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The Hill

P8riot

Active Member
871
37
Carbon, In
Replaced my well hydrant today. The old one labeled "China" would only work every now and then and I know it wasn't draining properly because the hose would stay pressurized. I'm probably lucky it didn't freeze this past winter. It wasn't worth trying to take it apart and "try" to find replacement parts. I put a Woodford Y34 in there. Same design since 1929 and it is 100% serviceable. The worst part was digging the hole, obviously. There wasn't a bucket down there before and the weep hole was infact clogged with a piece of gravel on the old one.

I have no idea what the wire is for. It is not for my well pump. Maybe an old well pump? Gotta love random wires buried around the property!

There is a PVC extension that goes over to the other side of the driveway, which I would love to find the old hydrant site and run that back to my shop! Any ideas on what would be a good way to locate it? I only have a general idea from what a neighbor told me. I'm not digging 3 feet down in a 20 foot area to try to find it. It's on the other side of the driveway, so I wouldn't have to run under the driveway to get water back there.

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Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,865
260
Replaced my well hydrant today. The old one labeled "China" would only work every now and then and I know it wasn't draining properly because the hose would stay pressurized. I'm probably lucky it didn't freeze this past winter. It wasn't worth trying to take it apart and "try" to find replacement parts. I put a Woodford Y34 in there. Same design since 1929 and it is 100% serviceable. The worst part was digging the hole, obviously. There wasn't a bucket down there before and the weep hole was infact clogged with a piece of gravel on the old one.

I have no idea what the wire is for. It is not for my well pump. Maybe an old well pump? Gotta love random wires buried around the property!

There is a PVC extension that goes over to the other side of the driveway, which I would love to find the old hydrant site and run that back to my shop! Any ideas on what would be a good way to locate it? I only have a general idea from what a neighbor told me. I'm not digging 3 feet down in a 20 foot area to try to find it. It's on the other side of the driveway, so I wouldn't have to run under the driveway to get water back there.

View attachment 178284View attachment 178283View attachment 178282

Besides a good ole shovel I don't know how you would find that other hydrant location. Maybe dig the other side to find where that PVC comes out and a direction of travel. Trace the pipe some and put it where you want.
 
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Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,865
260
I carry a couple of pieces of #8 with me. Works just as well. Just spin them in your hand a few times first. View attachment 178295

Funny you bring this up. About a month ago I was driving down the road and saw this goofy-looking fucker walking along the sidewalk with his hands up to his chest and I noticed he had a couple of rods. I was in the process of shaking my head when about 50 yd behind him I saw a dude in a safety green vest swinging an actual locator and marking paint. I usually try to avoid bugging people while they're working but I had to know so I flipped around to talk to him. I pulled up and asked the dude in the green vest how good the other guy was doing. He looked up at me with this big wide-eyed stare and said "Pretty freaking good actually. He's within the margin of error". I asked if he was with the guy or knew him or what the story was. He said that he had never met the man before in his life, he was just going along marking utilities and the guy pulled up and asked him what he was looking for. The guy then pulled out a couple of rods and asked the locator if could go ahead so he could see how accurate he was. I asked how far they had gone and he said about 300 yd and he's still on it. 😳

That was the day I stopped thinking of dowsing as hocus pocus BS.
 
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giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
Funny you bring this up. About a month ago I was driving down the road and saw this goofy-looking fucker walking along the sidewalk with his hands up to his chest and I noticed he had a couple of rods. I was in the process of shaking my head when about 50 yd behind him I saw a dude in a safety green vest swinging an actual locator and marking paint. I usually try to avoid bugging people while they're working but I had to know so I flipped around to talk to him. I pulled up and asked the dude in the green vest how good the other guy was doing. He looked up at me with this big wide-eyed stare and said "Pretty freaking good actually. He's within the margin of error". I asked if he was with the guy or knew him or what the story was. He said that he had never met the man before in his life, he was just going along marking utilities and the guy pulled up and asked him what he was looking for. The guy then pulled out a couple of rods and asked the locator if could go ahead so he could see how accurate he was. I asked how far they had gone and he said about 3:00 yd and he's still on it. 😳

That was the day I stopped thinking of dowsing as hocus pocus BS.
It is stupid. Blows my mind every time still. No clue how it works, but it works.
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
In my line of work we often put in future pipe for later phases. That way we don't have to dig up someone's new yard. When we put them in we use a piece of pipe vertically to mark the end. 99% of the time it gets broke off or cut off. This leaves no way to locate the end of the pipe because it's just enough empty pipe. Witching sticks work to locate it. Just need a general area to search and you will find it.
 
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Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,865
260
Funny you bring this up. About a month ago I was driving down the road and saw this goofy-looking fucker walking along the sidewalk with his hands up to his chest and I noticed he had a couple of rods. I was in the process of shaking my head when about 50 yd behind him I saw a dude in a safety green vest swinging an actual locator and marking paint. I usually try to avoid bugging people while they're working but I had to know so I flipped around to talk to him. I pulled up and asked the dude in the green vest how good the other guy was doing. He looked up at me with this big wide-eyed stare and said "Pretty freaking good actually. He's within the margin of error". I asked if he was with the guy or knew him or what the story was. He said that he had never met the man before in his life, he was just going along marking utilities and the guy pulled up and asked him what he was looking for. The guy then pulled out a couple of rods and asked the locator if could go ahead so he could see how accurate he was. I asked how far they had gone and he said about 300 yd and he's still on it. 😳

That was the day I stopped thinking of dowsing as hocus pocus BS.

I corrected it but that was supposed to say 300 yards not 3.00 yards.
 
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P8riot

Active Member
871
37
Carbon, In
Made a striper for my lawn mower. There were 3 holes at the back of the deck for the Husqvarna kit, but I've read theirs is crap. It's just a 6" piece of 3/4" stall mat that hangs down 1" past the deck. It just spans the void between the wheels to bend the grass. It did an OK job. My grass isn't the lushest, but I'm working with what I got. I can see where I forgot where I was at and did 2 swipes in the same direction!

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