Odd Buried Wires

[jamesguy10]

I was digging next to a pedestal for a new service, and found this bunch of wires, about 9" underground, going toward the poco pedestal. The wires are the size of rg-6 catv wire, and there is a bundle of them about 1.5" in diamater all twisted together. These ARE NOT CATV/TELEPHONE WIRES!!!!!! does anyone have any idea what the heck they could be? i found them about 3 inches away from the pedestal

 

[charlie b]

No ideas. But two questions:

(1) Did you see the end of the cables (i.e., were they or were they not connected to anything within the area you had dug out)?

(2) Did you try to see if they were energized and carrying current (i.e., clamp-on ammeter)?

 

[jamesguy10]

1.) I didnt dig up enough of them to find where they go
2.) I will see if there is current next time im out there.

I also have pictures, i just gotta get em' to upload

 

[chris kennedy]

Man, for some reason I never see that small stuff until it's too late.:grin:


View attachment 567

 

[jamesguy10]

POCO came today to hook wires into pedestal, they had no clue as to what the wires were either....... I guess it will forever be a mystery

 

[mdshunk]

Man, for some reason I never see that small stuff until it's too late.:grin:

Brother, that's one funny picture.

I knew right away that this was a Florida picture, since it looks like all sand. If that was here in the northeast, that wouldn't have been a man with a shovel. That would have been a backhoe with a pile of rocks mixed with a little bit of dirt.

 

[chris kennedy]

Did you try to see if they were energized and carrying current (i.e., clamp-on ammeter)?

Well, did you check?

 

[cadpoint]

Where's no cut

Where's no cut

No mention of no-cuts ... did you inform the owner?

 

[chris kennedy]

No mention of no-cuts ... did you inform the owner?

Just for the heck of it, heres a south Florida ditch. And I always call first.
View attachment 573
Notice How Al is waist deep. 300.5 then some.

 

[jamesguy10]

I always call first too, they didnt mark the wierd wires though. Yeah the most my meter picked up on either of the two lines i could get to was 0.1 amps, which probobaly isnt anything. I have some great feeling when they put the 3 utility pedestals in, the cable company threw a lot of scrap wire in the
trench.

 

[jamesguy10]

Ohhh yes, Marc is right. Here in the northeast you better have a lot of guys and a lot of caffeine if you want to dig a trench by hand..... Here in upstate NY its a lot of hard wet clay and some rocks and topsoil... Those long narrow trenching shovels and a small rototiller sure help if you have to dig a trench by hand, though, usually you suck it up and rent a excavator or backhoe.......Or take the landscaping guys skidsteer and try to dig a trench with that

 

[Terrynistler]

take it out and sell it for scrap :grin:

 

[chris kennedy]

take it out and sell it for scrap :grin:

I'd cut one open first to see whats inside.:wink:

 

[Terrynistler]

I agree could be an alien form of wire thats worthless. I don't think anyone throws wire away anymore. I have a growing pile between my shops cu and al it's all worth money (free money). I also keep all the old pipe that is pulled out on plumbing jobs and just throw it on a trailer every few months and dump it off at the good ol recycle yard. Not a lot of money but payed to go to cozumel in february.