That time I hit a gas line putting in a fence post in Phoenix

I was setting a 4x4 for a backyard privacy fence in a Phoenix suburb last summer, using a gas powered auger. The ground was hard as rock, so I was really leaning into it. Next thing I know, there's a loud hiss and a smell of rotten eggs. I hit a shallow gas line the homeowner's plans didn't show. My heart just dropped. I told my helper to get everyone back, shut off the auger, and called 911 from my cell. The fire department and the gas company showed up in like 5 minutes and capped it. The whole street got blocked off for two hours. It was a huge mess and cost me a full day's pay. Has anyone else had a close call with buried utilities, and what's your go-to move to avoid it now?

4 comments

4 Comments

morgan3261mo ago

My neighbor in Tempe had the same thing happen with a sprinkler line, and the water shot clear over his roof. Do you think the city plans are just wrong sometimes?

singh.elizabeth1mo ago

Honestly, the thing that scares me is how many old service lines are just mapped wrong or not at all. My crew almost hit an old abandoned septic line last year that wasn't on any plan. Calling 811 is the bare minimum, but sometimes you still have to hand-dig a test hole first to be totally sure. It's a pain but way cheaper than what you went through!

wilson.olivia5d ago

The 811 ticket you get only shows what the utility companies have on file, and like you said, those records can be decades out of date. I know a guy who works for the local gas company, and he told me they still find lines from the 60s that were just hand-drawn on paper maps that got lost. So even with the call, you're really just getting their best guess. That's why the hand-digging is so key, even though it adds an hour to the job.

ryanc711mo ago

@morgan326 is right, the plans can be wrong or just missing stuff. My go-to now is to always call 811 before I even think about digging.