OT: finding underground wires/pipes

I use a hydraulic ram pump to pump water from the spring to a buried 500 gallon tank about 75 feet above the house. Hydraulic ram pumps are not new and were one the early types of pump, along with the trompe. Good ones are still available. My Folk ram pump has a heavy cast aluminum pressure chamber with stainless steel fittings. It will last forever. See these links:

http://www.greenandcarter.com/

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22hydraulic+ram+pump%22&btnG=Google+Search

It wouldn't be a lot of good in a well type application though .

No, not for the typical water well. I searched a long time to find a place with the required clean spring-with-a-head. My water comes from a cave in the hill. It is so clean I could bottle and sell it. Sometimes I bottle up a case and give it to friends and family.

"Tennessee Sweet & Clean Spring Water" hmmmm?
Maybe you can automate this process. Sounds like a job for S&M.

Lancie1 said:

No, not for the typical water well

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I have friends and family that live in TN...they call that clear stuff that you bottle "Poitín, mooney, mountain dew, moon, creek water, hooch, Portuguese grape juice, white lightning" and shine

Lancie1 said:

its so clean, I could bottle it and sell it

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonshine

geniusintraining said:

I have friends and family that live in TN...they call that clear stuff that you bottle "Poitín, mooney, mountain dew, moon, creek water, hooch, Portuguese grape juice, white lightning" and shine





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonshine

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We do that in this neck of the woods too:beerchug:

Tons of springs here, some flow all the time, some depend on how wet it has been, but I still use a well though it is extremely shallow. It ranges from 6-13' from the ground to the water depending on the rain. Actually, the snow seems to help it more than the rain

plcnewbie said:

I am in the process of adding on to my house.

I have a well that is used for water, unfortunatly I have no idea where it is, only a general area.
From what I am told the cap sits about 18" underground and is metal, with the electric ran along side the water pipe about 3-4ft down.

Rather than digging at random I was wondering if anyone had any brilliant ideas of finding it.

I considered making an AM transmitter and hooking it on the wires and pipe from inside as an antenna, and then with a receiver looking for the strongest point outside above the ground.

Does anyone have an idea about this or any suggestions?

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A sugestion that I have heard working but have never used to specifically find cables or pipes.
It is relevant that I wear hearing aids with a T switch, they are used to hear telephones, it also hears 50 cycle hum if a large enough current is flowing.

Enlist a friend who wears hearing aids with said T switch, or buy a telephone pickup coil which works on the same principle and attach to microphone input of an amplifier

Now disconnect the pump earth wire and by some means pass a current of say 5 to 10 amps thru this wire to pump case, that will then pass thru water and onto the well casing, and back to your house earth peg, or any other earth peg for that matter
Now as you walk thru the field you will hear the 50 or 60 cycle hum probably in a wedge giving you a direction and I hope eventually a pin point for your well

This same principle will probably work better at higher frequency at lower current

As I said I have never used it to find anything but I hear the effects on a daily basis

In case the hearing aid doesn't work I'll say this one more time.

Rent yourself an underground utility locator like this one.

http://www.metrotech.com/pdt.asp?productselect=63

YOU WILL FIND YOUR PIPE WITH THIS NO QUESTION, NO WITCHCRAFT!

Any reasonably sized city will have someone that rents electrical test equipment, let your fingers do the walking and you will find someone to rent you a locator.

Make sure to get one that has an inductive clamp for going around your pipe.

It won't be free but it will keep you from tearing up your yard. AND IT WILL WORK.

allscott said:

In case the hearing aid doesn't work I'll say this one more time.

Rent yourself an underground utility locator like this one.

http://www.metrotech.com/pdt.asp?productselect=63

YOU WILL FIND YOUR PIPE WITH THIS NO QUESTION, NO WITCHCRAFT!

Any reasonably sized city will have someone that rents electrical test equipment, let your fingers do the walking and you will find someone to rent you a locator.

Make sure to get one that has an inductive clamp for going around your pipe.

It won't be free but it will keep you from tearing up your yard. AND IT WILL WORK.

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So what are you saying

with the electric ran along side the water pipe about 3-4ft down.

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If you have a friend that works for the power company they should be able to show you where this wire goes. They locate wires all the time. I`m *** u m ing you have a submergeable pump in the well?

I have heard of this but am not game to try it....


Hook house old mains power to the pipe (bypass all safety switches etc) and look for worms coming out of the ground.

I suspect there will just be a big bang but it could be fun to try!

Freak said:

I have heard of this but am not game to try it....


Hook house old mains power to the pipe (bypass all safety switches etc) and look for worms coming out of the ground.

I suspect there will just be a big bang but it could be fun to try!

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I just tried this. I heard a big bang but it was my dog. Now he walks with a limp and runs into walls.

Thanks for that.

Anyways, I had the utility out but the guy didnt seem to know how to use his equipment too well. I guesss thats what happens when you have unions.

He said, it will put a signal on my line when hooked around the clamp but not yours. Im like, whats the difference the wires run both ways. He thought for a second and said yeah I wondered why sometimes I pick up the signal close to peoples houses.

So I said lets go out front and look for the well. He did but no luck. Which I figured out why later while taking a shower. Anyone wanna guess?

Thats right, the pump wasnt activated, so no connection to the pump and no signal to find either.

I will try and have them back out this week.

It doesn't matter if your pump was running or not. His locator induces it's own signal on the wire and or pipe. It sounds like the guy you got wasn't too quick on the uptake because I swear this shouldn't be that hard to find.

Where in Missouri are you? I used to live on the Missouri/Arkansas border. I am tempted to go on a road trip to visit some friends just so I can help you find your well!

allscott said:

It doesn't matter if your pump was running or not. His locator induces it's own signal on the wire and or pipe. It sounds like the guy you got wasn't too quick on the uptake because I swear this shouldn't be that hard to find.

Where in Missouri are you? I used to live on the Missouri/Arkansas border. I am tempted to go on a road trip to visit some friends just so I can help you find your well!

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LOL, this is less than a 30 minute endeavor in most cases. It amazes me this thread has 4 pages.

One, it is rare that a pipe does not make a straigh entrance to the house. A simple dig where it does enter should provide the direction, if necessary make several digs to locate what is necessary.

Two, if the pipe is metal a simple metal detector would work.

THREE, it is strange that the pump is buried, once located then make it easily accessible.

FOUR, everything Allscot said should definitely work.

LOL, you must be an Engineer.