Direct Burial high voltage lines in path of where I need to put fence posts

Question

Along the side of my property are high voltage direct bury electrical lines, I haven't uncovered them but before you dig service marked 3 red paint lines right down my property along the border. I have 10 foot steel posts I would like to place along this line and screw some cedar wood to them for a fence. Are there ANY safe ways to do this? Or what would you recommend? What I've read is that a 1 ft hole will not be deep enough to hold the fence up, someone suggested digging a very wide hole but not sure if that work. My last resort would be to ask my neighbor if I could dig on his side. T.I.A.

Answer 1

They would not run a primary line across someone's property. It's a service lateral for sure. Usually down at least 2 ft and hopefully warning tape. Check with the power company first. Always be safe rather than sorry. A lineman will come out and meet with you, if it's a company worth a heck.

Answer 2

Proceed with care, certainly, but those marks don't spell doom for your project. The buried cables are small and the painted marks only approximate the location of the buried lines, plus or minus as much as a foot or two. Not only that, but the lines are likely to be buried deeper than the depth your fence posts require.

The industry-standard technique for an underground construction company in this scenario is called hydro excavation. They literally use a pressure washer to slice into the soil and a wet-dry vac to pick up the spoils. Their vacuum is industrial-size, but you can do it on a small scale with a US$100-150 home center variety wet-dry "shop" vac. The water jet will easily cut through soil but will not cut through the insulation on the buried cables.

I've written more detail about it in an answer there.

If you do happen to encounter any buried cables then work around them by moving the post or cutting it short. Ensure the cable is protected by soil or gravel and pour the concrete for the posts in such a way that the cable does not become entrapped by the concrete.