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Any way to trace an electrical cable?

2K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  Philly Master 
#1 ·
I want to move the post lamp in my front yard. Hopefully it runs directly between the switch and the lamp as I simply want to put it closer to the house on that line, but it would be nice to find the cable without digging 20 holes.

I presume it could be done with an expensive tool; can they be rented? Hopefully though there is a clever free method.
 
#15 ·
Around here, one company does all the underground locate...electrical, cable, gas, telephone. I believe they are just a subcontractor to the utilities.

As such, the field men are most times very helpful and ameneable while on location to help you out.

I do doubt that that is their contracted service though.
 
#16 ·
A couple years ago I saw some guys from the Water Department using divining rods. I asked them what was going on. They said you can't find plastic pipe with electronics, but you can with divining rods.

I might try that, but I would feel so foolish...

Would a metal detector really work? I've been wanting to try one of those; if it would work, maybe it is my excuse to get one. Actually I have one for finding nails in lumber; probably not sensitive enough, but it would be free.
 
#8 ·
The way I found out how my line ran from my house to my garage, was start digging at the garage to about four feet, then start from the house until I could find the line in the dirt, and as I went along, dug down enough, to where I could pull up on the line to lift it.

It got even more fun, as I went along, due to we have two Soft Maples in our backyard, that I found had luckily grown the roots over and under the old electric line, so I was able to not have to deal with an embedded electrical wire.

It does get fun when you get to do this stuff during the Summer. Even better if you have really hard soil.
 
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