I usually stick a screwdriver in the ground and connect Genny earth to that.

 

[diggerjones]

Suppose your would be better turning the cooker on and immersion. Get some currant going through.
As for getting the new main in through the wall 750mm down, thats the hardest bit

 

[Routy56]

Try connecting the Genny to the armour on the cable and make sure the Genny has an earth. I usually stick a screwdriver in the ground and connect Genny earth to that.

Yep we tried that. Genny has still got the original earth spike
My guess is that the ground is so wet under and around the house that the signal is being shorted out quite quickly

 

[Routy56]

Suppose your would be better turning the cooker on and immersion. Get some currant going through.
As for getting the new main in through the wall 750mm down, thats the hardest bit

Like the idea about drawing more current and having the Genny set on P
Will try that if UKPowerNetworks can't tell us where their cable are
On an existing house, the easiest way is an Insuduct Kit up the outside of the brickwork

Then add a nice hockey stick

Got these in stock from BES
Done a few now - makes the connection part easy

 

[Brendan]

Have you tried induction with the Genny.

Had similiar on Monday no matter what was tried couldn't trace a copper pipe with the Genny and worse than that it also didn't pick up a live armoured cable running right down the middle of the dig site

 

[Routy56]

Have you tried induction with the Genny.

Had similiar on Monday no matter what was tried couldn't trace a copper pipe with the Genny and worse than that it also didn't pick up a live armoured cable running right down the middle of the dig site

When I go back to do the dig I'll try induction. Thanks for the suggestion
Gonna have to do something similar with the BT cable or clip onto a spare pair of wires
Whatever happens it's going to be 'safe digging' until I know the location of the electric main feed

 

[Alan caddy]

If you have somebody with you walk about ten meters apart with cat and genny should send signal down any services in ground if anything picked up trace all the way along then carry on till whole area is checked

 

[Routy56]

So we made a start today....
....it soon reached 28c - too much for safe digging around cables

That red line is where my old Mk2 CAT was saying the mains cable went to the neighbours

No cable in this section
The mains is PME with 2 cables looping in at the main fuse. This is where I induced the 33kHz signal. Stronger than plugging in

After we clipped on to a spare pair on the BT cable it was obvious where it was
The red dots show the rough path of the PME cable with sensitivity on max and speaker on my ear - faint signal at each dot more or less where we expect it to run back to the plans sent to us
So the next phase will be cut the tarmac and concrete with Paddys motorbike and peck it out. We will have to cross the 2 cables one to get to the water meter and stop cock
Hopefully we can start really early before it gets hot again

 

[V8Druid]

'Bout the same here, on the heat factor .... real muggy .... cooler tomorrow - apparently and total crap Friday with 12mm of rain ...
the more i see of your machine the more I like that ... looks a decent size for its weight

 

[Routy56]

'Bout the same here, on the heat factor .... real muggy .... cooler tomorrow - apparently and total crap Friday with 12mm of rain ...
the more i see of your machine the more I like that ... looks a decent size for its weight

Yes

'Bout the same here, on the heat factor .... real muggy .... cooler tomorrow - apparently and total crap Friday with 12mm of rain ...
the more i see of your machine the more I like that ... looks a decent size for its weight

Yes in the 9 years or so that I’ve owned the old Neuson comparisons have been made with other similar sized machines I always prefer and actually like getting back on my machine But then we all tend to do that. The big advantages are the longer boom and dipper arms. Downsides are no tilting or expanding tracks
As a one man band we all tend to make do with what we have got

 

[V8Druid]

Yes

Yes in the 9 years or so that I’ve owned the old Neuson comparisons have been made with other similar sized machines I always prefer and actually like getting back on my machine But then we all tend to do that. The big advantages are the longer boom and dipper arms. Downsides are no tilting or expanding tracks
As a one man band we all tend to make do with what we have got

in fine fettle for her age @Routy56 ... you have her new??

 

[Routy56]

.........so, picking up where we left off - finished this little job on a long long Friday in all the heat

That's me with my brand new Titan 15.5kg breaker It was absolutely superb for first breaking out the tarmac then secondly breaking up the dry lean
And yes my 9" has it's teeth on for ripping up the break out stuff

So, I said we must do 'safe digging' until we find each of the services. This hole revealing the grey BT duct and a yellow surprise
Yes the gas was running where its shouldn't have been

With the teeth of my 9" digging the main trench to 750mm resumed with all of us watching like a hawk
Found the PME mains duct where it shouldn't have been according to UKPowerNetworks plans
Remember I was having trouble with the injected 33kHz Genny signal.....

We finally got a nice trench dug out without damaging the services and drains

Nice blue MDPE in with a generous covering of soft sand and blue marker tape

Fired up this old beast which paid dividends getting it wacked down

That pecked out tarmac and dry lean was wacked nice 'n' tight on the top!
Well they do want a new driveway soon - guess who's got the job

Nice neat entry to the side right beside the old alkathene rising main. These Insuduct boxes with a hockey stick are great for getting the job done and complying with WRAS

LESSONS LEARN - with PME do yer best to detect with CAT and Genny then..........
.........dig test holes, dig test holes, dig test holes