Find break in conduit

[cmario]

Anyone know a place to rent a device to locate a blockage in a 4" PVC conduit? It goes out of the building and under concrete. About 4' deep. Have to find exact spot to dig up!

 

[skip555]

push a tape or rod in from each side and measure

 

[cmario]

I know how far it is. I don't know the direction the conduit goes.

 

[pbxn]

Does this conduit have any sort of phone cable in it? If so, may want to try to call phone company and see if they can locate it for you.

 

[biglebowski]

Mix some plutonium with water pour it down the conduit and use a geiger counter to trace the route it takes.

ps - You may want to get someone you don't like very much to mix the plutonium though.

When I was born I was so suprised I didn't talk for 18 months

 

[skip555]

how far is it ?

push some heavy cable like DB 6-25 pair in then put a cable hound on it .

 

[skip555]

or hook some three or four pair to the fish tape , push it in as far as possible from each end then put the cable hound on it .

ought to get you a pretty good path

 

[donporter]

The LEC has some big toning device that can tell them where the conduit comes out of the building. If you have a 600 pair that is cut in one spot the LEC can see where the tone stops. If it is just having problems with a few pairs then you can tone to find the broken ones. Then pull those pairs to measure the lengh of the pairs. Get in touch with the LEC or check with a cabling person about the toing device.

 

[ISDNman]

If you can determine the total distance by measuirng from each end to the blck, or using a TDR, etc, and then assuem it is a straight run you should be able to use geometry to determine about where it goes. Inexact, true.

 

[cmario]

The problem is it's a 400' conduit between buildings on different grades! We know it's about 25 - 30' from the building but the maint. guy doesn't know the exact layout and the blueprints are not clear. Already had "before you dig" people out and they couldn't determine anything!

 

[nsantin]

You can hire a private utility locate company that can trace the line and find breaks. Cost you a few hundred bucks. I've used them in the past, you can find them in the phone book. If you're in Canada then I can recommend one.

 

[dcommusa]

Try & call a local plumbing contractor that has the ability to use a fiber optic camera to trace under ground pipe problems.
I had a new site that had water in a 4" conduit between 2 bldgs & we had a plumbing contractor trace the cable path/distance etc. to find the break-(usually @ a coupleing).
Good luck!!!!

 

[exverizon]

The notion of magnetism comes to mind. I'm not sure if an electromagnet can be obtained that could be shoved into the conduit until it stops at the break, but let's assume there is such a thing. A compass swept over it at 4" away would pinpoint it. Failing that, perhaps a small battery-powered radio turned up loud and pushed to the obstruction point could be heard on the surface outside. No, I've never had the challenge myself.

 

[grumpyone60]

We have a groundskeeper on staff that is constantly adding sprinkler systems and finds our cables for us all the time and we do not even have to ask him. Want me to send him your way????

 

[cmario]

I rented a cable-conduit locator from Sunbelt rentals! It worked great. It clamps on to a conduit or cable and radiates a specific frequency to the inductive pickup you use above ground. It gave me exact location of the conduit and using other data and measurements we were able to find our problem. Thanks for all the answers! Both funny and serious!