Reliable Pipe and Cable Locating from ScanMan

Many types of public utility mains reside under the ground and before starting any construction work these utilities including fiber optics and wastewater pipes must be identified.

Locating underground utilities is necessary in order to prevent damage during excavation. Different tools and equipment are available for identifying plastic and metallic pipes, and utilities made from other non-conductive materials. State-of-the-art tools also integrate GPS technology for GIS mapping. Similarly, specialized products are available on the market for locating sewer lines, blockages, and septic tanks.

The most common and widely used tool is the ground penetrating radar or GPR. Other than this, metal detection equipment, radiography tools, radio frequency receivers, electronic marker systems, and beacon transmitters are also quite common. All these tools differ in their functionality and specifications. Some penetrate deeper, while others are popular for their speed and reliability. Electronic marker systems operate with markers that must be placed with underground utilities in order to locate them in the future. GPR, on the other hand, maps subsurface information by using electromagnetic waves.

Metal and sound detectors are useful products in the context of underground utility detection. They are used to identify leaks in water pipes and other hard-to-locate voids. Some of these devices are handheld and battery operated, while others require AC power to operate. Construction industry is always in need of specialized and affordable equipment for locating underground utilities and therefore nowadays companies provide products that integrate many functions in a single device.

Sondes or beacon transmitters can also be used to locate leaks in plastic and metallic pipes. They are available in a variety of shapes and can be used for specific purposes. Contractors choose beacon transmitters depending on their function. Cable fault locators or finders are pen-type devices used to locate a crack in the fiber optic cable. These tools are extremely light weight and portable. They are capable of traversing up to 10km of cable distance and give red laser output.

For locating faults in high-voltage cables, more specialized equipment in the form of arc-reflection systems is available on the market. Such a system consists of an impulse generator, a low-voltage and high frequency pulse generator, and an oscilloscope. An arc is produced at the point where fault is located, which is recorded as a waveform. Some systems are available which can be used to determine the depth of cables and metallic pipes without having to disconnect them first.

Some multi-function tools consist of several test instruments including TDR, multimeter, and ASDL in one system. There are tools optimized for specific functions, for example locating faults in telecoms such as open and short circuits. Many other types of fault recorders and detectors are also available on the market.