Urban areas, and even some of the suburban locations around the country, and sitting on top of an interwoven network of all different types of utility lines. These may include gas lines, water lines, and sewer lines, as well as fiber optic cable, telephone and telecommunication network lines.
Today, utilities not only have to consider having underground markers but having a way to quickly and easily detect their own system and also spot other systems in the same proximity. Using an effective underground pipe locator system is critical to saving time and money in repairs, upgrades, and in quickly identifying lines to prevent damage during construction.
Accuracy Matters
One of the factors when considering an underground pipe locator system is to ensure the accuracy of the placement of the markers. This is critical during the installation of the pipe, and the installation crews should be trained in how and where to place the different types of markers.
In key structures in the pipe, including check valves, isolation valves, or other types of controls or branches from the main, programmable markers should be used. These types of markers are pre-set with a unique serial number that can be read by the technician using the locator, which helps to pinpoint the exact location of these critical features.
The installation crews should take the time to position the underground marker correctly over the designated feature in the pipe. The serial number of the marker should be marked on the GPS map for future reference.
Single or Multi-Frequency Locators
A single frequency underground pipe locator, all pipes that send back the signal are detected, without any ability to distinguish one pipe from another. With a multi-frequency option, different frequencies can be used for different types of pipes, and they can even distinguish the depth of the pipe in the ground.