# Pink buried wire



## rhanna (Jun 7, 2017)

I was using a trencher today to bury some downspout extensions. I cut through a pink looking wire, about the width of my index finger. It had a black, white and green wire inside. It was about 1 1/2 feet from my house maybe 6 inches deep. My electricity didn't go off and it looked like my neighbor was also still on.

I have no idea what it is but it was really close to the existing downspout pipe. I'm thinking maybe it was a temporary wire for when the house was built. I tried calling 811 but they didn't help. I tried calling the local electric company but I couldn't get anyone on the phone. I'm not sure what to do about it


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## Cheesetoast (May 1, 2018)

pic?


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## rhanna (Jun 7, 2017)

The black is just electrical tape. It's about the diameter of my index finger. I thought this morning that maybe it was an extension cord from the builders that was lost. Another possibility, my nieghbor's house that was built before mine by maybe a few months. Could it be the original line to their house but they had to redo it since my house was build after? I don't know, we moved into this new built house in 2016.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

Nothing critical should be buried at 6" depth, I doubt it's any sort of line voltage. 10 gauge extension cord will be close to your finger width, if they lost one while building. Do you have irrigation?


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## rhanna (Jun 7, 2017)

717driver said:


> Nothing critical should be buried at 6" depth, I doubt it's any sort of line voltage. 10 gauge extension cord will be close to your finger width, if they lost one while building. Do you have irrigation?


I think so, I would dig it out but there is no telling how long it is or where it goes. I don't have irrigation and that is outside the far corner of my garage so I know there is just concrete slab for a while.

I guess I'll just dig carefully for the downspout extension.


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## dwaugh (Aug 25, 2020)

If you have a non-contact voltage tester that can go through the insulation that would give you some idea if it's live or not. Although I suppose if it was live a breaker should have tripped when it got hit, depending on how much it sliced through. The pink could well be a faded orange of an extension cord.


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