A Shocking Reminder from the Good Old Days

Homeowners sometimes stumble upon clues about the past when they uncover whatever lies buried in the backyards of older homes. I am not talking about a tasteful time capsule. Maybe you wanted to plant a garden or were simply clearing out space. During this, you made a discovery. Possibly one homeowner, while redoing the landscaping of their newly purchased home, found a buried utility box. But it could have ended badly.

A Simple Project Turns Dangerous

While leveling dirt near a fence, the homeowner noticed a large metal grate just under the top soil. The homeowner picked it up. They thought it was an old septic tank lid or irrigation access. As they dug deeper they found a concrete vault with a cylindrical metal object inside. A thick black cable surrounded the cylindrical object. The equipment was hot.

Later, a utility worker identified the equipment to the homeowner as a pad-mounted transformer. It was still live and delivering high voltage electricity to the home. The “hoses” were live electrical cables.

High Voltage Equipment – Buried in Your Yard

You typically find pad-mounted transformers in green boxes above ground in residential neighborhoods. In older homes, especially those built in the mid-1900’s, pad mounted transformers can be below ground or behind a fence. There they can easily become forgotten, covered, or sealed up long before the new owner arrived.

In this case the vault had no warning; it was fully exposed. A partial collapse of the top exposed live parts. If an operator inadvertently touches the cables or carelessly places tools or a shovel near the area, serious injury or possible death could have happened.

What to Do Next

If you find a buried utility box:

• Do NOT touch anything.
• Do NOT replace or move this cover.
• Call your local utility supplier and report your find, an uncovered transformer vault.
• Keep all persons and pets away until it is secured.

Only utility workers are trained and have the tools to deal with this type of equipment and concern safely.

How the Past Continues to Survive Below

Builders installed many of the systems in these older homes decades ago, and they still operate today. Utility vaults, oil tanks and water systems, often buried, forgotten, or undocumented can pose a risk for new homeowners. They may not know how well or poorly a predecessor maintained, utilized, or abandoned them.

This buried utility box illustrates why homeowners must exercise caution, even with the simplest things in the yards of older properties. One old grate—likely one of many—connected directly to the electrical grid.

In every neighborhood where the architecture or ground layers beckons nostalgia, safety must come first now. The past may still hold aspects that people no longer use, but those things can still pose danger.