Mystery conduit and wire under sidewalk

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My concern with natural gas is over safety, as San Bruno showed.

I'd be more concerned about your state's safety record when it comes utility companies and holding them accountable with collusion with corruption with the utility companies and I'd be more concerned that your state still allows new development (especially homes) in very high risk fire zone which inevitably lead to wildfires, loss of property costing billions and loss of life (both human and animal) against state fire management's advice. I do understand your concern with natural gas it's just CA just has a campaign against it like none other but they have way bigger issues they need to worry about IMO. This takes the conversation off the topic of the thread so I'll politely leave it at that

 

[RamblingMad]

Isn't there a number you can call, where they will spray paint all of the utilities going into and out of your home? Shouldn't this have been done? I had to do it before a sprinkler repair company would do any work at my house.

 

[sam_gordon]

Isn't there a number you can call, where they will spray paint all of the utilities going into and out of your home? Shouldn't this have been done? I had to do it before a sprinkler repair company would do any work at my house.

When you are going to dig, yes. I'm not sure how that would apply to taking up concrete. And it's possible they did. They didn't damage the cable (whatever it is)

 

[Heather07438]

Call 811

Call before you dig

 

[kdonnel]

Isn't there a number you can call, where they will spray paint all of the utilities going into and out of your home? Shouldn't this have been done? I had to do it before a sprinkler repair company would do any work at my house.

The county did have it marked.

The only utilities in the area are:

• The gas line, much deeper than the odd conduit and wire
• Comcast, this was not a coax wire and would be deeper as well

 

[tvguy]

But sometimes the crews marking buried utilities encounter the unknown. This is how they marked an unknown item in front of the building I worked in.

 

[tvguy]

I'd be more concerned about your state's safety record when it comes utility companies and holding them accountable with collusion with corruption with the utility companies and I'd be more concerned that your state still allows new development (especially homes) in very high risk fire zone which inevitably lead to wildfires, loss of property costing billions and loss of life (both human and animal) against state fire management's advice. I do understand your concern with natural gas it's just CA just has a campaign against it like none other but they have way bigger issues they need to worry about IMO. This takes the conversation off the topic of the thread so I'll politely leave it at that

My now former employer spend a lot of time on that issue. https://www.abc10.com/article/news/...-pge/103-c273fb35-1c43-4d9a-9bdc-3d7971e5540b

 

[tcufrog]

I'm impressed that your County replaces sidewalks. Here if there is an issue with a sidewalk in the easement area of your property, they send you a warning letter tell you that you need to replace the sidewalk, at YOUR expense.

I’m impressed y’all have sidewalks. There’s a park within walking distance that we never go to because that side of the street doesn’t have a sidewalk. To make matters worse, the street is hilly and there’s a blind curve right before the park. DS10’s school is next door. I have to drive him to school because it’s not safe for him to walk or bike.

 

[pahoben]

Ignore

 

[pahoben]

The county is out replacing part of the sidewalk in front of my house since the tree has lifted it to the point it is a tripping hazard.

The crew that removes the old sidewalk and places the forms has just left.

I went out to take a look and there is a pvc pipe acting as a conduit running under the sidewalk. Inside the pipe is some sort of cable. Not coax and not 120v.

View attachment 595906


View attachment 595905

Thinking it might be sprinkler system related. The neighborhood did run a sprinkler system during initial construction to water the strip of grass between the sidewalk and street but has not run it in at least a decade.

But that does not explain why it would go under the sidewalk as any sprinkler heads or control valves would remain on the street side of the sidewalk.

Another guess is construction debris that has just been buried for disposal purposes.

Anyone have any ideas or recognize the wire used? It is wrapped in black insulation with a blue stripe. I can't tell by feel how many conductors are inside.

The only utility on that side of my house is my gas meter. The locator wire for the gas line would be buried at the same level as the gas line and is a single conductor of 14 gauge wire that neither looks like or feels like this wire.

Have you noticed any time anomalies in your neighborhood? This looks like a quantum line for a flux capacitor. Doc Brown developed this equipment in the 80's.

It is likely activated by a lightning strike in your yard.

 

[kdonnel]

I’m impressed y’all have sidewalks. There’s a park within walking distance that we never go to because that side of the street doesn’t have a sidewalk. To make matters worse, the street is hilly and there’s a blind curve right before the park. DS10’s school is next door. I have to drive him to school because it’s not safe for him to walk or bike.

This is within the neighborhood. Outside the neighborhood there are only sidewalks in front of the neighborhoods. I guess they assume eventually enough neighborhoods will be built so they all connect.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I was hoping when I clicked the thread that it was going to be for one of those magic heated sidewalks that melt the snow, but it doesn't look like that either.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I’m impressed y’all have sidewalks. There’s a park within walking distance that we never go to because that side of the street doesn’t have a sidewalk. To make matters worse, the street is hilly and there’s a blind curve right before the park. DS10’s school is next door. I have to drive him to school because it’s not safe for him to walk or bike.

To take this thread off on a tangent…

I can’t understand how enough people are anti-sidewalk to the point that so many developments are built without them. When we moved, I thought I’d probably prefer to buy in a neighborhood with sidewalks but I didn’t know if it would be a dealbreaker to not have them. We were temporarily living in an apartment while house hunting and that community didn’t have sidewalks. It quickly became a dealbreaker issue for me. Not only did I not like walking through the community, I didn’t even like driving there with so many kids, bikes, dogs, etc. all walking in the street. It certainly helped to narrow our search, as 80% of the neighborhoods in the area we were looking in were eliminated based on not having sidewalks.

I’m in metro Atlanta and my city and a couple neighboring cities are amidst a big push to become fully walkable communities. Developers are now required to install sidewalks, the cities are retrofitting them along roadways, beltlines/greenways/pedestrian pathways are being extended and/or are under construction. The goal is to have all parts of the cities connected and accessible by foot or bike within the next few years. I think it’s fabulous. The interior streets of older neighborhoods (that don’t currently have sidewalks) will be the only areas left without them.

 

[tvguy]

I’m impressed y’all have sidewalks. There’s a park within walking distance that we never go to because that side of the street doesn’t have a sidewalk. To make matters worse, the street is hilly and there’s a blind curve right before the park. DS10’s school is next door. I have to drive him to school because it’s not safe for him to walk or bike.

I have sidewalks and street lights and parks but I live in a subdivision. The area I grew up in six miles away does not, all custom homes, and efforts by the county to get sidewalks and street lights put in have been met with a firm no from residents. No parks either*. It's funny, the upper middle class and affluent areas here don't have sidewalks or street lights.
*Still no parks in the area I grew up in, no place to put them. But the park district in the neighboring area got a measure on the ballot to incorporate the 400 homes in the area I grew up in. The residents said no but the vote included the 3,000 residents of the other neighborhood, so they got out voted and have to pay a park tax and technically now do have parks and a community pool, but have to drive to the other neighborhood to them.

 

[wilbret]

The county is out replacing part of the sidewalk in front of my house since the tree has lifted it to the point it is a tripping hazard.

The crew that removes the old sidewalk and places the forms has just left.

I went out to take a look and there is a pvc pipe acting as a conduit running under the sidewalk. Inside the pipe is some sort of cable. Not coax and not 120v.

View attachment 595906


View attachment 595905

Thinking it might be sprinkler system related. The neighborhood did run a sprinkler system during initial construction to water the strip of grass between the sidewalk and street but has not run it in at least a decade.

But that does not explain why it would go under the sidewalk as any sprinkler heads or control valves would remain on the street side of the sidewalk.

Another guess is construction debris that has just been buried for disposal purposes.

Anyone have any ideas or recognize the wire used? It is wrapped in black insulation with a blue stripe. I can't tell by feel how many conductors are inside.

The only utility on that side of my house is my gas meter. The locator wire for the gas line would be buried at the same level as the gas line and is a single conductor of 14 gauge wire that neither looks like or feels like this wire.

I'd wager sprinkler as well. Our house is in your neck of the woods, and there was a sprinkler system when the hood was built that has long since been abandoned since the HOA dissolved.

You could always get a voltage tester and see if there is any current that might concern you...