FAQs & Links

Types of Service

• Utility Locating - We can locate all of your utilities inside and outside of your building on your projects. One of our staff members has 24 years experience.
  
  
• Concrete Scanning Commercial and Residential Slabs - We specialize in helping home remodeling and plumbing contractors locate cables prior to saw cutting concrete for new kitchens, bathrooms, or additions. We can also help contractors find grade beams and thickened sections of concrete.
  
  
• Post Tension Cable Locating - We can accurately locate post tensioned cables in your slab or commercial building to prevent accidental cutting or drilling and resultant failure of the structure. 
  
  
• Concrete X-Ray - For applications when other methods are not suitable, X-Ray provides more precise imaging and information for complex or critical locations.
  
  
• GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) Services - Geo mapping of sites is an effective way to determine the extent and nature of underground features, the location of fuel or oil tanks, septic tanks or other buried containment systems, grave sites, burial grounds and other undisclosed items before excavation.

 

Choosing X-Ray or Ground Penetrating Radar

Should we use X-Ray or GPR? - Concrete X-Ray cannot be used on residential slab on grade foundations simply because radiation has to be released on one side of the slab while a film that captures the image is on the other. Both sides of the slab have to be accessible to use X-Ray. That is not practical for residential slabs. X-Ray does have the ability to resolve locations of embedded objects when there are many objects in a small area, and both sides of the concrete slab are accessible. This is most common in large commercial multi-story structures like parking garages and office buildings.

What is the accuracy of GPR? - Experienced technicians using a high end GPR system can usually mark the center of cables within an inch on residential slabs. However, cables turn so we always suggest staying a minimum of 4 inches away from the actual mark.

Types of Detection Equipment

Utility sensors find buried cables, and other utilities that might not be listed on Dig Alerts.

The Rebar Datascan detects rebars to a maximum depth of 18". With the included memory chip and adapter the operator can download 1,000 readings to a computer. The unit can be preset to react to any rebar within that value, ignoring those outside the specified range. The unit measures with an accuracy of ±2 percent or 0.1" (2.5mm) up to a 6" depth. Operating temperature range is between 32°F to 104°F.

Useful Links

San Diego Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America.

Dig Alerting for requesting information about buried utilities.

California Energy Almanac - Contact information listing of all utility companies in California.

Post Tensioning Institute.

The American Society for Nondestructive Testing

Wikipedia page on ground penetrating radar.

Wikipedia page on X-Ray

Wikipedia entry on post tensioned concrete.

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