Australia has millions of kilometres of underground utilities, and despite the fact that there are rules that prohibit excavation without consultation from government agencies, millions of Australians still dig the ground without even trying to find the existing underground utilities. With that said, digging the ground is no longer an ordinary task nowadays, especially when done in developed, urban places. Doing so requires a lot of care and planning, simply because your chances of hitting some underground pipes are relatively high.
And if you manage to hit an underground pipe, you can cause a lot of damage that can disrupt basic services and negatively impact entire businesses and communities. And that's the last thing you want to do, because it'll be an expensive endeavour. That being said, if you're engaging in a project that involves excavation, the best thing you can do before you start digging and accidentally damage some utility lines is get yourself an underground pipe locating equipment.
Underground pipe locating equipment is used to locate and pinpoint underground utilities before you even start digging. It gives you the ability to detect and identify buried underground utilities which can help promote safer excavation and prevent digging accidents. As a result, you get the best information you can before you start and thus avoid unnecessary costs that can be a result of indiscriminate digging.
There are two popular underground utility locating methods, and both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. The first one is electromagnetic utility location, which is the most commonly used method for detecting private utilities. It utilises equipment which generates an electromagnetic radiofrequency which is picked up the receiver to detect utilities which feature a conductive material. This method is ideal for locating underground cable, electric, water, propane, telephone and sewer lines. However, this method can't locate pipes that are made of concrete, plastic and non-ductile pipes. Additionally, it can't detect utilities that are more than 7-8 metres underground.
The second method of utility location is ground penetrating radar technology, which uses high-frequency pulses, also known as radio waves. Once the radio waves are sent into the ground, they deflect off of any facilities located underground and then the receiver picks the waves up, which results in displaying an image on the equipment's monitor. Ground penetrating radars can find buried pipes, tanks, manholes, cables and other utility services that can't be detected using electromagnetic locators. However, this equipment isn't for newbies, and is intended for people who have gone through extensive training and experience.
Underground pipe locating equipment is used to locate and pinpoint underground utilities before you even start digging. It gives you the ability to detect and identify buried underground utilities which can help promote safer excavation and prevent digging accidents. As a result, you get the best information you can before you start and thus avoid unnecessary costs that can be a result of indiscriminate digging.
There are two popular underground utility locating methods, and both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. The first one is electromagnetic utility location, which is the most commonly used method for detecting private utilities. It utilises equipment which generates an electromagnetic radiofrequency which is picked up the receiver to detect utilities which feature a conductive material. This method is ideal for locating underground cable, electric, water, propane, telephone and sewer lines. However, this method can't locate pipes that are made of concrete, plastic and non-ductile pipes. Additionally, it can't detect utilities that are more than 7-8 metres underground.
The second method of utility location is ground penetrating radar technology, which uses high-frequency pulses, also known as radio waves. Once the radio waves are sent into the ground, they deflect off of any facilities located underground and then the receiver picks the waves up, which results in displaying an image on the equipment's monitor. Ground penetrating radars can find buried pipes, tanks, manholes, cables and other utility services that can't be detected using electromagnetic locators. However, this equipment isn't for newbies, and is intended for people who have gone through extensive training and experience.