Hi guys, Ben here, Geelong Cable Locations.
Wanna show you this job that we've been working on for the last...
Month and a half... Two months.
We've been working on it for a little while now.
They're redoing the roundabout.
See this roundabout here? We're in Armstrong Creek at the moment.
This roundabout, they're going to be redoing it. They're going to be making it a lot bigger...
And we're working for the design team. They're gonna just design it at the moment,
try to work out how they're going to do it.
And they've asked us to come out and locate all the services in the area.
So that they can then work out where they all are,
and work out if they've gotta lower any or move any or...
Design their roundabout accordingly.
Um... So we've been out here locating it, and we've also been proving it.
We've been here with hydro-trucks, digging down and exposing it.
We actually hit it real hard.
So we came out here one day, and we really... killed it.
We came out with four trucks. We had a truck on every single intersection...
Digging down, trying to find where they all are.
There's like 30 odd pipes out here.
It is just... Yeah... Full-on.
You've got water mains, recycle mains, and sewer mains coming through the roundabout.
And they're all about 2 metres deep.
You've got gas mains coming down through here...
The... uh...
In the middle of the roundabout, they're about 5 metres deep.
So they go under these water mains and so forth.
You got two gas mains on that side of the road.
Another gas main on this side...
You've got water mains that come down this road here...
So, there is a heap of stuff out here.
Anyway, it's all good.
We hit it hard. We killed it. It all did well.
Except for one gas pipe.
We did the whole thing, except for one gas pipe that we tried...
And we tried... and we tried... and we tried.
And it killed us trying to locate it.
So, that is what I want to do the video today about...
To show you this pipe that we had trouble with, and...
This issue I've got, is that we've now found it...
So we had to expose it here...
This is where they wanted it exposed.
So, I've still got the barricades up,
I'll tell you that in a minute why...
Umm...
This is where they wanted it exposed.
Through here...
So, as I said, in the middle of the roundabout over there, it's five metres deep.
Through here, according to the plans, it starts coming up...
So, from there it starts coming up...
And then...
and then...
Because, over here it was bored... It was directionally drilled.
Um... And then, up there, that was going up and then it was trenched again.
According to plan, over here, it should be about 2.1 metres deep.
Yes, that is deep.
And yes, it's hard work digging down 2.1 metres deep.
But, we knew that in advance, cause that's what the plans said.
So we came prepared.
Uhh...
So we dug down 2.5 metres deep.
Uh... 2.1 metres deep, dug down to 2.5 metres deep.
Could not find it.
Where we found it on the other side of the roundabout was about 2.5 metres deep.
So that was all good.
Over here...
We dug down 2.5 metres deep, could not find it at all...
We then started moving over.
Started moving over...
Started moving over.
But again, could not find it.
We end up digging 4.6 metres deep, and...
The hole was.... Literally... You can see it.
We started from about there,
And, the whole way to there.
It got to that big, you could fit a car in the hole.
It was that big...
So, we had... As I said before, a truck on every single intersection.
And then, a truck over here, digging this one.
So, he got here about mid-morning...
And he stayed here all day doing that.
The other guys finished early,
And then they moved on, I got a guy to come out up, and we said...
Because we couldn't find it there, I had one truck still digging there,
I said to the other guy,
Come and dig out here for me.
So then we dug in here... Now it wasn't that big then.
Spent... Uh...
So, he spent the rest of his day digging in there.
So yeah, we spent a whole day...
Uhmm...
Uhh...
Yeah well, the rest of the day...
And we did not achieve the goal that I wanted.
So, we then came back another... Second day.
They went there again, I said to them,
'This time... Just keep digging deep.'
'Go deep.'
So, that's when the second day he dug to four metres deep.
Uh... Sorry, 4.6 metres deep.
And then, he started moving left and right, trying to find it.
I...
We then spent a whole day doing it.
An entire day doing it... And we still could not find the bloody pipe.
It was just killing me.
And, of course...
Being winter...
Umm... And we're dumping the mud on the site.
Uhh... The job just kept getting postponed, cause we couldn't dump the waste where we normally dump it.
Umm...
Uh...
It was just too wet out here, it was just pains.
We had to keep pushing back, pushing back, pushing back.
Hence why the job's taking as long as it has...
So, finally, we came out here about two weeks ago now,
And I said to them, 'No more digging there, I've had enough of that hole. We'll backfill that hole.'
Said, 'Let's come straight here.'
So we dug down here.
Dug down to 2.6 metres deep...
Could not find it!
I said, 'Enough! I've had enough. No more!'
So then we went right up the top,
There was another company out here doing works...
So, they're building a school at the moment...
And now doing some works up further...
And I saw where they found it...
So they found it up further.
So I said to them, 'Alright, so we know it's up there.'
I then located it...
And I was able to trace it up to about here.
So we dug down...
Ah... You're not gonna see it now cause the soil collapsed in.
But we dug down, and we found it there.
I said, 'Hooray! We've finally found this gas pipe.'
So then we come down a bit further...
So, let's move down a bit...
And, we found it there again.
This has been here for... Two weeks ago.
They've all started collapsing now, which is a pain.
We then moved back down to where we were, trying to line it up...
Couldn't see it.
So, we came back here and I said, 'Alright, let's move back.'
So then we dug down in here...
And... Uhh... It's full of water.
Sorry, guys.
Anyway, it is in there, and then we just followed it...
Followed it, followed it, followed it...
And it was starting to get deeper...
Get deeper, get deeper...
I said, we're going to fill the truck up before we get to the end.
So, let's leave it there.
And then we came in here...
And this is real deep.
Something like 2.9 metres deep in there.
So yeah, found it there.
And then, this is the last one.
And this is the final one, and we finally found it just in there.
Again, it's full of water now, you're not gonna see it.
So, the issue I've got with this job site is that the gas plans are wrong.
Uhm..
They're not a big wrong, they're only about a metre or so out.
And it's not a big deal normally. Normally you just deal with it.
Out here, it's hard to deal with because the pipe is so deep.
So, when you're digging down over two and a half metres deep, trying to find a pipe that's a metre out...
If you knew it was a metre out, it's no big deal.
But when you don't know it's a metre out, you just keep going deeper thinking that the pipe is there...
And it's not there, it's actually to the left...
So, the issue I've got is the plans were wrong both with the depths they gave and with the offset they gave.
So, I've gone through the effort, I've exposed it.
The client's paid the money. It's all done. It's all exposed.
We've been out here for three days, I'm gonna deal with it. They're gonna deal with it.
We've moved on.
But I wanna help the industry now.
I wanna help everyone else that's gonna to be working in this area later on.
By telling them that the plan is wrong, and getting the plan updated.
Yes, I had to deal with it the first off.
I'm happy to wear that if I know it's gonna benefit everyone else working in this area in the future.
So I rang AusNet...
I rang the company.
Cause on the Dial Before You Dig plan it says,
'If there is any discrepancy with the plans, let them know.'
Beautiful...
So, I rang them to let them know.
Umm...
And they're like, 'Oh... Sorry, but we can't help you with that, there's nothing we can do. All we do is give out plans.'
They said to ring the local Downer...
Ring the local gas company.
I rang the boys.
Uhh...
'Oh... Thanks Ben, appreciate you letting me know.'
'Um... Well, Yeah. If we're in the area we'll pop out, have a look.'
That's good that they know...
But they're not gonna update the plan.
The issue I've got is that we need to have some system in place...
Some way of getting in touch with the people that update plans.
To let them know that the plans are wrong...
And this is not the first time, we had an HV cable last week...
That we found, that wasn't listed on the plan at all.
There needs to be some system...
There's a system in the Western Australia right now, for Dial Before You Dig,
That they...
That they've got, that can let them know.
Unfortunately, we can't do it in Victoria. Apparently, there's too many issues with it.
Umm... I don't know...
So, Dial Before You Dig have got these different...Umm...
Every state is different, the way they run.
And then you've got the whole association which is Dial Before You Dig National.
Umm... Sorry, I'm not going to get into the Dial Before You Dig.
I think it should be the utility companies that should provide a system for us.
So... Us as a locator, the utility companies should say,
'Oh Ben, you're a Certified Locator, you've got years of experience, we trust what you do.'
'Okay, he knows. Can you give us the survey coordinates?'
I'm happy to give them my survey coordinates.
Umm... Or...
I prefer them to come out and get it themselves.
This way there is definitely no issues.
'Oh Ben, you've exposed it? Thank you.'
'We really appreciate it. We'll be there in half an hour...', 'We'll be there tomorrow.'
I've had this left open for two weeks now.
And, as you see, they are all full of water now.
So I need to come out here and backfill it.
So I'm just going to get the tip-truck now and get these backfilled...
Cause, enough is enough. But...
Yeah, we spent $15,000 exposing it...
I'm happy for someone else to now come out and record it,
So no one else has to go through that again in the future.
There's a new school being built right now.
There's a new roundabout going to be done there...
There's a new estate going to go up soon.
This whole area is going to be redone soon.
This will not be the last time this gas pipe is located.
Other people will be out here in the future.
Other people will want to get it located in the future.
I don't want anyone else to go through what I've just been through.
So, that's why I'm doing this.
I wanna help the others out there.
But we need some sort of system, to let people know that the plans are not right.
So, yeah. This is my little rant, I guess.
Umm... I was trying to do a video of not me being so upset.
But I am now. So, I'm sorry.
Umm...
Guys, if...
Any ideas, I'm up for ideas.
If...
AusNet, if you're watching...
Downer, if you're watching...
Powercor, if you're watching...
CitiPower... Anyone else...
Actually, sorry. In saying that...
I have had an incident, a few years ago now with CitiPower,
Where we found one of their plans wrong,
And I let them know, and they were great, and they were able to update their systems.
So they're good...
Umm... But there needs to be a proper... a logical way of doing it.
A registered way of doing it, so anyone can do it.
So... Cause I'm not the only guy that comes across this stuff.
Um... Builders come across them.
Plumbers come across them, electricians come across them.
Obviously, other locators come across them.
We need to have some sort of system of...
Whether we let the each utility company know...
Whether they got their own website...
Or whether on the Dial Before You Dig plans, there's a way of doing it.
Where it's through Dial Before You Dig, I don't care.
I don't know how it is. I don't care how it is.
If you know how to do it, let me know.
Umm...
But yeah, guys, we need to come up with a better system than this.
Anyway, as I said, this video has gone on far too long.
Guys, do take care.
Look after yourselves.
And we'll hopefully chat on a nicer job next time.
Bye, guys.