1 EAGLETON NOTES: Found it!

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Tuesday 28 June 2011

Found it!

I have been digging a trench to try and find the wastewater outfall pipe.  I dug a longish trench where I though it was and several metres either side.  I had no success although I couldn't see how it could possibly have been anywhere else.  I assumed, therefore, that the trench must need deepening although it was already significantly deeper than the depth of the manhole in front of the house.  I popped into the plumbers today to say that I was still looking and I'd place my order for the new en suite when I found the outfall.  One of the chaps there suggested that I use dowsing rods.  

Now I have a friend who dowses.  I'm not sure that he believes dowsing always works but I have seen many occasions when he has tried it when I've been there to witness it and it has worked.  As to why he has no idea and I certainly don't.  Scientific studies have shown that success with dowsing is no greater than the success of finding something by chance.  I wonder (as an aside) whether it has something to do with the person who is dowsing.

Anyway I decided that I had nothing to lose so I cut up a couple of wire clothes hangers, turned on the taps so that I had running water in the pipes and went forth and dowsed.  I walked around with the rods across the line where the drain had to pass below which included a little trench I'd dug after breaking an area of concrete.  It refused to work.  I went along the big trench I'd already dug and it  didn't work there either.  As the pipe had to pass somewhere there I decided dowsing wasn't one of my skills.  However I decided to give it another chance.  All of a sudden in a place where I hadn't walked before the rods moved inwards and crossed.

I decided there was nothing to lose by breaking more concrete and getting rid of some frustration.  About a foot down after having removed a considerable amount of stone over I came across a paving slab.  I removed a lot more concrete and stone and the paving slab and there, directly under where the rods had crossed was a manhole.

Well I still have no idea whether dowsing works or why the rods crossed at that point on this occasion but I found the manhole so do I really care?  No.  Not really.  Will I be offering my services?  No.  But I wouldn't rule dowsing out if I were looking for another water pipe.

5 comments:

  1. hee hee BRILLIANT!!!

    See positive thinking works a treat..........well done on giving it a shot!

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  2. still in the dark as to how the wires work...glad you found the pipe!

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  3. WOW!!!! HOW COOL IS THAT! there must be a reason why people keep doing it, right?
    Congratulations! You may have a new side job!

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  4. I always thought one used Hazel twigs.
    Where did you find a wire coathanger?
    Well done, you'll be prospecting for gold next.

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  5. Congratulations, however you managed it. The beginning of your post brought images of "Timeteam" to my mind! LOL

    Like Adrian I thought one was supposed to use twigs, or even that it had to be one twig that divides into two (whatever that may be called in English). Never heard of using a coathanger. Also never heard the English word 'dowsing' before so I learned a lot today. I hope I won't really have reason to try it out though!

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