Planting teenage laurels (7ft tall) in my backyard. These two PVC pipes are 3 inches below finished grade running the entire length of my backyard to the street behind my house.
811 didn't mark anything in my backyard since I called a week ago (2 business day turnaround)
I do not have in ground irrigation (above ground hose timer pleb)
I'm at a loss. It runs the length of the yard where I wanted these privacy hedges.
My current plan is to plant the laurels closer to the grass in this area to avoid the mystery pipes but obviously the roots will find them eventually.
Any ideas what these could be? Is there such a thing as "prewire" for a potential future irrigation install?
by SoonToBeNP
32 Comments
What do they head toward in either direction?
Could be scrap. If it’s only 3” follow them and see where they go.
I would call 811 again to clarify bc WTH
Could be drainage?
Those pipes are not 3”?
That’s irrigation or just trash they buried in the yard (tho plastic pipe in the yard would be weird, typically it’s dimensional lumber or sheathing)
811 marks utilities that enter your property. They generally do not go into your backyard. These look like sprinkler lines.
The laurel roots won’t bother the PVC, if that is your concern. At 3″ below grade, there’s very little to no chance they carry anything critical; water and sewer must be below the frostline, and that is definitely not gas or electricity.
If you were to ‘follow’ them, is there anything along their path that may give you a clue as to what they are and were they lead?
Are they very cold? Can you hear anything from them (put a metal rod on the pipe, and touch your skull or jaw (mouth closed, teeth gently clenched) to the other end.).
Gas would be yellow, in any case.
Is it possible they are coax/fiber for cable? Where does your cable or ISP cable come in?
811 doesnt locate on private property unless their is a utility easement through it. There is no way for the locate companies to know where lines are on your private property. You can hire a locator who may be able to locate them. In the future always lay down tracer wire in the trenches so all the utilities are easy to locate.
They will only mark utilities and don’t even have any information on whatever else might be buried. So this would likely be something else. The two side by side kind of throws me off though. Do you have a sump pump and if so do you know where it exits? How do your gutters drain, into the yard or into the ground, and do you know where they exit? Do you have sprinklers in your yard? Do you have a shed or outbuilding with electricity?
Could be any of that or more.
Who filed the 811 ticket?
Irrigation. 811 won’t mark private stuff like this.
811 locates utility lines, not your rainwater drain pipes.
Call the city and request the civil plans. Also, look at the plat of there are any easements
Those are way too shallow to be important.
Looks like solid drain pipe which is code when attached to your gutters. If you disturb it make sure you put it back at the right level so your yard doesn’t flood when it rains. It will get your foundation.
Install two valves that turn off the water and see what happens???
Those look big enough to maybe be going from your gutters to an outlet somewhere in the backyard, like a drywell. Where do your gutter spouts empty? To the ground, or in to a pipe?
Builder not responding? Weird…
Have sump pump or two?
Those remind me of inflow and outflow for a pool heater
Gutter drains? Sump pump drains?
Yes, pvc lines with no tracer wire buried with it are invisible to utility locate services.
Would be kinda small for drainage, that would be better for 3″ pipe. That said id say irrigation lines that were run during the build and its possible the contractor thought it was a go when it wasn’t and just never finished the job. Happens more than you’d think for various things in new home construction. Certainly less than years ago but the other day I saw a customer somehow got gas lines ran out to his patio without his request. It was an expensive job and because he didnt ask and it wasn’t approved he didnt have to pay. Its mostly labor for things like this so co tractors will just eat it and move on and thats all. Might not even be on record. But who knows id dig along it every 15 feet and find the ends
It looks like conduit piping to me but I could be wrong
Ok…. Dig somewhere else?
811 doesn’t mark anything they farm the information out to the utilities. The utilities are responsible for marking. At least here in Colorado and lords other states. Can’t speak for all.
Are your gutters ported?
Do your downspouts from the gutters go into the ground?
Do you have an irrigation system?
Thought it was grey, on closer inspection, definitely irrigation pipe
811 won’t mark things that weren’t installed by utilities, like electric, phone, etc.
They don’t know about irrigation, wiring projects you did on your own, or anything like that.
Main line and zone line for irrigation