Witching, Divining Rod...Weird

[Holladay]

So I am putting in some solar panels (another discussion) and they are going to do some trenching to lay some power lines.

I need to find out if there is anything buried that they might cut through.

I live out in the country and an old dude 25 years ago helped me lay some water pipes. We needed to find the water line from the barn to the spigot. He showed me how to divine. Two copper ~12 gauge wires, bent at 90 angles. We found the water lines and dug. Sure enough, within 12 " was the line.

Fast forward to the solar panels. Our propane tank has been moved 3 times in the last 25 years. I need to find the line. On a whim, I thought I could divine the propane line. The propane company doesn't have the layout where the last line was laid.

Now the weird stuff.

I had a good idea where the propane line was from the 3 different locations. I traced back from the existing tank location and found a path to the prior location. Then traced it back to the first location from 25 years ago. Then traced it to the house.

So from the house (original line) out to the original tank location, across the drive, to the second location, to where the tank is now...all divined. When they moved the tank, they just spliced the lines. So it is like connecting the dots.

I thought about my other water lines. I divined the old water line from back when. Check.

I found the existing water line from the well to the house. Check.

So I went down the rabbit hole. If it works for water and copper propane lines, what about electrical lines as well?

So I started check old wire runs.

I laid a power line out to a flag pole to light it after 9/11. I haven't used it for 19 years. Check.

I trenched some power lines to light the Dog Coop. Check.

An internet cable from an old satellite clear across the backyard to the house that is not used. Check.

I divined underneath the power lines...nothing.

My wife is going to think I am crazy. I have all these little landscaping flags showing where the under ground stuff I have mapped. Prolly a hundred of them across the property.

Dunno. Weird. Can not explain.

[loochy]

Do you know alchemy? Make me some gold.

[Deberg_1990]

I thought these things were proven a hoax long ago?

[tmax63]

Never done it but have seen it done a time or two. The times I saw it, it worked, hoax or not. Not everything can be proven scientifically at our level of technology. I don't automatically dismiss things I don't understand.

[Dunerdr]

had an old indian guy do it at my dads place to find a well and sure enough spot on.

[rockymtnchief]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

I thought these things were proven a hoax long ago?

I witch water lines all the time. I have a locator for everything else.

The city guys witch and divine rod the sewer and water lines here since their maps aren't accurate.

[TribalElder]

Is that what dig rite uses for locates?

[Fish]

The trick is putting a raw slice of onion in your sock while you sleep.

[TambaBerry]

Its all gravitational pull of the earth, the lines interrupt the rod and it makes it move. not a hoax

[Easy 6]

My grandpa used to be one of the most sought after well finders in the county using witching rods... it’s quite real

[Boise_Chief]

I've done it for sewer and water lines dont know why it works but it does.

[SupDock]

I'm a little skeptical. Positive results have never been replicated in controlled studies.

[Mennonite]

We live in the goddamn dark ages. Wtf is wrong with you people?

[srvy]

I witch sewer lines all the time to find buried manhole along a trunk line. Learned it from a land surveyor when I started out. It isnt reliable in areas congested with a lot of buried utilities as you can differentiate what is what. You dont need fancy brass or copper divining rods. We used to tear the flag off those wire flags used for buried utilities bend at 90* about 3 to 4 inches then hold between thumb and forefinger loosely in palm both rods pointing out away from body. Then walk as you cross the buried line the 2 rods will swing out parallel to the line.

[tatorhog]

I remember a number of years ago, the water main leading up to the tower from the water plant ruptured. The city workers knew roughly where it was. So they let one of their guys witch it. Of the 4 lane road that cuts through town, they dug up the wrong lane. In this case, the guy was just a bad guesser that told good stories.

I have seen it work at other times too. So who knows.