FTTH install - problems

Fireball14013

Hi,
I had KN around to install FTTH outside Limerick here, but there's an issue with a blocked conduit somewhere. There's probably a roughly 30m run for the existing copper cable from the front door to the Eir manhole, but around 20m from the door or 10m from the manhole the rods get blocked.
KN said they could do a site survey but I can't seem to get anyone to arrange that since he left. Has anyone done anything similar to try and find a blockage? It looks like there is one conduit going from the manhole that's wider than the one going from my door, so it must be that where they join it has sunken and pinching the cable. The existing copper cable won't move.
It'll cost me around €170 to rent some gear that may or may not actually fit into the conduit to detect where it's going so I might see where the blockage is and dig to solve, but at that price it's too dear as if I discover it's under the tarmac driveway then I won't be digging there. However I would still like to avoid digging a trench in the tarmac to lay my own new conduit if possible.
Any ideas?
We bought the house about 4 years ago so no idea where the conduit is running.

ED E

See below

vintagevrs wrote: »

My FTTH appointment is this Friday. Went out to the ETU to pull the copper line to check it was free in the duct that goes to the pole and no budging. Fished a wire down there until it stopped and then pulled the wire out and laid it on the ground. The wire length luckily stopped in the garden on grass. Got the shovel out and started digging. Found damage to conduit caused by the guys that put our tarmac down. Good news now is phone line is free to move again and the hole in the garden is a half way point between the ETU and the pole so hopefully fingers crossed fishing the fibre cable goes smoothly now.

Basically if you're eager to get Id get a shovel.

Fireball14013

A shovel is no good because I have no idea where the conduit is going. I could get a radius, but I'd be digging for days and destroy the garden, and it might be under the driveway.
What I'm wondering is if there is any effective way to trace an underground conduit? Or is there someone in Limerick with the equipment that might do it for around €100? All I need is a point to the nearest square metre and I'll dig, or if it's under the driveway, I'll just run a new one... but if I can at all, I'd really like to leave the driveway alone, hence my desire to see if I can find where to dig!

degsie

I know that Virgin Media use a cable tracer (wand) when they were fixing a broken underground cable on our street. I presume they inject a signal into the wire and the wand can pick up a transmission from the cable by waving the wand near to the road surface.

westyIrl

degsie wrote: »

I know that Virgin Media use a cable tracer (wand) when they were fixing a broken underground cable on our street. I presume they inject a signal into the wire and the wand can pick up a transmission from the cable by waving the wand near to the road surface.

Hopefully you can get something like this to sort you out. However, if worst comes to worst and you don't want to go digging up the drive. I don't know if any one around Ireland that does this but I'm sure there is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRp7LLBYAok
Also think I recall seeing a video of B4RN using a similar device.
It's not a silver bullet but if your dealing with an expensive drive, kerbing etc, a case could be made in certain circumstances.
Would make a good business case ATM if you were following Eir FTTH around.

Jim