Outdoor – Removing Pole and Concrete Base from Yard

cementoutdoorunderground

I debated between putting this question here or on SE Gardening and Landscape, but I think this question will be a better fit for this site… Let me know if I need to move it.

So I'm now leading into my third summer at this rental home in North Carolina and I've been think about what I can do to make mowing my lawn a bit easier. I'm currently using a push mower for about a third of an acre because I don't have a garage or a shed — more like a utility closet to store my mower.

One thing that's always bugged me about the backyard is this roughly 3 foot tall metal pole sticking out of the middle of the yard. I've tried digging under it to see how deep it goes and there seems to be at least 6-10 inches of a concrete base below ground level. The only thing stopping me from going even deeper and really trying to remove it is that I have no idea what it actually is doing there. There also seems to be a small landscaping stone on one side of it.

So my question is, can anyone figure out what the purpose of this may have been? Additionally, will I end up running into any electrical or gas lines if I try to dig this thing out?

Side away from the house
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Nob or nobs on side facing the house
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Top down view
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Some clipped off line?
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Best Answer

This is the remnants of a natural gas or propane grill, gas heater, or perhaps a gas lamp. The flared tubing fitting and old control valve stem are the giveaways here.

Look around the structures adjacent to the yard for signs of a pipe with a valve for which you cannot ascertain a purpose, so you can at least try to confirm that any leftover fuel supply line is shut off. Although I doubt anyone would be callous enough to cap, bury, and abandon a live gas line, it is not out of the realm of possibilities. There is also the chance that the fuel supply came from a portable tank...

Either way, I would start digging until it was excavated, then chuck it. If in the course of digging you encounter an old pipe or buried tubing, be careful and try to locate the source to ensure it is shut off and safe to leave as-is.

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