Older neighbor showed me a trick to find sewer line cleanouts without digging everywhere

Was marking utilities for my first yard project and had no clue where the cleanout was under all the overgrown ivy. Guy next door came over and said grab a metal rod and a sledgehammer. Just poke down through the dirt until you hit the plastic cap. Found it in 5 minutes. Saved me from trenching the whole front yard. Has anyone else used this method or is it just common sense I missed?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_elliot1mo ago

i mean, is it really that serious? like yeah it's a neat trick but it's also just stabbing random holes in your yard with a metal rod. feels like there's a non zero chance you hit a gas line or sprinkler pipe if you're not careful. maybe it's just me but i'd rather spend an extra 20 minutes with a shovel than risk a geyser or a surprise utility bill. plus if you nick the cleanout cap you're just creating another problem for yourself down the line.

harper6931mo ago

Stab a metal rod through my yard and hope for the best - what could go wrong, right? @the_elliot is out here acting like we're diffusing a bomb instead of just finding a pipe cap. Worst case scenario I hit a sprinkler and get a free lawn watering.

patriciah5126d ago

harper693 I'm with you, honestly. Last time I tried dowsing I spent an hour poking holes in my yard and ended up hitting an old sprinkler line. Free lawn watering for a week, until my water bill showed up. You're right that the risk is pretty low if you know your yard a bit. Have you ever actually hit anything important with it, or is it mostly just harmless holes?