All You Need To Know About Locating Underground Utilities Edmonton

By Amanda Powell


Basically, utility locating involves identifying and labeling public utilities usually located underground. Various public utility systems are run below the ground due the nature of their function or for convenience purposes. It is for this reason that before digging, such public utilities be identified and labelled. At the same time, locating underground utilities Edmonton ensures that safety is observed even during simple acts such as dig a hole.

In every excavation site, there is a possibility of damaging the underground utilities. This damage can be dangerous and costly depending on the kind of utility it is. This is because the damage may result in unwanted delays for the project, repair costs, disruption of service, injuries as well as potential fines by the relevant authority. To avoid such unnecessary disruptions and unexpected expenses in Edmonton AB, always perform utility locating before any form of excavation.

There are different systems that run below the ground. Some of these schemes include fiber optics, traffic lights, waste water pipes, telephone lines, natural gas, electric grids and much more. As a result, the numerous materials conveyed in these systems, diverse detection as well as location methods are applied. Underground utilities may be made using plastic pipes, metal pipes, concrete or cables. Different techniques are applied to do accurate location that can be based on the type of material used in constructing the utility.

Utility locating methods can be classified as conventional or nonconventional methods. One conventional technique is the radiolocation technique. This method uses radio waves to locate a utility and is normally used for metal pipes and cables. Electromagnetic equipment are used and are made of a transmitter and a receiver. Once the utility is detected, signals are generated by the transmitter.

If the material cannot be detected using the conventional method, nonconventional techniques are employed. The nonconventional techniques are used for plastic pipes and concrete materials. One such method is the acoustic locating. This technique uses sound to determine the location of the utility. The method is commonly used to trace nonmetal water lines. A sound wave is normally introduced through a transducer in the water main, and the acoustic receiver listens to the sound emitted.

Another nonconventional method is the ground penetrating radar. This method is normally used to add to other techniques. The method uses radar pulses to take an image of the subsurface. The GPR contains a transmitter and a receiver as well as a profiling recorder. The received signals are processed and a graphic display of the collected data is produced. This technique gives a 3D underground images of the utility.

Magnetic locators is another nonconventional method that used to trace buried metal objects instead of pipes. They work by showing the relative amount of ferrous metal buried below the ground. In most cases they are used to locate underground storage tanks, buried manhole covers and other large metal contents.

Locating utilities below the ground is highly essential. This is because it provides critical information that would be essential for future planning such as road relocation, electrical and mechanical capacity improvements, landscaping among others. At the same time, engineers and architects get vital information about systems below the ground which is vital for the kind of work they do.




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