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PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday...
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 2006-08-05 1:34 PM |
Pro  5153    Helena, MT |  Subject: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday...I like to ruin my Saturdays in style, with two police units, two fire trucks and everyone in the neighborhood standing there staring at me. Yes, I hit a gas line while digging in my backyard. I was trying to build a chin-up bar, digging holes for the upright when I got my pick ax stuck, I though under a rock. I de-wedged it and 'psssssssssssss'. SH**!!! Run, get dogs inside, call gas company, get an unattended answering machine, CRAP! Call 911. So here I am standing in my front yard, with my two dogs on a leash, sweaty, dirty and feeling like the BIGGEST IDIOT IN THE WORLD. So, between the fire trucks and the Northwest Energy guy. Crisis averted. It was not a main, but rather a feeder line, so they only had to turn off my gas. I can't even believe how sweet and cool the police officer and all the firemen were. I was sooo expecting a lecture about 'call before you dig', but all I got was, 'no biggie, you're not stupid, though everyone on your block might think so. happens all the time. no worries.' So, here's the PSA bit. Eric and I had our utilities marked a few months ago before we built our fence. Eric and I walked around before he left for this weekend and he showed me where everything had been marked. I thought I was totally safe where I was digging. BUT, what I hit was a privately installed feeder line, put in before we bought the house. Since the energy company doesn't know where to even start looking for these things, they aren't obligated to mark them unless you specifically request that they do so and give them a little hint about how to find it in the first place. You're just supposed to know as the homeowner. Personally, I'd always thought that the gas is piped through your house and not your yard. Perhaps that's common knowlegde, but I didn't know so I'm guessing someone else may not have know as well. Lessons learned: 1. Ask before you buy the house about things like this. Although I'm betting that our previous owner wouldn't have known either. 2. Dig with a shovel, not a pick ax unless you're 100% sure you're safe (ie, you built the place, plus you've called and had it marked). It's harder, but you'll discover the line before you put a hole clean through both sides as I did. 3. Firemen and cops are by-and-large the coolest people on earth. The guys who work for the energy company are, as well. |
| 2006-08-05 1:41 PM in reply to: #503062 |
COURT JESTER 12230 ROCKFORD, IL | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... ROFLMAO!!! Thank you Kim for the laugh. Perhaps a neighborhood survey if the 'block' thought that the term 'stupid' applied. Just to see if the persons comment was correct. One summer working road construction the landscaping crew (all Hispanics) hit a gas main with their backhoe. Kinda funny watching the grunt workers run for cover behind houses. Don't know if that was fully because of the gas line rupture or because the police were going be coming. |
| 2006-08-05 1:45 PM in reply to: #503062 |
Elite 2777 In my bunk with new shoes and purple sweats. | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... Over the years we've hit everything imaginable. The worst is underground power and telephone. Have hit 1200 pair conventional and fiber optic telephone. Never been hurt but sure is embarassing and sometimes expensive. Glad you were safe and all ended well. |
| 2006-08-05 1:57 PM in reply to: #503065 |
Pro 5153 Helena, MT | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... gullahcracker - 2006-08-05 11:45 AM Over the years we've hit everything imaginable. The worst is underground power and telephone. Have hit 1200 pair conventional and fiber optic telephone. Never been hurt but sure is embarassing and sometimes expensive. Glad you were safe and all ended well. Luckily, mine will only cost me $70-80 + however much gas I spewed into the air. Once I got my dogs clear of it (the puppy was fascinated) and got the proper folks notified, I was so worried it would cost me hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Phew. |
 2006-08-05 1:58 PM in reply to: #503065 |
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| 2006-08-05 1:59 PM in reply to: #503070 |
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| 2006-08-05 2:02 PM in reply to: #503071 |
| Pro 5153 Helena, MT | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... Zilla - 2006-08-05 11:58 AM Wow Kim... that's simply spectacular. It's a good thing I wasn't around, with my firey atomic breath and all.  LMAO!!! Speaking of fiery atomic breath, Lesson #4) Always have breath mints on your person. I was drinking coffee when I hit the gas line. Coffee breath plus freaking-the-f**k-out--breath is nasty and I had to talk to people and I couldn't just run back in the house to brush my teeth real quick. I felt so bad for the cops and firemen. Here they were being so nice to me, and here I was with my stank- breath.... Ugh. |
| 2006-08-05 2:10 PM in reply to: #503073 |
| COURT JESTER 12230 ROCKFORD, IL | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... kimj81 - 2006-08-05 1:02 PM Lesson #4) Always have breath mints on your person. I was drinking coffee when I hit the gas line. Coffee breath plus freaking-the-f**k-out--breath is nasty and I had to talk to people and I couldn't just run back in the house to brush my teeth real quick. I felt so bad for the cops and firemen. Here they were being so nice to me, and here I was with my stank- breath.... Ugh. Cops are used to coffee breath.....they have to talk to one another you know. The firemen....they've smelled worse I'm sure. Besides they weren't focusing on your breath...they were focusing lower than that. Just sayin. (.)(.) Neener neener neener Edited by tupuppy 2006-08-05 2:10 PM |
| 2006-08-05 3:03 PM in reply to: #503062 |
| Expert 893 Livermore, Ca | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... Are you going to get a bill form the City, State, or County for the Police and Firetrucks that showed up? |
| 2006-08-05 3:21 PM in reply to: #503095 |
| Pro 5153 Helena, MT | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... nbo10 - 2006-08-05 1:03 PM Are you going to get a bill form the City, State, or County for the Police and Firetrucks that showed up? I was kind of expecting that, to some degree, but I don't believe so. At least no one mentioned it to me... I guess it's just covered as a taxpayer. I suppose if you had to pay for the PD/FD to come to your house, a lot of people just wouldn't call at all. |
| 2006-08-05 3:25 PM in reply to: #503062 |
| Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... Yeah, ok, but come on, chicks with pick axes? How hot is that??? That's why the cops and firemen were "sweet and cool"
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| 2006-08-05 3:30 PM in reply to: #503102 |
| Pro 5153 Helena, MT | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... ChrisM - 2006-08-05 1:25 PM Yeah, ok, but come on, chicks with pick axes? How hot is that??? That's why the cops and firemen were "sweet and cool" LOL! Yeah, when they asked me what I broke it with, and I said a pick ax, they got all oddly grunty. Much like the guy from Tool Time, "Uh, oh yeah, of course." And when the guy from the gas company told them I'd sent the pick ax clean through the line (big holes on both sides), I think they were scared. |
| 2006-08-05 3:39 PM in reply to: #503062 |
| Extreme Veteran 313 | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... Oh wow! What a story! Glad you survived that fiasco with minimal damage! |
| 2006-08-05 11:39 PM in reply to: #503102 |
| Coach 9167 Stairway to Seven | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... ChrisM - 2006-08-05 2:25 PM Yeah, ok, but come on, chicks with pick axes? How hot is that??? That's why the cops and firemen were "sweet and cool"
LOL! That cross fit is doing you good, huh! |
| 2006-08-06 8:52 AM in reply to: #503062 |
| Queen BTich 12411 , | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... Kim, I wouldn't have thought about it either. I wouldn't have even gone through the trouble that you and Eric did walking around before he left anyway. I don't think you're an idiot. Thanks for the lesson! |
| 2006-08-06 8:15 PM in reply to: #503062 |
Giver 18427 | Subject: RE: PSA: How to ruin a perfectly good Saturday... I thought this thread was about a weekend prostate exam gone bad. |
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