Most companies bury by machine at anywhere between 12-24 inches. You SHOULD be safe, but as you mentioned there is no way to know. AT&T probably subs out their burying services so it would be really hard to get a real answer.

Maybe a friend with a high tech metal detector could help you out if you know anybody into them, but that's probably the only way you're going to know for sure.

 

When I was doing some edging I came across ATT/Cox lines barely 4in deep. I don't know if they were originally lower before settling/erosion.

I would probably recommend checking a few spots by hand for depth for this and any other future projects.

 

Lawn paint the entire run while it's still visible and tell your guy to aerate around it. Good thing there's enough room to work around both sides of the cable.

 

They're supposed to be deep enough but my AT&T cable is like 3-4 inches deep so it doesn't always work that way. I would test it first or avoid the area in general.

 

I too have not-as-deep-as-it-should-be cable that was replaced and buried by Charter after the old line was deemed unsuitable. I figured it was buried about a foot. Digging to extend some irrigation pipes revealed it was only a couple inches below grade.

 

Thanks for the input, everyone. That helps me in my process. Much appreciated!

 

It will be shallow. Call 811 is a free locate service. Just give them a few days lead time. Stay 6" off the marks.

 

Just aerate over it and if you hit the cable so be it. That's their problem. You might be without Wi-Fi for a day or so but that's it. That's how I look at it anyway.

 

@Mikeyp_1284 I'd consider that if I didn't need the WiFi to work from home.

 

Is it fiber optic or coaxial? If it's coaxial, I would just take the chance of hitting it and you could always do a quick patch to hold you over until AT&T could come properly bury it. I wouldn't even know where to begin with fiber optic though. Judging from the scar it left in your yard, I would think they buried it pretty deep but like mentioned before, you never know.

 

It's coaxial. I saw them briefly as I glanced out the 2nd story while they were doing it with their Ditch Witch, but at the time I wasn't thinking about how deep it was being buried, and didn't bother to ask. I wonder how much it would set back the healing of those scars if they aren't aerated. I would hope the soil beneath would still benefit from all the punching on either side. First time doing it, so I don't know if it's worth risking it and have them go right over the whole thing.

 

AT&T barely puts the cable in the ground. Mine was cut last year from aeration. I was talking to the techs that came out to run a new line. They told me it happens all the time every spring/summer. They beg mgmt to require it to be buried deeper. Apparently it is cheaper to run it shallow which is faster for them and to just redo ones that get cut.

 

@agrassman thanks for letting me know. Better not take my chances on this one.

 

I cut my spectrum cable digging out shallow rocks, it was about 2-4" deep, never even thought to worry about a cable so shallow

 

@itslogz I've been doing the same thing around my lawn. It's amazing the freakin boulders that the builders laid sod on 🤦‍♂️

 

I have cut my cable 3 times (twice during aeration, once with a ProPlugger). It's extremely frustrating to say the least. There is an area in particular I desperately needed to aerate and let breathe, so I personally pulled up the cable, aerated, then reburied deeper.

 

@Kdaves12 that's some commitment right there! Now I'm also remembering there's a gas line. Sweet. So if you never hear from me again after Thursday, it just means I blew up along with my house.

 

Most states have an 811 number you can call for them to come mark utilities... NC is the same. I'd do it anyway just to show AT&T you tried before cutting their line. When they show up for the repair, let them know they may want to take their time to properly bury the cable because aerating is something you do annually.

 

Most companies bury by machine at anywhere between 12-24 inches. You SHOULD be safe, but as you mentioned there is no way to know. AT&T probably subs out their burying services so it would be really hard to get a real answer.

Maybe a friend with a high tech metal detector could help you out if you know anybody into them, but that's probably the only way you're going to know for sure.

My fiber cable was no where near that depth from ATT. They hired some flunkies to bury it after the install, and I had to rebury. They didn't even make it 2-4 inches in some places.

 

Most states have an 811 number you can call for them to come mark utilities... NC is the same. I'd do it anyway just to show AT&T you tried before cutting their line. When they show up for the repair, let them know they may want to take their time to properly bury the cable because aerating is something you do annually.

811 usually only marks in public right of ways. If it's your private property you will probably have to hire someone to do it. Maybe you can talk them into it once they get out there though since it's not a lot of work.

 

They marked all the way to the house for both me and my neighbor. Gas line was the biggest concern with my neighbor.

 

After I cut my 2" buried AT&T fiber line I watched the buried services tech "bury" the new line with a flat blade shovel all the way up to the fiber box..2-3" deep. On to the next one...

 

Most states have an 811 number you can call for them to come mark utilities... NC is the same. I'd do it anyway just to show AT&T you tried before cutting their line. When they show up for the repair, let them know they may want to take their time to properly bury the cable because aerating is something you do annually.

811 usually only marks in public right of ways. If it's your private property you will probably have to hire someone to do it. Maybe you can talk them into it once they get out there though since it's not a lot of work.

My house was built in 1998 and for some reason Comcast ran the coax from the street along one side of the driveway/garage, around the back of the house and then up the other side and into the house. 811 came out and marked it the whole length.

 

Maybe I'll go nuts on it next year when I aerate and have a few days off work. For now I'm going to avoid it. A related question- the areas on either side of that scar seem to have superior color and growth along most of it. I wonder if there is some kind of phenomenon going on there. You can see it in the 2nd picture. Maybe the fertilizer prills just hit either side of the elevated mount and settle there?

 

Maybe I'll go nuts on it next year when I aerate and have a few days off work. For now I'm going to avoid it. A related question- the areas on either side of that scar seem to have superior color and growth along most of it. I wonder if there is some kind of phenomenon going on there. You can see it in the first picture. Maybe the fertilizer prills just hit either side of the elevated mount and settle there?

Yes, low spots are almost always greener next to a higher spot. More water and fertilizers runs to the low spots. Also the grass does not get cut quite so short there and the tops of the grass are usually the greenest.