California Surveyors Forums

How do you search for a pipe in Mon. box when it's more than arm length deep?
I would like to hear your practical experience, please.

Pressure washer with bucket of water or digging bar to break up deposited material. Small generator and wet/dry shop vac to remove material. Good flashlight to see with.

I second the shop vac idea -- I've used it to good effect many times when recovering deep monuments, in wells or otherwise. But the last two times I've excavated deep inside wells I came up empty -- no sign or signal of a monument at a depth of 4 feet. I didn't need one of them so I just backfilled and moved on, but at the other I treated the well as the best available evidence of the corner location, set a new 1" x60" pipe in the center of the well and showed same on a ROS.

Had one 5 feet deep in Lake County, got a long chunk of 5/8 rebar and stabbed around duct tape
a little gravy spoon to excavate, jammed the rod till I hit it and view with mirror of silva ranger.
tied with tall rod.

Wouldn't a pressure washer move a pipe from it's location? how do you know how far you dig with it?

No. Just go easy on the trigger. Just take a little out at a time.

What brand and size of wet/dry shop vac are you using?

Craftsman 20 gallon. It is probably over-kill size wise for this task.

I use a Ridgid 14-gallon vac, it was just something I picked up at Home Depot for $99. It works fine.

Now , the main question is if we know for sure there is actually a pipe in the box, the metal detector will not help.

If it's there, you'll find it.

If the monument is that deep, then the monument box is a restriction.
Remove the box and dig a whole large enough for you to access the monument.
Upon completion of your survey, backfill the hole with the mon box in place.

'If the monument is that deep, then the monument box is a restriction.
Remove the box and dig a whole large enough for you to access the monument.
Upon completion of your survey, backfill the hole with the mon box in place.'

And after you find the sucker, tie it out and reset some surface x ties to the monument.so the next guy doesn't have to do this again. Just a thought

We got a dewalt battery powered that works real good. 220$ with battery 120$ if you already have batteries. Or if you have small amounts Robi battery powered dust buster does a good job I hear. Jp

PLS7393 wrote:If the monument is that deep, then the monument box is a restriction.
Remove the box and dig a whole large enough for you to access the monument.
Upon completion of your survey, backfill the hole with the mon box in place.

In case we don't know if there is any pipe in there, is it worth it to do all this work? when does diligent work end? after 4', 5' of digging?

diligent work ends when you see light and the locals speak Chinese.

sako wrote: In case we don't know if there is any pipe in there, is it worth it to do all this work? when does diligent work end? after 4', 5' of digging?

I use a Schonstedt locator before I dig, and it saves me a lot of time. If I dig, I have always found, but it has been the wrong point before.

PLS7393 wrote:

sako wrote: In case we don't know if there is any pipe in there, is it worth it to do all this work? when does diligent work end? after 4', 5' of digging?

I use a Schonstedt locator before I dig, and it saves me a lot of time. If I dig, I have always found, but it has been the wrong point before.

I have the long schonstedt locator and when I go down the monument box, because of the iron cast of the monument it beeps like crazy and i'm not sure if i'm getting the signal from pipe.

You have to wonder if there are any reasonable circumstances under which someone would set a monument box over a monument that's 4 feet below grade. It seems to me that doing so would render that monument practically inaccessible, so I would expect any responsible surveyor to raise the monument position with a new monument and file the appropriate document in the public record.

that's right Jim. What were they thinking? Or were they? Or maybe it was time to box it up and let someone else deal with it.