By now, you’ve probably heard of the “Call Before You Dig” program where you can call 8-1-1 and someone will come out to your property and scan the ground for buried utilities before you do any sort of digging or excavating on your property. This is a free service that you are highly encouraged to utilize to avoid hitting gas lines, power lines, water lines, sewer lines, and telecommunications cables. This program is in place not only to prevent damage to public utility lines, but also to prevent injury or death from occurring. Hitting a gas line or electrical line can have severe consequences!
If you have done your due diligence by calling 8-1-1 and having your property evaluated for buried utilities, that’s great! However, many property owners would be wise to take things one step further and also call out a company that provides GPR scanning services to scan for private utility lines.
Hitting a private utility line can be just as expensive and dangerous as hitting a public one, so you want to avoid it at all costs! Thankfully, the cost to scan for private utilities is not all that high, and that’s thanks to ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology.
GPR scanning services have popped up all over the country in the recent past. When you hire one of these companies, they come out to your property and use GPR scanners to go over the area of your property in question. They can tell you where any private utility lines are located so you can avoid them. Private utilities include things like propane gas lines, irrigation lines, septic systems, and more.
The nice thing about GPR scanning services, is that they can typically tell you right then and there where utilities are located. In other words, the GPR technician can interpret the readings in real-time. This is great for people working on time-sensitive projects.
Ground penetrating radar doesn’t just work on the ground, either! It can also be used to scan concrete slabs or concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls. It can tell you where the rebar is located, as well as any embedded utility lines that you will want to avoid if you are disturbing the concrete.
A scan using GPR technology is accurate, efficient, and relatively affordable—especially when you consider the potential expensive repairs that could be necessary if you don’t do a GPR scan! When researching GPR scanning services near you, look for a service provided by a professional company that prioritizes employee training. The last thing you want is to have your property scanned by someone who hasn’t been properly trained in interpreting GPR read-outs. A skilled GPR technician, on the other hand, can provide you with the accurate information you need to proceed safely with your project.
