Gas services

**orangeboots** · July 13th, 2011, 09:12 PM

I know this has been brought up before but I cant find it ,anybody got tips on locating multiple services when only hooking to 1 meter. I have some road jobs where the meters are waaay off the road and its a long hike to each one. I tried carrying a clip and jumper wire to each meter -no luck The services and main are new plastic, any ideas?

**6feetunder** · July 13th, 2011, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by orangeboots

I know this has been brought up before but I cant find it ,anybody got tips on locating multiple services when only hooking to 1 meter. I have some road jobs where the meters are waaay off the road and its a long hike to each one. I tried carrying a clip and jumper wire to each meter -no luck The services and main are new plastic, any ideas?

What kind of equipment are you using? Metrotech 810 works very well for this sort of thing. Don't really know of any tips from what I've experienced it's all in the equipment when it comes to running the gas in that way. There is something about the 83 frequency that it runs in that is great for running gas and jumping gaps and what not.

**orangeboots** · July 13th, 2011, 09:45 PM

Sorry rd 7000 use 33hz 50% power most of the time but have tried most freq/power combos

**TheCableVine** · July 13th, 2011, 09:51 PM

You would need to clip on to the locate wire and then ground the wire so the signal will travel down the locate wire to the meter and it should light up.

**Paint'n & Flag'n** · July 13th, 2011, 10:07 PM

guys around here use the pipehorn 800 and do well with hooking up to one service to run multiple.

**orangeboots** · July 13th, 2011, 10:21 PM

Vine I tried the clip to ground trick didn't work but I have used it on steel
/steel steel/plastic and it worked but not on plastic/plastic

**sprayandpray** · July 14th, 2011, 06:35 AM

If the tracer/ground wire is good to all meters, then hooking on at 1 meter and using the ground/jumper wire at several other meters in the vicinity usually works. However, if the tracer wire is broken or deteriorated anywhere between your transmitter and your jumper, it's not going to work.

**DavidDodd** · July 14th, 2011, 08:51 AM

The Pipehorn 800HL features simultaneous transmission of both 9 kHz and 480 kHz. Check either signal with flick of switch on the receiver. Start with LF and keep it there as long as it runs. If it craps out at a pipe joint or break in a wire, or if the LF does not want to run down the next service, go to HF and keep on truckin'...

**orangeboots** · July 14th, 2011, 05:14 PM

I only have acess to a pipehorn 100 but the only thing thats buried are gas and water so it would work? I have never used one.

**yahoo** · July 14th, 2011, 05:48 PM

the only safe way .....is to hook up at each meter if you don't want to heighten your chances of catching a damage...my 2 cents

**noOT4me** · July 14th, 2011, 06:56 PM

I am with Yahoo. You are playing with fire when it comes to backsliding.

**paintitnow** · July 14th, 2011, 10:25 PM

I am confused now. You took the time to drive up to the meter down the long driveway to hook the tracer wire to ground and locate from one hook-up point. If you took the time to drive up to put a ground on, why didn't you direct connect and just locate it?

**gypsygirl** · July 15th, 2011, 06:09 AM

You are locating GAS! Please explain why you want to "short cut" this? To be the most accurate, which I would hope you would want to be, you need to hook up to each meter and locate them out. Do it right the first time.... my two cents....

**orangeboots** · July 15th, 2011, 04:12 PM

gypsy let me start over I did it right the first time hooked up to every meter and marked them all out took 4 hrs to do the gas on a 3 way ticket . I am not looking for a short cut.Ii was asking if there was a EASIER way to mark the 20 or 25 ft of individual services that get wiped out from time to time. I get a refresh ticket every 5 days and the road is one lane going 1 way you cant pull in the driveways its a 3 ft drop off. The only way to hook to each meter is to walk -about a mile and each house is 3-500 ft from the road where I need to mark and about the same distance apart. I'm not looking for a short cut I asked if there is another reliable way to mark the missing areas(I can see me marks on both sides) If hooking to each meter is the only way so be it.

**AULupstate** · July 15th, 2011, 05:01 PM

No such thing as 'Easier' my friend. Easier means Dangerous and Damage Central. But hey, if companies were ACTUALLY concerned about those two things then production goals wouldn't exist. I say that because I noticed you mention how long it took and that your locates are 3 ways.

Now a SAFE easy way would be this (depending on the work being done on that project). If you marked it right the first time why couldn't you just remark your old marks? Paint should still be there after 5 days right? Maybe even some flags if the homeowners aren't anal? I have had my fair share of projects that were things like laying new black top or paving. They weren't actually doing any diggin but they were doing the right thing by call before you dig standards. Nothing changed so it was always just a remark job AFTER the initial pain in the ass mark out.