Whoops! Cut my buried coax...

[Parrothead]

As the title suggests, I accidentally cut my underground coax cable running from the service to the house. I've made the temporary repair by adding two compression fittings and a double female connector. I'm looking for a more permanent solution that doesn't involve calling the cable company.

For the record I did call 811 and had all utilities marked before doing any digging and was very careful not to cut anything (edging mulch bed) while working. I guess not careful enough though. What I wasn't counting on was the coax to be only 1" deep, and upon further review less than that in some spots. How ridiculous is that? 1 inch!?!

Anyway, I want to know what I need to get into the service box that's not attached to the house. I figure I can bury the cable 1" deep just like they did. Yes, I know I'll need direct burial cable.

Thanks for all the help in advance

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Depends on what kind of lock they have.

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/cable-security-tool

I would bury it deeper if it were mine!

 

[nine4gmc]

the tap lock box used to have these type security screws holding them closed, take a look at it and see if they are the same. Often, they are left loose by the contractors and you can get in without the tool, sometimes you can use a small flat blade screwdriver wedged in the screw to loosen it. I would go back about 6" deep with the new line.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BAD-QUALITY...y-tool-8-5-point-flower-LD-catv-/111645819984

 

[mrmeaner]

Cut mine in two spots digging footings for my new shop - called the cable company to come out and run a temporary line until I could get new trenches dug around the building. I personally would call just to complain the line is buried too shallow and see what they say.

They will probably upgrade you cable line if you call them

 

['sallgood]

Call the provider and tell them to fixit.I've hit gas lines that were 4 or so inches down, resulting in a 911. The clown on the phone saying"these are buried 18"" The firemen grabbing the line and saying" Not this one , hon. Send a sup~ out NOW." Your company WILL be paying this bill. ;-)

 

[volleyball]

The cable company own the line and is responsible for fixing. Since you repaired it, it may take awhile for someone to come out and bury a new wire.
I am sure they will give you a long enough piece of wire if you want to do it yourself.
If you don't want to disturb the yard, you could cover the entire repair with a waterproof material.

 

[Parrothead]

Thanks guys! I'll take a look at the box and see what I can find as far as locks/screws go. My reluctance to call the cable company is cost. I have Comcast and they're not exactly customer friendly or cheap. The last time I had them out to check the cable box (in the house) I ended up with a $150 bill. They couldn't replicate the issue and I was charged for a service call. In their defense, it's been fine ever since.

Yes, I'll bury the cable deeper than 1", that was just a joke since that's pretty much what they did. Haha, funny until I cut it. Dooh!

 

[sberry]

Splice and water proof it.

 

[DenisG]

If you hadn't called 811, then you would be liable for the damage. Are you not protected because you did the right thing? I thought that's how it worked.

 

[Parrothead]

Splice and water proof it.

I did that, wrapped it in about 1/4 a roll of electrical tape and it's working, but I am wondering about signal quality and degradation now and in the future.

 

[sberry]

Why worry? Whats the worst thing that can happen?

 

[Duck tape Bill]

Why worry? Whats the worst thing that can happen?

Well...if he has more than one TV, and someone is watching a Star Trek marathon on one, and someone else is watching a Star Wars marathon on the other, the cable could short out and cause a tear in the time-space continuum, that would cause Leonard Nimoy to rise from the grave and go on a crazy zombie rampage

.....or nothing at all

 

[malbojah]

the cable could short out and cause a tear in the time-space continuum, that would cause Leonard Nimoy to rise from the grave and go on a crazy zombie rampage

And you have a problem with that? We can finally ask him what happened between Wrath and Search

 

[justsam]

If you replace it, I would use direct bury RG6, quad shield. Nasty to work with but offers a little more protection.

You really should not see degraded picture quality even with your splice. Digital systems do not suffer from the old analog impairments.

 

[Parrothead]

If you replace it, I would use direct bury RG6, quad shield. Nasty to work with but offers a little more protection.

Even splicing it together was annoying as it was sticky inside, it was like playing in rubber cement. I got it done of course, but I think I'd put on some nitrile gloves next time.

 

[jd_1138]

Seems that the cable co. didn't follow code and bury those deep enough. Make them fix it. Their employee did a half *** job.

 

[TJay]

Just call them, for your own sanity and for the future cost.

I used to be a service tech at the cable company I work for and in the 8 years doing repairs I never once had a customer repair their own line without it causing us a problem down the road.

People dont realize that something as simple as an incorrect splice can cause issues that will kick 100s of modems in the immediate area offline intermittently.

And when the line techs do track the problem down to your house youll end up disconnected and waiting on a service call anyway, plus paying for the damaged line to be replaced since you incorrectly repaired it.

Even as a tech, IF (and it's rare) we repaired an underground line (we usually just replace the entire thing) you have to use compression fittings only, a high quality f-81 barrel (not some gold pos you get at home depot) and then you need to use a gel enclosure to house the splice in. Even after all of that they still tend to degrade faster than any other point of connection in the run.

 

[Parrothead]

Just call them, for your own sanity and for the future cost.

I used to be a service tech at the cable company I work for and in the 8 years doing repairs I never once had a customer repair their own line without it causing us a problem down the road.

People dont realize that something as simple as an incorrect splice can cause issues that will kick 100s of modems in the immediate area offline intermittently.

And when the line techs do track the problem down to your house youll end up disconnected and waiting on a service call anyway, plus paying for the damaged line to be replaced since you incorrectly repaired it.

Even as a tech, IF (and it's rare) we repaired an underground line (we usually just replace the entire thing) you have to use compression fittings only, a high quality f-81 barrel (not some gold pos you get at home depot) and then you need to use a gel enclosure to house the splice in. Even after all of that they still tend to degrade faster than any other point of connection in the run.

Thank you. This is what I was wondering about, but I want to run the cable myself and I most certainly don't want to pay Comcast for anything more than I absolutely have to. It's their fault they buried the cable 1" (not exaggerating) and I cut it. Upon further review there are spots in the run you can see it sticking out of the ground. I just don't have the time or energy to fight with them right now, so sometimes the path of least resistance is the most chosen. That's what I am attempting to do now.

I did use a compression fitting and connectors (not a gold pos from home depot either), but I just wrapped the splice/connectors in a bunch of electrical tape. If I don't replace the whole line, what kind of gel am I looking for? Ideally I'll replace the whole line if I can get into the feed (we'll see) and go from there.

I'm pretty good at running cable and making clean connections as my last house I ran it all during construction. I even had the cable company come out and test for signal strength at each terminal and they said it was all good. That was Brighthouse, and they were good to deal with...I now have Comcast and they ****.

EDIT: The people on the customer service end of the equation ****, my family has had pretty good luck with the actual tech's and getting stuff fixed.

*recommend me a cable cutter (I sort of, kind of, broke mine, don't ask)

 

[TJay]

Thank you. This is what I was wondering about, but I want to run the cable myself and I most certainly don't want to pay Comcast for anything more than I absolutely have to. It's their fault they buried the cable 1" (not exaggerating) and I cut it. Upon further review there are spots in the run you can see it sticking out of the ground. I just don't have the time or energy to fight with them right now, so sometimes the path of least resistance is the most chosen. That's what I am attempting to do now.

I did use a compression fitting and connectors (not a gold pos from home depot either), but I just wrapped the splice/connectors in a bunch of electrical tape. If I don't replace the whole line, what kind of gel am I looking for? Ideally I'll replace the whole line if I can get into the feed (we'll see) and go from there.

I'm pretty good at running cable and making clean connections as my last house I ran it all during construction. I even had the cable company come out and test for signal strength at each terminal and they said it was all good. That was Brighthouse, and they were good to deal with...I now have Comcast and they ****.

*recommend me a cable cutter (I sort of, kind of, broke mine, don't ask)

A. This is the most reliable form of underground splice protection we have used so far
(throw a zip tie around the center after you seal it though, they are re-enterable splices so the zip tie will prevent ground movement or anything else from popping it back open and exposing it)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MQ4EDQU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

B. This is one of the cable strippers that I have that has help up to a fair amount of abuse and I havent even had to replace the blades yet
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008KOZYWC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

As for the bury, there is no minimum depth the cable need to be since we remove voltage before the drop. Ive seen them all different depths but for more than a couple inches your better off just running and trenching a line yourself.

Quad shield cable is not necessary since it doesnt provide any real life proven benefit over the alternatives. Flooded cable is needed though for the protection underground, and its the only type of cable rated for direct burial without conduit anyway.


If you splice it correctly and use a gel splice around the connections you should be able to see quite a few more trouble free years before you run into problems. Electrical tape will allow the water to travel though, it just doesnt suffice when it comes to underground connections.

 

[BillK]

ph,
For what its worth, I did the same thing a few years ago. Like you said the cable was only down an inch or so. I called Comcast and they came out and replace it and did not charge a thing. Even if they had tried to charge me I would have mentioned that the cable was only and inch or two deep and that probably would have settled it.
Got better service too since the original cable was probably 20 years old.

 

[jeffmoss26]

The sticky stuff is the gel from the filled cable. It is a pain to work with!

 

[rancherbill]

Kick a previous owner, or perhaps yourself, in the ****.

Based on my experience, the cable company left a roll of wire for a temporary connection because owner PROMISED to dig it into the correct depth. One of my neighbours cut their temp line with their mower three times before the riot act was read to them and they had it properly trenched.

 

[TJay]

Kick a previous owner, or perhaps yourself, in the ****.

Based on my experience, the cable company left a roll of wire for a temporary connection because owner PROMISED to dig it into the correct depth. One of my neighbours cut their temp line with their mower three times before the riot act was read to them and they had it properly trenched.

I'm not sure what MSO you've worked with but in every area Ive worked the subscriber never buries their own lines. From the tap to the home is still the providers responsibility, once it terminates at the home it belongs to the homeowner.

 

[CNGsaves]

The coax drop to house is cable company responsibility. Call them and show the crappy 1 inch depth . . . . plus your proof that 811/DigSafe was called and utilities marked. You did nothing wrong.

I forced my cable provider to bury a plastic conduit when I kept having signal quality problems as the drop was just **** (it was direct bury and had degraded quality). 1st they came & put temporary drop on top of ground (gel-filled RG6). Then they had a 3rd party subcontractor that came in with small Toro vibratory plow that put the plastic conduit right into ground around foot deep around perimeter of yard where it won't likely ever have any problem again. They just gave me the extra cable of temporary drop so I used it for some extra runs in basement & fine except for messing with goo of gel-filled.

Squeaky wheel gets the grease . . . complain, complain, complain about that subpar 1" bury depth and have them come out and Do It Right . . all on their nickel with a plastic conduit and gel-filled RG6 inside the conduit.

 

[rancherbill]

I'm not sure what MSO you've worked with but in every area Ive worked the subscriber never buries their own lines. From the tap to the home is still the providers responsibility, once it terminates at the home it belongs to the homeowner.

I live in the country. Rules - there are no rules. To get phone/cable lines installed by the provider they have OVER ONE YEAR waiting time. They do not want to be in that business. When I built my house, I put in the wire, called and they were here within several days. It was the normal service guy that connected the wire. Mine are harder to hit being 30+" below grade. I put them 24" into the clay and then put the topsoil back. They are a little deep, but I was unsure whether there would be any last minute tuning of the landscaping. I pre-plan stuff because my wife likes changing things - it gives her something to do.

I am not sure all the details on the neighbours house. From what I do know the landscape contractor was supposed to bury it. After $150,000+ in landscaping, the owner went bankrupt because of her business, the contractor went bankrupt because of this job and other jobs, and stuff never got done. There were also irrigation lines left on the surface.

 

[TJay]

I live in the country. Rules - there are no rules. To get phone/cable lines installed by the provider they have OVER ONE YEAR waiting time. They do not want to be in that business. When I built my house, I put in the wire, called and they were here within several days. It was the normal service guy that connected the wire. Mine are harder to hit being 30+" below grade. I put them 24" into the clay and then put the topsoil back. They are a little deep, but I was unsure whether there would be any last minute tuning of the landscaping. I pre-plan stuff because my wife likes changing things - it gives her something to do.

I am not sure all the details on the neighbours house. From what I do know the landscape contractor was supposed to bury it. After $150,000+ in landscaping, the owner went bankrupt because of her business, the contractor went bankrupt because of this job and other jobs, and stuff never got done. There were also irrigation lines left on the surface.

Well if all of our customers wanted to bury 2-3' in the ground Id be all for it lol but the majority of them wouldn't dream of that, they would let that line lay across their yard for years to come and then blame the company when it degrades faster.

As for the comment regarding conduit runs, I have yet to see that done in my area without the customer themself paying for it UNLESS it runs under a driveway that has had multiple replacements completed already and the company sees it as a financial benefit to lay conduit. So getting results such as that may vary greatly depending on location and who you deal with.

 

[Thumper68]

Just order one of these and seal the splice, I have had them as temp fixes on jobs that never got re-run for 10+ years.

Sometimes depending on the cable company you go out and temp repair a line and until one call can go mark and the contractor gets there to run new line and it never gets done.


http://www.selectcom.net/index.php/catv/installation-material/drop-splice-enclosure-gel-filled.html

 

[CNGsaves]

Well if all of our customers wanted to bury 2-3' in the ground Id be all for it lol but the majority of them wouldn't dream of that, they would let that line lay across their yard for years to come and then blame the company when it degrades faster.

As for the comment regarding conduit runs, I have yet to see that done in my area without the customer themself paying for it UNLESS it runs under a driveway that has had multiple replacements completed already and the company sees it as a financial benefit to lay conduit. So getting results such as that may vary greatly depending on location and who you deal with.

^ ^ True on the YMMV on getting conduit pulled on CableCo's nickel . . .
. . . . I'm REALY good at complaining !!!!

Also, my lot was small city lot so no big deal for sub to use vibratory plow to put in conduit versus just the direct bury cable.

If OP is out in the boondocks (don't really know as his GJ location is "Earth") then that will make difference. COX was my cable co and not that bad to deal with, as I've heard horror stories from ComCast customers back east.

Even if OP has to pay minimal cost of the plastic conduit, that's still a better setup as likely never have any cut lines again.

Final advice . . . PLOT a DRAWING of where that cable coax gets buried on scale draft paper so you'll know exactly where it's located. Once you get sprinkler pipes installed, plus all the utilities, it's really helpful to know where ALL your buried stuff is at.

 

[mobiledynamics]

They do make a compression splice fitting, aka, take both ends of the F cable and you compress it on both sides. I would consider that and then seal it again in a waterproof housing and call it a day.

 

[Falcon67]

Kick a previous owner, or perhaps yourself, in the ****.

Based on my experience, the cable company left a roll of wire for a temporary connection because owner PROMISED to dig it into the correct depth. One of my neighbours cut their temp line with their mower three times before the riot act was read to them and they had it properly trenched.

Not anyplace I've lived. Incoming to the demarc is the utility's problem. SW Bell fixed our incoming phone line when we bought that house in Houston. The tech draped the line from the box to the house demarc on the fence, said the trenching crew would be there later to place it. When we moves away 4 years later, the line was still on the fence.


Hey, if you're going to fix this DIY, do it right. Call yourself and describe the problem. Make some uninformative notes and open a work order on the back of a napkin. Set a date for the fix, say you'll do it between 8 AM and 12. Throw the napkin away. Stay home on the appointed day. Do not show up and don't call yourself the entire day. Enjoy your day off.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Well...if he has more than one TV, and someone is watching a Star Trek marathon on one, and someone else is watching a Star Wars marathon on the other, the cable could short out and cause a tear in the time-space continuum, that would cause Leonard Nimoy to rise from the grave and go on a crazy zombie rampage

.....or nothing at all

LOL, good post!

 

[reader2580]

It seems to be normal to only bury cable TV cables about 2" down. My parent's house and my two houses have all had the line only buried 2".

All three of the houses have had the line broken at least once. My father was helping me with a trench at my previous house and got too close to the cable line even though it was exposed and visible. This house the contractor installing the culvert hit the cable TV line even though it was marked.

 

[nine4gmc]

Code around here is 8" or less for cable, 12" or so for phone and 18-24" for electric iirc.

 

[justsam]

I would DIY if you want a quality and timely job, and replace the whole cable.

Again I would use RG-6 quad shield, direct bury. The QS is not for improved electrical performance but for better mechanical strength. Make sure you have the proper compression connectors for QS. Place it in some 1/2" drip line to offer a little more protection. Yes you need to use gloves when dealing with the Gel.

 

[rancherbill]

I get that there are different soil types and rock etc.

Putting any kind of permanent cable down 2" or 8" is insanity. It ranks right up there with not burying water lines deep enough.

Saved a little time in installation and it bites your *** forever.

 

[Slednut]

I didn't real through all the posts but this would work.

http://www.zoro.com/te-connectivity...gclid=CNmi_fKizMYCFZYWHwodBE8JuQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[iceman510]

I have seen cable lines "buried" by laying them under newly laid sod.

 

[larry4406]

Parrothead (OP) - what did you ever wind up doing for permanent repair?

How did you terminate the orange Comcast cable? It is much larger in diameter than RG-6 quad shield and I doubt my Klein compression tool and wet rated connectors would work.

When I trenched in my power to my barn last summer, I repeatedly called Miss Utility and told them I had a known conflict with Comcast (I knew generally where the drop was as I watched it go in 5 years prior). Comcast would never mark it and would simply report all clear. I went thru like 5 attempts with this and gave up. Finally in desperation I literally hand dug up the entire cable for around 100' to move it aside and get it out of my way while retaining uninterrupted service to the house. It had been "trenched in" by machine but was found to only be 4-6 inches down.

I proceeded, put in my power conduit, conduit for low voltage, above ground pull boxes for communication and power, etc. Went to go pull the Comcast feed thru my conduits and well because I ran deeper, the conduit pathway is longer than the cable!

So my Comcast cable sits on the ground now for one year.

I would like to cut it and splice it in my waterproof above ground low voltage distribution box, then pull an underground rated RG6 quad shield to the house to restore service.

Edit - any Comcast techs here and local to 20187? Cash is king.

 

[bbbarracuda]

Several years ago, a friend had a “temporary” cable wire laying on his yard for months. After no luck getting the cable co to bury it, he “accidentally” hit with his mower. They came out ran a new wire on the ground. The next week, he hit it again. After the 3rd or 4th time they finally buried it.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Parrothead (OP) - what did you ever wind up doing for permanent repair?

How did you terminate the orange Comcast cable? It is much larger in diameter than RG-6 quad shield and I doubt my Klein compression tool and wet rated connectors would work.

The orange RG cable is typically RG11.

you need to get RG11 compression connectors. I have several compression tools and my klein 211-063 does RG11 connectors.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009BU3H5U/?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/cable-tools/heavy-duty-multi-connector-compression-crimper

When I trenched in my power to my barn last summer, I repeatedly called Miss Utility and told them I had a known conflict with Comcast (I knew generally where the drop was as I watched it go in 5 years prior). Comcast would never mark it and would simply report all clear. I went thru like 5 attempts with this and gave up. Finally in desperation I literally hand dug up the entire cable for around 100' to move it aside and get it out of my way while retaining uninterrupted service to the house. It had been "trenched in" by machine but was found to only be 4-6 inches down.

I proceeded, put in my power conduit, conduit for low voltage, above ground pull boxes for communication and power, etc. Went to go pull the Comcast feed thru my conduits and well because I ran deeper, the conduit pathway is longer than the cable!

So my Comcast cable sits on the ground now for one year.

I would like to cut it and splice it in my waterproof above ground low voltage distribution box, then pull an underground rated RG6 quad shield to the house to restore service.

Edit - any Comcast techs here and local to 20187? Cash is king.

100' is too long for RG6, this is why you have RG11.

Just buy some RG11 cable, the connectors i linked to above, and make sure the RG11 compression connectors fit in your compression tool.