OT: Do you believe in witching?

[ptonsparky]

Just for kicks, think about this: if you were looking for a 1" water line and you narrowed it down to a 25" swath (1' in each direction around the line), you've identified an area 25 times wider than what you were looking for. How useful would a studfinder be if it operated with the same specifications? It would tell you that the stud you're looking for is somewhere inside this 37.5" space along your wall.

You're still just digging up large areas looking for the line.

I think the Diggers Hotline is allowed a tolerance of 18" on their locates with multi thousand dollar locators so 25" out of a free clothes hanger shouldn't be to much to expect.:smile:

 

[zog]

Just for kicks, think about this: if you were looking for a 1" water line and you narrowed it down to a 25" swath (1' in each direction around the line), you've identified an area 25 times wider than what you were looking for. How useful would a studfinder be if it operated with the same specifications? It would tell you that the stud you're looking for is somewhere inside this 37.5" space along your wall.

You're still just digging up large areas looking for the line.

Thats amazing, thats about how accurate the cheap stud finder I have is.

 

[growler]

The water lines cut the line of magnetism.I used them to locate my septic field.

I have seen this one work. You can use the rods to locate a field line or you can just look for the really green grass growing in a straight line where there appears to be a slight depression in the earth. :grin: :grin:

 

[zog]

Wow, amazing comments. I am going to start testing transformers by sitting next to them in Lotus position and saying "UUUmmmmmm", based on the Hum of the transformer tuning to my Yogi senses I will tell my customer the condition of thier transfomer.

Silly you say? Not any more than using sticks to find water.

 

[gndrod]

Witchers are real.

Witchers are real.

I think it is only a few that can do it. About 20 years ago, we needed to dig up a feed to a small pump station. A guy that worked there took two brass welding rods, bent them, and said follow me and mark the ground when I tell you. I was skeptical, another guy marked. When we dug it up it was within inches of the marks. Saved us a lot of digging, made a believer out of me!

Hi hockey,
Same for me when I was setting well pumps in the high country residences for rural cowboys from the city. Wiring homes included irrigation and well systems, so knowing who did the best witching brought more home wiring jobs. Reputation from good track records really count.

Witchers are rated in GPM (gallons/minute) on a life-time scale. I know of one witcher from back in the 70's that is 10 GPM rated. That is considered high when some wells were less than 1 gpm to bring down an average. This witcher produced better wells than some drillers using magnetometers to find fissures. This guy could even tell what depth the water would be hit.

I would use witchers before using the pro's with magnetometers. The magentometer fields would show water within a 2 foot radius for drilling where a good witcher can pinpoint within a 6" diameter where to start the drill point. The depth needs critical start accuracy in a vertical line and dowsers did better than the electrical detection. I can locate septic tanks at the best with coat hangers. rbj

 

[gndrod]

Stud finder

Stud finder

Thats amazing, thats about how accurate the cheap stud finder I have is.

Hi zog,

Coincidentally, a remodel GC I know uses a Zircon to locate cast iron drain pipes in slab floors within a 10" in line accuracy providing its less than 6 inches deep. rbj

 

[steve66]

It only works with water in motion.

Person X can determine the depth of the water.

Person Y can find plastic gas lines.

Person Z can tell there is more water deeper than the first hit.

The claims just get more and more outrageous.

Does anyone ever stop and think about what they are claiming?

 

[steve66]

I think it is only a few that can do it. About 20 years ago, we needed to dig up a feed to a small pump station. A guy that worked there took two brass welding rods, bent them, and said follow me and mark the ground when I tell you. I was skeptical, another guy marked. When we dug it up it was within inches of the marks. Saved us a lot of digging, made a believer out of me!

I can believe either:

People can find burried wires by waving rods and sticks around in the air.

OR any of the following:

The employee was there when the feeder was installed,
or someone showed him where the feeder was,
or he knew where both ends of the feeder were and he could pretty much draw a straight line,
or he's seen the locating service mark the feeder,
or there is still a depression where the trench was dug,
or he has seen plans that show the service,
or he asked someone else where the service was,
or......

It just kills me that some people choose to believe the first one.

 

[tom baker]

Yes it works and I have done it. Where the black magic comes in is that some persons are better than others. There was a special on PBS a few years back, maybe it was NOVA, they ran ten water lines in parallel under a field, and could shut them off independantly. Turning on various lines they tested witching. Some persons were about 10% better than others.

 

[iwire]

Lets not let science get in the way of a good tall tail. :roll:

I hear thunder is the angels bowling.

 

[peter d]

I think the Diggers Hotline is allowed a tolerance of 18" on their locates with multi thousand dollar locators so 25" out of a free clothes hanger shouldn't be to much to expect.:smile:

I think the Dig Safe people should throw away all those locators and get a few metal rods. They would save so much money.

 

[M. D.]

In the city I live , the water department uses them all the time.. I assume they wouldn't if they were useless ,.. perhaps I assume too much

The other day I was sitting on a bench beside a lake, taking off my old hockey skates ,, an older man walked up to me and my daughter and proceeded to tell us he can "feel energy lines" ,...I took him to mean power lines ,as in transmission from a power Co. ,..

OH no, not those kind ,.. this guy can feel energy lines runningunder the ground.
I'm just kinda going along saying things like "Yeah" "really" and "does it bother you?" His response "only when I trip over them ,..watch "

He tells me there is one right there (points at the parking lot about 12 ' away , now he walks towards the spot and ,..low and behold,. when he gets to the location of the energy line he stumbles,..swear to God .

Well who am I to say what he feels and doesn't feel ,.. he was not unkempt and seemed ,aside from his claim, to be very rational .. weird none the less though.
My daughter was thinking "whack job" ,.. to that I replied "either that or he can feel energy lines"..

 

[RayS]

I've seen it work, even when "regular" methods fail. Tried it myself with mixed success. Had a locator once that had a set of locating rods in bearings in wood handles.

The most experienced operator I know- 40+ years digging- says it works, he's seen it a lot. He says it might not be the utility, but the trench itself- the break in the native soils- that is being detected.

Just because we don't know how it works doesn't mean it doesn't. Now I just wish it had a better name...

 

[knothole]

For water, yes....

 

[M. D.]

......Just because we don't know how it works doesn't mean it doesn't. Now I just wish it had a better name...

How about Dowsing

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

Jim, would it be possible not to find water?

Seriously I am asking.

In my area if you drill deep enough you will hit water.

No but it might be 400 feet down and you could have tapped in at 50 feet.I seen it done up north and yankees cant be wrong.Can they ?

 

[cschmid]

Yankees man I have not herd that term since I read it n a history book..:grin: never admit defeat never give up you win more often and then you are right allot..:grin: where is y willow branch wait water is frozen here no need to witch water we fish the water..:grin:

 

[hockeyoligist2]

The employee was there when the feeder was installed, No, he lived about 200 miles away at that time.

or someone showed him where the feeder was, No one knew

or he knew where both ends of the feeder were and he could pretty much draw a straight line, Wasn't straight, had 7-90's (not to code)

or he's seen the locating service mark the feeder, Nope company was too cheap for that.

or there is still a depression where the trench was dug, No depression it had been landscaped

or he has seen plans that show the service, None exist, not even at the county offices

or he asked someone else where the service was, see number 2

 

[jrannis]

I have used this method to find everything from Phone to Gas to Electric and more. All you have to do is take two metal coat hangers and straighten them out then bend an end to make a handle. Hold the two hangers shoulders width apart and start walking. The hangers will cross when you are over "whatever".

If you don't believe just try it.

I have been told that you can also get the depth of the "line" as well. I have not yet tried that.

This is exactly the way we do it. I first learned this from the gas locating contractor. I havent found anyone that cant do it.
You will be suprised how well it works. Coat hangers, #9 wire or a couple of brazing rods work very well.
You can determine depth by measuring the distance it takes for the rods to close and then open back up.
I only have found on sceptic, a civil engineer that thought that the ground was concave closer to the trenchline and that we were leaning forward approaching the trench and then leaning back exiting the trenchline. Even if thats how it worked. It still worked.

 

[elohr46]

I have found water lines with mine, using #2 solid copper that I got from the Poco.