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Hit two metal wires planting hedge

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  • 24-06-2020 3:08pm
    #1
    enfant terrible
    Registered Users Posts: 4,551 ✭✭✭


    Planting the last couple of trees the mattock was bouncing off the ground when I was digging.

    I then noticed two metal wires about two inches into the ground.

    I'm assuming these are not electric so close to the surface?

    We live very close to a pylon.

    Pictures attached.


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    #2
    meercat
    Registered Users Posts: 4,730 ✭✭✭meercat


    enfant terrible wrote: »
    Planting the last couple of trees the mattock was bouncing off the ground when I was digging.

    I then noticed two metal wires about two inches into the ground.

    I'm assuming these are not electric so close to the surface?

    We live very close to a pylon.

    Pictures attached.

    Impossible to tell from the photos
    Looks like swa cable possibly feeding outside lights or shed
    Unlikely to be related to overhead power lines.


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    #3
    keithdub
    Registered Users Posts: 208 ✭✭keithdub


    Looks like swa is there any power out your back?


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    #4
    goingnowhere
    Registered Users Posts: 4,142 ✭✭✭goingnowhere


    Agreed thats a SWA cable, but the entire outer insulation layer is missing??

    Check the fuseboard, if you imagine the wire continues straight in each direction where does it go? Outside shed, outside lighting?

    Its not the incoming ESB supply as that would be in a PVC conduit and should have a warning tape, that said lots of cowboys out there

    Goes without saying stay away from the cable, if all else fails you might need the services of someone with a cable detector to track it


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    #5
    Felexicon
    Registered Users Posts: 3,404 ✭✭✭Felexicon


    Looks more like a bit of Silflex to me. Strange to have it burried


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    #6
    enfant terrible
    Registered Users Posts: 4,551 ✭✭✭enfant terrible


    keithdub wrote: »
    Looks like swa is there any power out your back?
    goingnowhere wrote: »
    Agreed thats a SWA cable, but the entire outer insulation layer is missing??

    Check the fuseboard, if you imagine the wire continues straight in each direction where does it go? Outside shed, outside lighting?

    Its not the incoming ESB supply as that would be in a PVC conduit and should have a warning tape, that said lots of cowboys out there

    Goes without saying stay away from the cable, if all else fails you might need the services of someone with a cable detector to track it

    Sorry for late reply newborn in house.

    No power or lights out back there. Other side of wall is just a hedge and neighbours lawn.

    About 50 foot to left there is a neighbours shed and 40 foot to right another neighbours shed but couldn't see why a cable would be going across my lawn.

    As far as where the cable is going it's strange because as you can see from pictures I have most of the trees planted along the wall and I dug about 12 inches down for each of them and hit nothing. The cables are running parallel to the wall, towards the neighbours to the left on pictures attached below.

    I attached pictures to give a better overview of area.

    If I did cut through cables with mattock when I first hit them could I have been electrocuted?


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    #7
    Davy
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 19,340 CMod ✭✭✭✭Davy


    enfant terrible wrote: »
    I then noticed two metal wires about two inches into the ground.

    I'm assuming these are not electric so close to the surface?

    We live very close to a pylon.

    Was the house or pylon there first?
    The cable may have been deeper at some point, but the soil lowered since installed to build the houses?
    Possibly connected to the pylon as a earth grid

    https://www.electrical4u.com/earthing-of-electrical-transmission-tower/


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    #8
    enfant terrible
    Registered Users Posts: 4,551 ✭✭✭enfant terrible


    Davy wrote: »
    Was the house or pylon there first?
    The cable may have been deeper at some point, but the soil lowered since installed to build the houses?
    Possibly connected to the pylon as a earth grid

    https://www.electrical4u.com/earthing-of-electrical-transmission-tower/

    Not sure, the house was built in the late 80s dunno about pylon.

    Should I contact ESB in case I damaged cable you think?


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    #9
    s_gr
    Registered Users Posts: 314 ✭✭s_gr


    I see a black cable on the wall, id say its possibly a coax trunk cable for UPC/Virgin Media.... notice the black clips on the wall.... is the cable on the ground below this?

    It may have been removed from the wall at some stage and burried....


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    #10
    2011
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,536 Mod ✭✭✭✭2011


    Davy wrote: »
    Possibly connected to the pylon as a earth grid

    I was thinking that myself but I would expect bare metal if it was an earth (or maybe green / yellow) whereas this looks like it has a black PVC sheath.


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    #11
    enfant terrible
    Registered Users Posts: 4,551 ✭✭✭enfant terrible


    s_gr wrote: »
    I see a black cable on the wall, id say its possibly a coax trunk cable for UPC/Virgin Media.... notice the black clips on the wall.... is the cable on the ground below this?

    It may have been removed from the wall at some stage and burried....

    You are absolutely right there is a UPC cable running along/behind the wall opposite these cables in ground.
    Attached pictures below. So it's probably just a UPC cable.
    2011 wrote: »
    I was thinking that myself but I would expect bare metal if it was an earth (or maybe green / yellow) whereas this looks like it has a black PVC sheath.

    Would an earth cable be dangerous?


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    #12
    2011
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,536 Mod ✭✭✭✭2011


    enfant terrible wrote: »
    You are absolutely right there is a UPC cable running along/behind the wall opposite these cables in ground.
    Attached pictures below. So it's probably just a UPC cable.



    Would an earth cable be dangerous?

    Generally they are at earth potential so no. I don’t know much about pylons and I doubt this is anything to do with a pylon (I’m open to correction). However if it was anything to do with a pylon it should not be touched.


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