How can I find an underground plastic pipe?

Question

I know there is a 4 inch diameter plastic pipe somewhere under my lawn. It runs from my house to the street but I can't locate where it intersects the street. I believe it is less than 4 feet below the surface. Any idea how I can locate it?

Richman: It is a storm sewer and seems to be blocked, When it rains, the water backs up out of the inlet. Everything is green.
I tried to "intercept" it at the curb, I dug a trench 18 inches deep and 20 feet long, starting on a straight line from the inlet and expanding out letf and right. Finally gave up.

Will: I talked to the company that marks the underground pipes. They said they can't find plastic pipes.

Grumpy, I think I'll try the boom box. First I need to come up with a stethoscope.

Jeffery S:
I called a roto company, to quote them, "We don't have a lot of success clearing storm sewers. We charge $60 per half hour. Usually we know within an hour if we can clear it". Personally, the person I talked to said he bypassed his and dumps the water on the ground.

Answer 1

I had a similar problem about a year ago, we ended up putting a boom box speaker over the end at the house and used a stethoscope like the mechanics use on cars, has a thin metal rod sticking out of it, well I was amazed, you could hear the music playing all the way to the other end. about 500 feet. We started digging and missed hitting it center by 6-7 inches.
Was my grandsons idea, but it worked.

Other than that I got nothin'
may not work if the pipe wasn't empty.

Yours: Grumpy

Answer 2

How To Locate Underground Pipes

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How can I find an underground plastic pipe?
I know there is a 4 inch diameter plastic pipe somewhere under my lawn. It runs from my house to the street but I can't locate where it intersects the street. I believe it is less than 4 feet below the surface. Any idea how I can locate it?

Answer 4

This may sound far fetched but it has been known to work, and it is cheep and fast.
Get a wire hanger and bend it such that it looks like a capital L. Perhaps 24" on the long side 8" on the short. Dangle the short side in your hand such that your index finger allows for the rod to easily swivel. Almost the way you hold a pistol with your index finger around the trigger. Walk slowly perpendicular to the pipe with the hanger pointing ahead. When you cross the pipe the hanger will rotate 90 degrees signifying the pipe below. Mark the spot and check another location. Remember to hold the hanger such that it easily swivels against your index finger.
I have seen this work No S. Try it. Let me know how it works.

Answer 5

There are companies that specialize in finding underground pipes and wires. They always come out to locate when people want to dig in their yard. I think the best way to find one is to contact a fence company and ask who they use to locate underground things. Ask if they will locate plastic pipes.

Answer 6

Most of the time the piping you're talking about is high pressure pipe. They reduce the pressure right at the meter. It probably enters your home no more than 2 PSI. It could be 25 to 125 PSI from the meter and PRV to the street. If it's leaking, your meter should be turning when all gas appliances are turned off. If it doesn't move, it's not leaking. Next time call the gas purveyor to mark the line before you disturb the ground.

Answer 7

It depends on what is in the pipe. If it is water or sewage, it will go directly to your septic tank or the street. If you don't know where you septic tank is, look up city records because they have to approve those things. Anyway, there is a master cutoff valve attached to your water line. Find that valve and draw a straight line to the nearest paved street or septic tank. The sewage and water lines are usually parallel, so you will find both.

If this is electric, it could also be besides the water and sewage lines. It could also go straight to the nearest transformer. In any event, your electric company also has records.

Answer 8

yes. it is most assuredly leaking. this will cause the surrounding soil to be moister than the rest of the area. if you stop watering your lawn, the area over the line will stay green.

if you don't want to do the above, you will have to dig trace the line. it runs pretty straight, so start at one riser and dig up only enough to determine its direction. you can be sure it continues straight to the street from there, once it is aligned with the curb. no one likes to put too many turns in abs or pvc line, since that is where the leaks will generally occur.

Answer 9

Typically these run straight, so if you have the location of one end, you should be able to find he other end. If you think it's plugged, why don't you just call a roto rooter type company to go ahead and snake the line to clear it?

Answer 10

Grumpy - excellent idea - smart grandson.

I have heard of people burying pennies along their pipe so it could be found with a metal detector.