Best practice for tagging iron pipe property corners?

Have never tagged an iron in 30 years of surveying!

Interesting. In California it's mandatory to mark all property monuments set, via tag or plug, with your LS number. The problem with plastic plugs are the LS numbers wear away over time, hence why some agencies want more durable fixtures.

I think I have my solution though. Drill a hole in the plastic plug ahead of time, took 3 minutes to do 15 plugs, and use that as a sleeve. Then I use a standard copperweld and sleeve to drive through that, fits great and very secure. We have to use these copperwelds to monument new subdivisions anyway so buy in bulk to keep cost down.

Well, I think it looks kinda tacky, but I don't have a better suggestion.
Don't they make metal caps that fit inside your pipe?
I use the cheap plastic ones myself over 1/2" x 18" rebars.
Most of the monuments I find don't have any ID on them, so if they find mine in 10 years they might not can read it either, but I figger by then it don't matter no how.

J.T.

It may look a little beefy buy after it's recessed 2" down no one sees anything but the top. I have yet to find a good metal plug except for rebar. The copperwelds run about $2.50 if you buy in bulk.

As mentioned, many in California want the plastic plug to go away, it fades and erodes too easily. Also, in California, once the agency has checked and approved the map they sometimes send an associate surveyor out to see if you have set the monuments noted on the map.

So for now I will set the copperwelds.

Thanks for your input.

5/8" x 30" Rebar with Marked Yellow Plastic Cap in Oregon.
1/2" x 24" Rebar with Marked Yellow Plastic Cap in Washington.

I'm not a fan of using Iron Pipes and the methods you mentioned for tagging after the pipe is set would be some of my suggestions.
Your pictures with the Berntsen BP2 in the cap is pretty ingenuitive for sure and Berntsen's answer to the question is to simply place the Plastic cap inside the pipe per the correct diameter.

Banning Plastic plugs may be splitting hairs.:-/

Die set, stamp your numbers down the side of the top 2" of the pipe.

:good:

+1 on stamping the IP's before setting them.
There is nothing wrong with the plastic caps, if you counter sink them a couple inches.

In British Columbia the standard "Type 1" survey post is a 1/2" square galvanized iron bar, 30" long, with the letters "BCLS" stamped in one side. No individual markings whatsoever. But you can always tell from the record who set any particular corner.

I'm not sure how these stampings were prepared, but we always ordered and picked up bundles of these bars fully prepared from local machine shops. I guess they have machinery for the job. It could not have cost much. There is no greater tightwad on earth than a BCLS. They would have thought nothing of having us stamp them ourselves if it would have been 1 cent cheaper.

> 5/8" x 30" Rebar with Marked Yellow Plastic Cap in Oregon.
I'm pretty sure that iron pipes are still legal in Oregon but nobody uses them.
> 1/2" x 24" Rebar with Marked Yellow Plastic Cap in Washington.
That's the common usage in Washington but the law just requires that they be "durable". I've seen 3/8" rods used.

How about something like this?

To much gooberment!

Where do you get your pipe monuments?

Here in Florida, I have not seen many surveyors that set iron pipes for monuments. They used to be fairly prevalent in the mid 20th century though. Nowadays most surveyors use rebar (either 1/2" or 5/8"). I think it boils down to cost. A 5/8"x18" rebar is a little over a $1 a piece. I am not even sure where I could get pipe monuments around here. I have seen some plumbers pipe at lowes and Home Depot but it looks pretty expensive compared to the cost of rebar.

In regards to stamping dates and numbers on the side of an IP, my only comment would be, how far to dig to verify markings. I do not like to expose a found IP any more than an inch, at the most. preferably markings are on the top and easily identifiable.

Also, I am assuming every state requires the map have a clearly noted legend identifying the monument set with an exact description of what was set or found, i.e., tag, plug (color), markings down the side, etc. In California a recorded map must be filed when setting any monument for boundary, only exception would be if you are replacing a previously monumented and mapped position, on file with county agency, in which case a corner record can be be filed instead. Therefore, if the map legend says a "2 inch IP w/red plug "LS 0000"" was set, yet I find a rebar and the cap is gone, guess what, possibly a Corner Record or Record of Survey is supposed to be filed, legally. Making sure you know who's monument you find has substantial implications and potential for financial outlay if you get stuck having to record documents, which is why many in California want far more durable monuments with easy identification.

Where do you get your pipe monuments?

I started surveying in 78 back east, and rebar was popular. Been in California since 83 and can say I almost NEVER come across rebar. It has always been considered too flimsy and easily bent. Plus, rebar is used in so much construction and line stringing that it can be mis-identified as being something it is not. 3/4" x 18" I.P. is standard in California, from my experience, and the cost has to be passed on. Typically it's a $5-$6 monument for IP and Copperweld top.

Tagging an existing corer you found is ridiculous in my Texas opinion. However, if I had to, I'd probably take a sheet metal screw, screw gun, and center punch, center punch the side, and screw the washer to the side of the pipe. Over time, one could see how many people have used it. It has two sides that could be used for washers and I guess that when it's filled up, you could just start stacking them on top of one another.

No, we don't retag found monuments, normally. If the monument exist on a previous recorded map we need to either accept or reject the point as being the monument. If we cannot clearly identify the point as being the monument as shown on a previous map we must file a Corner Record or Record of Survey with the County in which we are working. If a monument is not specifically called, has no markings, but does fit the resolved boundary corner, sure, I would retag and show on the map I am legally forced to file.

In a nutshell, if you are surveying property and that property has never been mapped (still just a legal description), you WILL do a full Record of Survey and file for record with the County, that's the law, and it can start at $2500, on top of the actual survey work. If the property has been mapped, but you find discrepancies, such as monuments out of position, not of the character shown on map, etc., you will file a Record of Survey, add minimum $2500 to your budget.

So, it's always in a California surveyors best interest to know exactly who set the monument and the markings match previous recorded docs, otherwise, legally, we are on the hook and only hope our clients understand when we hit then for the extra cost. So if you find monuments without tags, and there is no record, it can suck, because you just got straddled with the filing. If the point was set after a particular year than somebody violated the law, maybe just didn't get around to filing their map. But if a tag is there you can trace it back and remind them they need to file their map. Otherwise your holding the bag, I've seen it many times.

So, we all want monuments that can be durable and traceable back to an individual.

I use 1-1/2" stainless steel washers and pigtail them to the pipe with stainless wire. The tag remains at ground level or just beneath and can easily be accessed for info. A record of survey is usually required but the cost is in preparation and a $20-25 filing fee. I would not want to work in a state that did not require marking of registrants numbers and Records of Survey.

Where do you get your pipe monuments?

My caps fit over a 1/2" rebar or inside a 3/4" pipe...so that's what I set. 1/2" rebar work fine if you drive them flush with the ground. On rural surveys, however, I set 3/4" pipe. I can leave them 6" above ground and pile rock around them. They are easier to recover and the pipes don't move like a rebar would if you left it sticking up.

As far as cost: I buy the pipe at a local scrape-yard and cut them myself. They cost about $2 each. (twice the cost of comparable rebar monuments)