How to find and recognize underground utilities
Utility location is a method for labeling and classifying of underground public service channels. Examples of these networks service are electricity distribution, wastewater pipes, and water mains, storm drains, traffic signal, cable television, lines for telecommunication, fiber optics, street lights. In some places, national defense communication lines, gas pipelines, and oil, mass transit, road and rail tunnels compete for underground spaces.
What are the most common methods for finding underground utilities?
2-man electromagnetically wiping
The use of 2 man Inductive Electromagnetic Scanning method can help to locate utilities as underground utility locating without past experience of the buried facilities. This was done by a team of two men, the first one with a transmitter and the other one with a receiver. If they encounter the metallic utility at the same time, they will recognize and also mark it, and then follow it. Since each analysis can only be reliably detected that underground objects of angles up to 90 degrees to 360 degrees, four scans or different scan angles must be executed throughout the search box in order to optimize the efficiency of the process.
Place of electromagnetic system
Electromagnetic utility locating is the best method for finding private utilities. In this system, the locating equipment produces electromagnetic radio frequency and, when fitted to the ground, underground utilities comprising the conductive material will be identified on the receiver. This system is very reliable and is often used to propane, electric, cable, telephone, sewage, detect gas, water, irrigation line, and storms.
Gas lines are usually made of medium or high-density polyethylene plastic or pipe, this the main reason why tracking wire is usually passed along the pipeline just to make the line more “locatable”. In such situations, having access to the system example is (a tracer wire box)), the current can be caused on the trace wire in order to locate the tracer wire.
This technology does not work well above the base of 10 to 15 feet. Natural gas distribution lines are normally fixed at a base of 3 to 4 feet, while the transmission lines are deeper, but it would be unusual to install more than 10 feet.
Ground Penetrating Radar
Ground penetrating radar is a geophysical system that utilizes radar pulses to capture the underground. This non-destructive system makes use of electromagnetic radiation waves to discover signals that are reflected from underground structures. The GPR device system is also an important tool in the Underground Detective arsenal, which requires long-term experience to correctly evaluate the results.
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is used in odd jobs, but the most usual calls we receive demand help with locating and searching for:
♣ Underground storage tanks (UST)
♣ Concrete scanning
♣ Trenches
♣ Vacuum Excavation
♣ Grave sites
♣ Metallic and non-metallic pipes
Vacuum excavation is also one of the modern technologies for digging the terrain. It uses kinetic energy in the flow of large air currents to penetrate, expand and break down the soil for underground excavation. Compared to shovel and water, the air quickly and efficiently performs heavy excavation tasks, increases production, and reduces costs. These advantages, combined with increased operator safety and utility, make the air aspirator an ideal choice for the needs of the Underground Detective excavation. Vacuum excavation is used for the following services:
♣ Checking underground services
♣ Utility Line Service Terminations
♣ Remove the drill hole in the environment
♣ Remote Excavation (Inside buildings)
♣ Cleaning the valve box and Catch Basin
♣ Vertical, horizontal accuracy, size, and type of read-before-job readers
♣ Potential methods
Potential methods can be used to detect buried metal objects, such as pipelines and reservoirs, with contrast magnetite content. Methods based on potentials include magnetic and gravimetric potential.