#how to find property markers with a metal detector Tag | The Ring Finders

Property Marker Found With A Metal Detector, In Cape Elizabeth, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

On Tuesday evening, April 9th, I received a call from Angie. She and her husband, Adrian, had purchased a home in Cape Elizabeth, last fall. They now wanted to put a fence up, in their backyard. The fence would run from the back right side of the property, to the back left side of the property, only. No fence would be put up alongside the home, or in the front. Unfortunately, they were unsure where the exact property line was, in the backyard. They had been quoted $3000.00 for a survey of the property, but if we could find the markers, they could save the $3000.00. They had a map of the property, showing the distances between the property markers but were not exactly sure how to start.

Now, property markers can be tricky because of many different factors. Are they even made of metal? There are lots of granite and rock property markers, here in New England.

I once was called to search for property markers, when a neighbor was caught, moving them. All I found was a lot, and I mean a lot of nails.

Another time, I searched for 4 property markers, finding just two. The other two, had been moved or washed downstream, in a flood, which also changed the direction of the stream. The same flood caused road damage and a new culvert was put in, either moving the marker or burying it, with all the fill that was used for the new culvert. I also know that people have removed property markers, because they were in the way, when mowing the lawn. So, as you see, property markers may be a hit or miss proposition.

I arrived at Angie and Adrian’s home promptly at 8:00 am. I was told that a neighbor had a property survey performed , a few years back and the neighbor had a property marker put in, on the left backside of the backyard. As we walked to the right backside of the property, Adrian also showed me a granite marker, in the ground, on the left front side of their home. Adrian was not sure if it was an actual property marker or not. Once we arrived at the right backside of the property, Adrian told me that the telephone pole on the far side of the property, was supposed to line straight up, to the right backside property marker. As I lined up the telephone pole, to close to the street, where the right backside marker should be, I received a strong Ferrous signal, on my Minelab CTX-3030 metal detector. After digging the target m it turned out to be a rather large and old nail. As I started swinging again, I received another strong Ferrous signal, less than a foot from the nail. I dug the target and SUCCESS, we had found the metal rod property marker. I then told Adrian, that I would like to measure the distance between the property marker, I just found and the granite marker, on the right front side of the house. The distance should be 103.67’. I then secured one one of my 300’ tape measure and walked it down, from the granite marker, to the metal rod marker, I had just found. When I looked at the measurement, I had to smile, as the measurement was exactly what it was suppose to be, 103.67’. We just verified the granite marker was, in fact their property marker, for the right front of the house.

I then wanted to measure from the marker, I had found, to the marker that the neighbor had put in a few years back, and near the telephone pole. The measurement should be 207.87’. As I arrived at the neighbors marker, near the telephone pole, I looked at the tape measure and we had another match. The measurement was 207.87’, just like it was suppose to be. Now, just one more marker.

I walked the tape measure down to the left front of the house, from the neighbors marker, in the back left of the property. The measurement should be 103.67’ and when I got to 105 feet, I stopped and started searching, with my metal detector. I found another 5-6 nails, but no marker, in the area, it should have been. The area has been disturbed, as there is a culvert, telephone pole, looking fairly new. There is also a rock wall that looks fairly new and could have been built over the marker.

Angie and Adrian were extremely pleased that I was able to find their one metal rod properly marker and then measure it out, to the known neighbors marker and the granite marker, in the left front of the property. They can now use the $3000.00 they didn’t spend on a property survey and put it towards their new fence. 

Property Markers Found In Saco, Maine With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

I had received a call last week from Kathleen and her husband Bob. They were interested in finding their property markers that they hadn’t seen since the home was built, 30 years ago, here in Saco. We made an appointment for me to search for the markers for today, 10/11/23.

I showed up promptly at the agreed upon time and both Kathleen and Bob were there to greet me. The 1st marker we searched for was the right front corner of the house, as you faced it. When I turned the detector on, it went haywire, with it constantly going off and I couldn’t get a good signal. I was then told all the utility wires were buried there. I made an adjustment to the detector, still no help. I tried another detector, still lots of interference.

So, Bob suggested we check the front left of the home, near the culvert. Thankfully, no interference but lots and lots of iron objects were being dug. Nails, pipes and iron objects we didn’t even recognize. Bob then told me when the house was built, it was the last house on the street and where the property marker was , there was not a road or culvert yet. When the housing development expanded, a road and culvert were put in and those improvements were done with fill. Could the property marker been moved and or buried with all the infrastructure improvements? Not sure but after many, many iron objects and no marker, Bob and Kathleen suggested we go to the back, wooded area of the property and search for those. We started on the right backside of the property and after digging a few iron objects, we thankfully found the marker. We then went to the back left side of the property, the same side as the culvert, and Bob and Kathleen were not very optimistic about finding this one because along the small stream, many large trees had come down and according to Bob, the stream looks like it has been altered some, by the downed trees. We did our due diligence and search up and down the banks of the stream, without any luck. Could the marker be under one of the fallen trees or swept away by the stream changing course? Not sure but it was not in the area they thought it would be.

I decided to try looking for the 1st marker, near the buried utility wires. This time, knowing where the back right marker was, I searched about 10 feet to the left of where I had been searching earlier. This area lined up better with the back property marker and thankfully, there was no interference from the utility wires. Our 1st target turned out to be a nail. Our second target was exactly what we were looking for. The property marker had been found. Bob tells me that the city is coming out in the next month or so to do some culvert work, after all the heavy rain we have had the year. When the city is working in the culvert, Bob will measure from his other front marker and find the exact area of the missing marker. Hopefully when the culvert is being worked on, the city will take some of the fill out. At that point, I will return and see if it is still buried or still to deep from the fill that was placed on top of it. Kathleen and Bob were both very pleased at the outcome and can’t wait until I return.

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Water Shutoff Valve Found Outside The House In Old Orchard Beach, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

On Tuesday August 1st, 2023, I received a text message from Tish. She and her husband needed to find the outside water shutoff valve, at their home in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. She told me they were available until 11:00 am and it was 9:00am now. I immediately texted her back and told her that I would be there in 15-20 minutes. This call out would be a first for me. I had never tried to find a water shutoff, in the past. How hard could it be?

Once I arrived, Tish and her husband explained that their inside water shutoff was rusted and could not be shut off, in the case of an emergency. They wanted to find the outside valve to shut water off to the house, so that a new inside shutoff valve could then be installed. As I started detecting the area, I started getting lots of hot rocks that had been placed over the lawn, and we removed them as I found them. I also found an old, large rusty railroad spike and lots of old rusty nails, but no shutoff valve. As the trash was being removed, I received a very loud signal on the CTX-3030, showing it to be in the iron range and at a depth of 0-1 inches. We scraped back the rocks, dug a very shallow hole and the spade hit something solid. Scraping back a little more soil brought the water shutoff valve into the daylight. Now Tish and her husband may contact the local Water Company to come shut their water off and have their new inside shutoff installed.