AGL sucks to locate

**Danger** · November 11th, 2011, 08:55 PM

Here in Georgia we have Atlanta Gas light.... these guys blow... I had a damage last week on a 2'' MP gas main. I had hooked up at all the access points and dug down on it 5 times. I only found it one place ( and I found that using a pipehorn). I got the tracer wire and it would run up to the T but it wouldn't put you on the main. I requested service cards and red lines.... something wasn't right... so I escalated it up to my sup.... he came out and did everything I did and got a signal so he marked it in white. well it was outside the AOC.. and matched the measurements on the red lines... and I had hotter irons on the fire so I let it be ( until I could make time to come back and dig a 6th time) well needless to say the contractor found it... after a butt load of work... ( and now it is exposed) I was able to pin point where a 90 was on the line and I dug down through 3.5' of compacted GAB and found it. since it was 4.5' deep.... I engineered a way to get the tracer wire skinned and direct connected to it. what I found was this.... there were 3 breaks in the tracer wire.... the tracer on all the branch lines weren't tied into the mains.... so effectively..... this was un-locate-able.... and I got the pleasure of having to sign for this damage.... because in AGL's eyes ( and our investigators) it's either the contractors fault or the locators... it seems like every day I am digging on gas... yesterday was 5 holes on a 4" MP that won't locate... and AGL wonders why we are constantly escalating it up to them... I signed up to be a locator.... not a miner..

**Turk182** · November 11th, 2011, 09:16 PM

A shovel doesn't fit my hand.

**sprayandpray** · November 12th, 2011, 08:07 AM

Originally Posted by Turk182

A shovel doesn't fit my hand.

I agree!

**UULC** · November 12th, 2011, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Turk182

A shovel doesn't fit my hand.

Only to get to the tracer wire at the base of the pole or where it rises to go into the building. Other then that I send an email to the FOC engineers and let them run new tracer.

**Danger** · November 12th, 2011, 07:43 PM

Ahh but you see... AGL's policy is that we have to dig multiple times before we escalate to our sup..... then he has to come out and if he can't find it electromagnetically... he has to dig.... and if it is still not found then AGL will send one of their damage prevention reps out... and then you have to dig some more.... if it's still not found... then they send a distribution crew out... and you have to dig some more.... and here's the catch.... if it gets hit and there is so much as a dot of yellow paint on the ground.... they can and in this case will make you liable for the damage... see in AGL's and our investigators eyes... the ONLY two people who can be at fault for a damage is the locator or the contractor.... as for getting them to run a new tracer wire... HA! they won't do it... I have a 4" MP on another project that doesn't have a tracer wire on it... they won't do anything about it...

**Danger** · November 12th, 2011, 07:46 PM

Oh and then there is the pipehorn policy.... if you use a pipehorn to locate the gas... then you have to dig down and spot it... usually multiple times...

**mls62976** · November 13th, 2011, 12:08 AM

Don't you have to have a dig request when you are digging? What happens if you damage something while potholing?

**Turk182** · November 13th, 2011, 02:01 AM

Originally Posted by Danger

Ahh but you see... AGL's policy is that we have to dig multiple times before we escalate to our sup..... then he has to come out and if he can't find it electromagnetically... he has to dig.... and if it is still not found then AGL will send one of their damage prevention reps out... and then you have to dig some more.... if it's still not found... then they send a distribution crew out... and you have to dig some more.... and here's the catch.... if it gets hit and there is so much as a dot of yellow paint on the ground.... they can and in this case will make you liable for the damage... see in AGL's and our investigators eyes... the ONLY two people who can be at fault for a damage is the locator or the contractor.... as for getting them to run a new tracer wire... HA! they won't do it... I have a 4" MP on another project that doesn't have a tracer wire on it... they won't do anything about it...

A shovel doesn't fit my hand.

**Danger** · November 13th, 2011, 06:00 AM

Originally Posted by mls62976

Don't you have to have a dig request when you are digging? What happens if you damage something while potholing?

it's hand excavation and Georgia Dig law requires pothole spotting of all utilities in the AOC. If it gets hit while potholing... then it is generally over looked as doing due diligence...

Turk I got that... but that's the difference between Georgia and Miss in this case.... and one of the reasons I am fed up with this client...

**jpjp233** · November 17th, 2011, 07:00 PM

I am here in Georgia with you and believe me I completely undersand what you are saying.But if I'm not mistaken out genius upper-management are the ones who put it in the contract that if we cant find it electromagnetically will dig it up.If I ever find that genius well you can figure out the rest.