Abandoned Utilities

[UULC]

I hope we never go to the plastic staffs. The wire is a lot better.

[Mr Blunderbuss]

No one uses metal flags out here anymore. I don't know why but I sure do miss them. Yeah you can throw them but they won't stick at all. I really miss the days of throwing flags. I really think throwing flags is an art in itselt.

Was mentoring a locator who had just retired from SBC (ATT). I inquired about the metal staffs and she told me that SBC didn't want to pay for any more lawn mowers. Hence, the plastic.

[USIC1]

The flags were nt meant to be mowed over and shredded...I d like to see the check SMP wrote...Thats probably Bs just to payless for flags...They should be removed and replaced by the bozos that have work to do in the area...Most of them are lazy fat asses anyway...

A metal stem flag has greater potential of penetrating different environmental conditions the purpose of flags to begin with...So does that have merit???

If I had plastic Id just throw them on the marks and take pictures of flags by marks regardless of them sticking...It was flagged...I got pictures good enough...

Maybe throw a case or two in the dumpster for dealing with such BS...
Thought they d saved...Think again...

[TBONE]

We go to plastic I will not flag jack

[sprayandpray]

We go to plastic I will not flag jack

Amen to that - I will just drop them on the ground and I will bet that the contract does not specifically state flags have to be standing Just paint take pictures and

[Ainsquest]

Someone had a metal flag go through their calf after a lawnmower ran over it.
That's why we don't use them anymore. Insurance man said "No Mas".

[Metroman]

I was wondering if everyone else gets as frustrated as I do with abandoned utilities. It seems like I waste hours a week going to crews who have exposed "unmarked" utilities just to find out they are abandoned. A homeowner digging up their back yard can have 3-5 abandoned drops running through their back yard.

I just wish all these utility companies would use their head and put everything in conduit. Especially the tv and phone drops to houses. They replace these things all the time. If they'd just run the drops in conduit to the house then the drop would last longer and if it went bad they could just pull a new one through the conduit. I've always wondered why they don't do whole subdivisions this way.

My company is contractually bound to locate all abandoned lines...Makes for a long day but i never get called back(well rarely lol)

[Metroman]

Someone had a metal flag go through their calf after a lawnmower ran over it.
That's why we don't use them anymore. Insurance man said "No Mas".

WOW that would suck and must have hurt like hell.

[Wingfoot]

it kind of makes your day when you get called to a damage on a project with a substantial amount of cables in it to find out they hit an abandoned line though.... better than them hitting the live one

My SM&P lead tech years ago made a comment to me that I cite after every locate I perform:

"If you do the job right the first time, don't worry if something gets whacked."

[Wingfoot]

Someone had a metal flag go through their calf after a lawnmower ran over it.

What's Mexican for "OUCH?"

[sprayandpray]

[QUOTE=Wingfoot;1475]What's Mexican for "OUCH?"[/QUOTE

Hiuwhela changou!!!

[USIC1]

We had a guy Marvin aka "slapnuts"...

The guy was easy 300lbs and the super used to have to go to his house and wake him up in the morning to come in to work...

We all remeber storys from the old days...

But he would lob the metal stem flags at you when you werent looking...

Try an stick em in locators...

One day he was talking his sh!t as usual and i was on a locate with him warned him bout some "poison" so he says oh i aint allergic to that stuff...I said well thats it right there....This dude rips off some leaves rubs them all over his hands and arms....

2 days later i hear back from him..."I guess i was allergic to it"....

hee hee hee gotcha