Have you ever opened your web browser and seen a headline telling you “thousands of homeowners are out of power due to a broken utility line”? Who wants to be the company that has to deal with the liability of breaking that line, shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not to mention the people who look out their windows and see your lettered trucks now think you don’t know how to do your job. What if you could prevent that from happening? Read on to find out more about doing your own GPR scan before digging.
What Is a GPR Scan?
If you’ve never heard of a GPR, let us introduce you.
GPR stands for ground penetrating radar. This newer technology sends out radio waves and generates a subsurface picture by observing how they reflect off objects.
These reflections create recordings and get represented on a screen in the shape of an arch. If you like to fish, you know exactly what we’re talking about. The bigger the spread of the arch translates to a bigger utility or object.
What Does It Detect?
The great thing about a GPR is that it detects a wide variety of objects or materials beneath your worksite. You can see most of the common utility materials. The only limiting factor is the utility’s depth and size, more on limitations in a minute!
Some of the most common applications of a GPR device include metal, plastic, PVC, and concrete.
But, the GPR also has uses in geotechnical engineering as well. Soil, rock, water, or open space will all change how the GPR receives the reflection. These all present to the user with a keen eye and a great GPR unit.
Possible Limitations
Of the limitations that the GPR has, the most common one is soil type. In such a large world, there are tons of different soil types. If the soil type is highly conductive, the radio waves will become reduced and produce poor results.
One of the most key factors of a good GPR survey is the operator behind the device.
If you hand this tool to someone without training and expect them to produce a quality subsurface picture, they won’t be able to make heads or tails of it. There is often a lot of interpretation to read on-screen, and the operator needs to have proficient knowledge to provide the results.
With these being the biggest of the limitations, they are also easily countered. Different antennas will provide better efficacy. Allowing the observation of varying soil types.
Trained experts make underground utility locating an easy and cost-effective service for your next job.
If you’re looking for an expert company to mark out your worksite, look no further than Smart Scan Locators.
A Problem-Free Job
As you can see, using a utility locating company for your next job is not only easy, but it also keeps your on-site delays minimal.
Next time you break ground, make sure to have a trained professional conduct a GPR scan. You won’t regret it. Be sure to check out the rest of this section for more tips and tricks.