Why might you need a utility locating service? Read on to find out.
If you’re considering building a pool or adding a fence to your yard, or need to expand your plumbing for an addition to your home, you may need a utility locating service. While state agencies will locate public utilities such as water force mains, primary electric lines, communications lines, gas mains, and main storm or sanitary sewers, you will still need to locate any private utilities. This is what our frequency locators and ground-penetrating radar can help with.
Why Utility Locating?
As we said, state agencies will be able to locate any public utilities but anything private is left up to you. This means you’ll need other services–like water service lines, secondary electric lines, communications lines on your property, sewer lines like septic tanks—are all up to you. If you’re doing any kind of professional excavating on your property, you are obligated to first find out where all of these utilities are located. That’s where ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and frequency locators come in.
Frequency Locators
Frequency locators are used for very specific purposes. They perceive the energy that is emitted by buried electrical, phone, and fiber optic lines. Not all utilities give off a frequency, but for the ones they do, this is a quick and efficient way to find them. Frequency locators are a great utility locating technology, as it’s quick and efficient. It can’t get all of the utilities located though, and that’s why GPR is so important.
GPR
GPR can be used to find other utilities located beneath the ground. How does it work? It’s a machine that lets out a small pulse using an antenna. Then it records the time it takes for that pulse to return, which, much like a bat’s echolocation, lets it see how large the embedded object is. Using GPR and frequency locators together means accurate utility locating can be completed.
GPR and Frequency Location Services from Concrete Visions
Concrete Visions has over 12 years of experience and expertise in concrete scanning and we know how to detect any problems lurking beneath the surface. We use ground penetrating radar accurately and expertly and are familiar with many other methods that can be used when appropriate like concrete x-ray and electromagnetic conductivity. We are also very familiar with the latest construction safety techniques and train all of our workers to do their work quickly, accurately, and safely. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you, give us a call at (410) 766-2210 or visit us online. For more articles and tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.