Hand dug well.

[*zap*]

 

[mi650]

Good info!!

I've always been, and still am, skeptical of dowsing rods, but that's how the old timer who dug my well did it. He said we had water at 20' , but went down to 100'.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I grew up with an 18’ hand dug well in North Idaho. There were a couple of summers when water was pretty limited.

 

[ODB]

Good info!!

I've always been, and still am, skeptical of dowsing rods, but that's how the old timer who dug my well did it. He said we had water at 20' , but went down to 100'.

Man, when I was 12 we built a house on a damn rocky mountain in Va. My dad is big into Foxfire stuff, whatever and found a well driller who used dowsing and had a good reputation. They guy came out, cut a Y branch from our dogwood tree and went to work. He located a few spots, but settled on one. We dug the well, and voila! water. I forget how far we had to go but it wasn't extreme.

Being the skeptical type I had the guy show me how to do it - remember, I'm 12. I'm not lying when I say over and over that at certain places that stupid branch (you held it by the two legs, bent them slightly, palms up to give it sensitivity) would point downward with such force it would leave bark in my hands. The second I let go it would stop. Was I manipulating it? I can't say I was. I could do it over and over. My brother couldn't. I have no idea why. Strange stuff.

 

[dsmiley]

Cool video. Thanks for sharing. Might have to dig one for a zombie apocalypse to cook all the damn rice and beans I have lol.

 

[49ereric]

My father in law dowsed wells for anyone who asked and he did it often. He used copper wire 30” long in each hand and was known to always accurate.
working on the pipeline I saw younger hoe hand dowse utilities accurately said he learned from old men on the job when he first started. He was accurate as well.

 

[RS_Non-Res]

I had a guy use the wire hangers stuffed behind the driver's seat of his drill rig to identify overhead powerlines, a water line buried between two fire hydrants, and fiber optic line that happened to align with orange paint on the ground. He then affirmed that the location I wanted to drill (white paint circle) was safe to drill. He ended up drilling a hole in a metal 8-inch diesel pipeline at a depth of about 4 inches.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I witnessed my father-in-law use that method to locate a waterline that he knew existed on his property, but only had an idea of general location. Sure enough he found it. I tried it, and even after I knew where it was it did not work for me. He said it only works for people who have a special connection with the earth??????????????

 

[Billy Goat]

I'm not very good at it, my better half is really good with it. Clothes hanger and she can find buried waterline for me. She has found waterline buried under concrete too.

 

[Customweld]

I can witch buried utilities with a pair of copper rods. It is surprisingly accurate for me. Hold the rods straight out and when you cross something buried, they will pull together and cross. I haven't tried to divine water though. For those that do dig shallow wells, be aware that you are probably hitting water that is known as a GUDI. (Groundwater under direct influence of surface water). I would not consume it without testing it first.

 

[packer58]

Same here, iv'e located a ton of unmarked U/G utilities over my 30 years in construction using "witching rods". Never for the purpose digging a well though.

 

[Dwnw/theAltitudesickness]

Always thought it was a bogus thing. Brother took a job with a local municipality with unmarked lines all over. He told me how he was learning to dowse and was one of their go to methods..... who'd though

 

[KsRancher]

Not knocking anybody that's posted above. I have been in excavation for a lot of years. And anytime I'm around someone that mentions they can "witch" a line or utility or anything for that matter. I trust all of about 0% what they say from then on out

 

[Customweld]

Not knocking anybody that's posted above. I have been in excavation for a lot of years. And anytime I'm around someone that mentions they can "witch" a line or utility or anything for that matter. I trust all of about 0% what they say from then on out

As well as you should! They ain't gonna pay for that fiber that you just dug through.

 

[gbflyer]

Not knocking anybody that's posted above. I have been in excavation for a lot of years. And anytime I'm around someone that mentions they can "witch" a line or utility or anything for that matter. I trust all of about 0% what they say from then on out

Agree. Best to “witch” with something like this:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IdahoElk]

Welding rods or steel coat hangers work, found power and sprinkler lines in my yard with them.

 

[CCooper]

I can witch buried utilities with a pair of copper rods. It is surprisingly accurate for me. Hold the rods straight out and when you cross something buried, they will pull together and cross. I haven't tried to divine water though. For those that do dig shallow wells, be aware that you are probably hitting water that is known as a GUDI. (Groundwater under direct influence of surface water). I would not consume it without testing it first.

This ^^^. That is why most states require a minimum of an 18-foot sanitary surface seal on water wells.

 

[49ereric]

Not knocking anybody that's posted above. I have been in excavation for a lot of years. And anytime I'm around someone that mentions they can "witch" a line or utility or anything for that matter. I trust all of about 0% what they say from then on out

I never trusted the locate marks made by professionals either.
1 they never locate abandoned lines and 2 they are less than perfect.
Asbuilt paperwork is never a 100% either.
Boss hit a chilling line for the airport in the twin cities put a tooth thru a ductile iron pipe locates were off more than the 2’.
i found a fiber optic line unmarked at the north end of the airport by Mother Lake digging with a tractor hoe. Found countless abandoned lines cuz everywhere you dig at the airport there is something.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Forgo all that crap and do like my neighbor. Take a sawsall/recipricating saw and cut the roots of a tree away from house foundation. I 100% guarantee you will find water or gas line. He found gas line.

 

[packer58]

I never trusted the locate marks made by professionals either.
1 they never locate abandoned lines and 2 they are less than perfect.
Asbuilt paperwork is never a 100% either.
Boss hit a chilling line for the airport in the twin cities put a tooth thru a ductile iron pipe locates were off more than the 2’.
i found a fiber optic line unmarked at the north end of the airport by Mother Lake digging with a tractor hoe. Found countless abandoned lines cuz everywhere you dig at the airport there is something.

Yep, airports are bad. Schools are also horrible for unknown/unmarked utilities. We would hire a third party locator for these sites because asbuilts were not kept up to date and volunteer projects were never documented. As far as USA dig is concerned, they do have a margin of error and when close hand digging or hydrovac is the safe route for sure. Worked on a four year hospital project several years ago, by contract ALL Sensitive U/G utilities were to be located by either hand digging or hydrovac. Med gases, com lines, power, chiller, h2o and so on .....