Unburied Cable

[Eve Giidiion]

I noticed an unburied cable on my property ( just got the house a few months ago.) When the installer came out to put in my Cable (TV, Internet ect) I asked if he could tell me anything about it. He said it went to my neighbor's house. This cable is unburied for a good 20-30 feet and is about 10 feet inside my property line running parallel to the property boundary.

Any suggestions on what to do with this? Should I tell the neighbor it has become uncovered and let him cover it? And if he doesn't , then what? Clip it? This is a Mower hazard and is not something that I can ignore.

Any suggestions would be helpful. And no, I don't know why the cable is in my yard.

EV

[Mikepier]

What kind of cable? Is it coax or something else?

[Jim Redelfs]

Unless you are absolutely CERTAIN it is not a electric line, you should stay clear of it and call the power company. Even if it is not their responsibility, their technician can probably determine WHO the wire belongs to and direct you to that entity.

It is entirely possible and even likely that the line is DEAD and/or abandoned, given that it is unburied.

Even if it is a WORKING line, if it is a CATV drop, it is likely they will do NOTHING with it. In that case, mow with abandon.

[RBM]

Any electrician will be able to determine what the cable is. In NY state at least, utilities are not permitted to install cables overhead or underground through one persons property to feed another without an easement

[trader4]

Did the cable guy tell you it was the cable TV cable that goes to your neighbors house? If so, or you think it is, call the cable company and they will fix it for free. It's not unusual for a neighbors cable to run across some portion of your propert, typically near the street.

If you don;t know what it is, most areas have a utility locating service that is free, which you call prior to doing any digging. You can find the #, call them and they will come out and mark all the utilities, then you will know what it is and can call the appropriate company.

[Stubby]

800-DIG-SAFE should be able to help you. Tell whoever owns the cable to make it comply with various codes and/or remove it.

[Frank Boettcher]

In my area it is common for the CATV provider to install the cable on top of the ground, hook up the service and then a contract service comes along at a later date and buries it. Tell your neighbor to contact the service provider and jack them up. If you don't want it buried on your property make them move it.

They bury the CATV cables in fairly shallow trenches so they will sometimes lift out from frost heave or dry conditions in the summer that opens up the trench.

Frank

[Decals]

Your House Inspector did not notice this cable?

ask the realtor to call the previous owner..

[gfretwell]

It is not unusual at all for the phone company or cable company to put a cable in an inch or so deep. I hit the phone cable in my yard with an edger. The telco came out an replaced it, again about 2" deep.

[Dick Adams]

This is a utility company problem. Start with the electric company.

Dick

[mm]

That's a very good description, and it enables me to identify the line.

Do not touch the cable.

It is one of thousands installed in neigborhoods throughout the country and it enables the NSA to gather information on who your neighbors (and you) are talking to on the phone. Tampering with the cable is a federal offense.

This is done on a need-to-know basis, and you have no need to know.

[Eve Giidiion]

[Eve Giidiion]

Wow,

1 flake out of 11 great pieces of advice. FYI, I wasn't asking for cable ID. The Cable Guy told me what it was when he said it went to my neighbors home.

I think you've been probed one too many times by aliens.

Now, when I reach my state of Self Actualization, I will no longer answer half baked responses like yours to my quires. Until then however, I'll cut the cable and place it in my mattress with my collection of mattress tags.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Fri 12 May 2006 12:44:12a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Eve Giidiion?

We also found this in a previous home when we first bought it. It is the cable company's responsibility and they should come out and bury it.

It is in your yard probably because one of their junction boxes is nearby. This is not uncommon, but it should be buried.

I would call the cable company and ask them to come out and bury it. Tell them if they don't that you will remove it. It's not your job to bury it.