Put my auger through a gas line on a job in Austin last Thursday.

I was digging post holes for a 150 foot privacy fence in a new development. Hit a gas line about 2 feet down that wasn't marked on the map they gave me. Had to sit there with the gas company for 3 hours while they fixed it. Customer was cool about it, but I lost a whole day of work. Anyone else have a utility hit story that cost you a full day?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana5097d ago

Did they have you shut down for 3 hours even after the leak was fixed? Most gas companies I've dealt with want you to stand around while they pressure test the line, but that usually takes 30 minutes tops. The real kicker is that new development maps are almost always wrong. I had one where the map showed the line running along the back of the lot but it actually cut right through the middle. The developers don't care because they're not the ones digging. Next time ask for the as-built drawings from the city, not the builder's copy. They cost me $20 at the county office but saved me a whole lot more in lost time.

the_john7d ago

Yeah, the "most gas companies I've dealt with" part hit home for me @jana509. Reminds me of a time I had the utility guys sitting in their truck for two hours while the pressure test was done, then they claimed they "lost" the paperwork and had to redo it. Crazy how developers always think they know the property lines better than the actual city records, and I've learned the hard way that as-built drawings are worth every penny.

the_faith7d ago

Noticed this same pattern playing out everywhere. The people who do the actual work know what's up, but the guys signing the checks don't bother asking them. Had a plumber tell me once that half his job is just fixing things contractors did wrong because they refused to look at the city's existing records. It's like nobody wants to spend the extra hour upfront to save everyone three days later. The frustrating part is that all these shortcuts end up costing more in the long run, but they keep doing it because the cost isn't theirs to pay.