Throughout Northern Virginia, correctly and accurately marking utility lines is essential before any home construction, additions to the home, or major landscaping projects.
Miss Utility /811 will provide some marking of private underground utility lines and wires, but they do not always complete all the marking for the project. It is very common for Miss Utility/811 technicians to mark only the public side, which means that the homeowner has to complete the marking of lines on their property.
What is Considered Private?
You will need private utility locating services if you have a fenced yard, if dogs are present, or if the lines are considered private. Examples of these private lines can include septic systems, lines from the well to the home, underground power lines to shops or a detached garage, lines to the pool, or lines for in-ground irrigation systems.
In rural areas of Virginia, the private lines can also include lines to waterers, power lines to the barn, and even power lines to the pump house. Propane lines to the home, shop, or barns are also considered private.
Precision Private Utility Locating
New technology allows the equipment to pinpoint the location of metal pipes precisely. This system uses a transmitter to send a signal through the metal of the pipe, and the receiver above the ground is waved over the surface, reading where the transmission of the signal is the highest.
Plastic or other non-metal types of pipes can also be located through private utility locating services. Newer installations of these pipes have trace wire for easy detection, while older installations of these pipes can be done with pipeline inspection cameras that are pushed through the pipe.
