  Underground cables provide a network of connecting power supply. However, as cables are buried underground, cable locating and fault finding is usually difficult. Moreover, cable systems are exposed to a lot of risks, which may lead to dangerous consequences. For instance, if cable systems are damaged, people digging the ground for utilities or property construction may suffer electrocution. Similarly, underground cable faults may happen because of the flood, excavators, and various other activities. In order to ensure uninterrupted and continuous power distribution, it is very important to detect underground cable faults in time and protect against cable faults. Tips to Protect Cable Systems against Underground Cable Faults Underground cable locating is the first and foremost challenge. Thereafter, it is possible to detect cable fault. The network of power cables under the ground includes switches, switchgear, and fuses housed together. The network of cables is contained in air insulated steel jars to prevent contaminants, wildlife, humans and other live parts from coming in contact. In addition, it reduced exposure to live parts. The process of assembling cables is called pad-mounted gear. It can be supervised either remotely or manually. Due to rising concerns over cable fault finding and locating, three common methods were coined to protect the cable system against major faults:
Tips to Protect Cable Systems from Physical Damage Underground cables have proper infrastructure and withstanding capacity. These cable networks are not vulnerable to environmental hazards or challenges. They are designed with the ability to protect and prevent corrosion, water ingress, and certain mechanical damage as well. However, in the event of extensive damage or challenging conditions, cables may suffer damage. Especially while digging trenches or executing property excavation work, there is a high risk of damage. Besides laying cable network deeper under the ground, some other precautionary measures should be taken to make sure it is safe. Different methods are used to provide protection to cables, which is highly influenced by the terrain, activity level, and voltage. Protection systems use various mechanisms such as:
Conclusion The underground cable network is the most convenient power distribution system in the urban areas where overhead cables cannot be used. For continuous service and ensure, underground cable systems should be protected against damage and cable fault conditions. Only proper protection ensures uninterrupted service and reduces the risk of personal injury and accidents. Author Bio: Jon Armstrong specialises in cable location and pipe scanning. He has several years of experience and expertise in utility location services. His exemplary service record makes him a recognized personality in the field of cable fault finding and utility services.  At any point of time, if you need to excavate or drill into the ground, there is risk of hitting utility pipelines and wires.
This may not only be extremely costly but can also be very dangerous if you happen to damage the underground pipes and cables. This is where you need utility location services to precisely locate the placement and depth of a utility system beneath. What is a Utility Locator Service? When you are preparing to excavate or dig, make sure you hire reliable utility locator service. Utility lines are not always there where they seem to exist. Therefore, hiring an underground cable locator service is important. It not only helps to locate underground as well as hidden utilities, but you can also inspect how deep they are installed. How do Utility Location Services help Determine Location of Buried Utilities? For cable fault finding, utility location or pipe detection, technicians use Ground Penetrating Radar system and electromagnetic sensors that penetrate the surface non-invasively. The signals generated by the device help locate underground pipes and cables, and allows the technician to create an accurate image or map of the exact location and depth of the utility system, no matter if it is buried. With professional utility location services, you can have accurate information about underground utility lines without having to disrupt the existing structure. State-of-the-art equipment can be used to find buried lines, conduits and voids, and also provides exact location of the same and depth. It is the ideal choice before you perform a digging or excavation project. When should you hire Utility Locating Service? The right time to hire utility location services is long before you start excavating or designing. Often, it is vital to detect the exact location and depth of utility lines during early stages of planning. Having this crucial data will help to properly place the foundations, structures, trees, post support and other items. Moreover, it may be needed to relocate utilities. Utility locator companies help determine where the lines can be moved to minimise threat. What are the Equipment Used for Utility Location? Utility locator companies use electromagnetic cable and pipe locator equipment that allows the technicians to seamlessly adjust different cable and line conditions as well as detect unexpected soil conditions. Such devices provide up to 97% accuracy and depth reading up to 13+ feet. Underground cable locator equipment is most beneficial in detecting utility cables and pipelines. Conclusion Utility location services are the best option to detect an underground utility line or cable. Modern electromagnetic equipment is used to identify the exact location and depth of each utility system. Make sure you hire an expert utility location company before you start with the project. Digging up or drilling a concrete can be a laborious task, especially if you do not know what is in there. What if there is an obstruction beneath the concrete which may hinder the drilling or coring process? Do you precisely know which is the safe area to dig into? To find out what is in the concrete without digging it up, get the help of concrete X-ray or concrete scanning technique.
When excavating or drilling into asphalt or concrete, it is important to determine whether there is any potential obstruction such as utility lines, conduits, storage tanks or re-bar beneath the surface. After all, one cannot take the risk of breaking through an existing pipeline system tucked beneath a concrete. concrete X-ray in Melbourne, also referred to as concrete scanning, is a modern and innovative technology that uses GPRS system to inspect the subsurface of asphalt or concrete, and identify any dangerous element or potential obstructions. The cutting-edge device harnesses electromagnetic ground penetrating radar technology, with the highest possible resolution, to easily locate what is beneath a concrete. It measures the electrical conductivity of different types of materials to determine what is located below a specific area of the asphalt or concrete. GPRS concrete X-ray provides reliable, safe and accurate Ground Penetrating Radar assessment before drilling or excavating. The technique is extremely functional and versatile in a large number of work conditions and environments, particularly for engineering, construction and industrial purposes. Benefits of concrete X-Ray There are numerous benefits of concrete x-ray Melbourne as highlighted below:
When it comes to technologies regarding underground services in Melbourne and Geelong areas, confusion between GPR — ground penetrating radar and X-Ray is bound to happen. Let us have a look at some of the basics of both of them.
GPR — Ground Penetrating Radar GPR technology exploits safer radio waves as opposed to gamma rays used in concrete x-ray technology. One of the greatest things that differentiate GPR from x-ray technology is its capacity to give real time results. Underground services providers use ground penetrating radar precisely for this reason. X-Ray: The term is very often misleading as many builders when they approach underground services provider use this to mean GPR. One of the reasons for the confusion is that this is an old technology which is accurately called cement or concrete radiography. Its main purpose is to identify any object underground by taking x-ray images of the layers. While x-ray images are quite clear compared to GPR facts, it often consumes more time. Also, since it uses gamma rays, nearby places need to be evacuated before carrying out x-ray imaging. Points of Comparison
(a) Concrete x-ray is confined to one section at a time (b) Also, during x-ray scanning, nearby places need to be evacuated which causes loss of time (c) Technologically, GPR allows the use of digital image even after the test. This makes processing and manipulation lot easier and less expensive (d) Compared to GPR, concrete radiography requires more expensive training as well as equipments What to use when Though it is true that GPR is replacing concrete radiography quite faster, it depends on your requirement which technology is best suited to your projects. Professional and experienced underground services providers in Melbourne and Geelong areas listen to your requirements carefully and then decide the best suitable technique. These are some of the factors that play a major role in deciding which technique is best suited to your project. Ponder over these factors, check with professionals if you are still not sure which of these should best suit you, and make an informed choice before you actually start your ambitious project. Until the advent of acoustic water detection method, world had been in a perpetual torment when it came to detection of leaks in underground pipes. There are many methods to detect underground objects and leakages such as ground penetrating radar, electromagnetic activity, and ultra-high microwave frequencies. But, acoustic water detection method has its own benefits.
Following are some of its benefits:
Let us have a cursory look at various types of acoustic methods prevalent in many areas of Geelong and Melbourne. Conventional rod method This is a bit old-fashioned, but there are some underground services providers who rely on this. In this method, rods are held over the ground to identify subsurface locations. The location is determined by the movement of the rods. Use of water meter In this method, the basic principle is to create a sound around the metal pipes with the use of an advanced leak detector or other such monitoring system. Usually, it takes one trained professional to operate it. It is important that the person knows how to operate the device to get the accurate data. Gas pipe locator This method requires putting pressure wave with pulsing sound into subsurface water. This can be done through hydrant or water meter. This method is bit complex as it may require more human resources. If this method needs to be used for residential lines, instead of water meter, pipe locator or water detection services are used. One of the major benefits of using acoustic water main detection in Geelong and Melbourne areas is that it solves the problems with PVC pipelines. It is very difficult to find out leakages in such pipes with other types of technology. But, acoustic water detection makes it easier to find leakages in such pipes. Hence, the leakages in these pipes which remained undetected for 20 years earlier now can be detected within minutes! How to find reliable acoustic water main detection service provider? While there are many such providers in Geelong and Melbourne, you may want to check their experience, expertise, types of technology they use and types of accreditations they are having. Major accreditations are:
It is also important to check what kind of customer care services is being provided by acoustic water main detection service providers. For example, if you have any emergency, are they ready and equipped to assist you in the time of distress? Make a right choice of your acoustic main detection services provider based on these factors. Any industry dealing with digging up the ground can take for granted importance of best underground services provider at its own peril!
Such industries may include engineering plants, telecommunications, electricity, archaeology, among many others. One common thing that all these industries share is their need to have clear ground to execute their ambitions projects. It is here that they need to be careful in choosing their underground services provider. There are so many underground services providers in Melbourne and Geelong area that it is a daunting task to find the one that is right for you. Let us have a look at some of the things that you need to consider before finalizing your underground services provider. Types of services It is very important to check what kind of services they are providing to their customers. If they are providing many types of services, it means they have the knack of the industry and they know what it is to provide underground services to their clients. Major underground services available in Melbourne and Geelong area include:
Knowledge of technology, equipment It is obvious that you want to avail the services from those who use latest technology and advanced equipments. When you are considering your underground services provider, you need to find out what technology they are using and with what equipments they execute their knowledge. Some of the technologies to look for include:
Customer Care Check what their customer care service is all about. When it comes to underground services, at times, there may be an emergency. It would be very important to know whether they are equipped to handle any such emergencies. Accreditations These are very crucial benchmarks to find out authenticity of underground services provider. Do check for such accreditations as these accreditations mean that the service provider knows the importance of rules, regulations and permits. Following are some of the important accreditations to look for:
Testimonials Do not forget to check the experiences of other customers. It always helps in decision making process. True and authentic testimonies reflect services providers' ability to execute the projects efficiently and skillfully. These are some of the things you need to consider before choosing best underground services provider in Melbourne and Geelong areas. If you are looking for any type of underground services in Geelong, do check out Victoria-based GeoScan Utility Location Service. It is a company that provides a range of underground services with the help of advanced technology to locate underground assets and execute site survey investigations.
Have a look at our major services. Acoustic water main detection service in Geelong The purpose of acoustic water main detection technique is to address the challenges earlier faced by using electromagnetic locators to identify underground pipes, cables and conduits. With the advent of this advanced technique with its simple-to-use acoustic pipe locator, it has become easier to provide underground investigations in Geelong area with state-of-the-art equipments. GeoScan Utility employs fully trained human resources who are constantly updated with the changes in technology. Also, we give equal importance to each of our customers along with providing 24/7 emergency response service throughout Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and South Australia including Melbourne and Geelong. Underground Pipe and Cable Location This service can be used in different areas such as domestic water services, fire services, gas networks, electrical networks - both high and low voltage, telecommunications, storm water, sewer or drainage conduits among others. When it comes to metal detection, GeoScan induces an electromagnetic signal to identify the targeted object. The purpose of using this powerful latest technology is not only to identify the location of the object but also its depth and size. This information can go a long way in any type of excavation demanding less time and energy. Ground Penetrating Radar Imaging With the introduction of this geophysical technique, it has become easier to image objects, changes, voids or cracks or any other activity happening under the surface. The objects may include rock, soil, ice, fresh water, pavements and structures. Some of the best clients of GeoScan Utility include engineering companies, organizations/people interested in environmental studies and even archaeology. GeoScan is committed to take full advantage of this technology. As a result, we use latest equipment to execute ground penetrating radar imaging process. The equipment is not radioactive and is operated by electromagnetic signals. Our equipment does not require you to connect GPR to any services like underground pipe or cable locators. Other benefits include:
Other underground services provided by GeoScan Utility Location Service include:
Having obtained range of technical capacities and accreditations, GeoScan Utility has become a trusted name in Geelong area when it comes to providing various types of underground services. One of the major accreditations that we have is Australian plant locators license (Telstra) for Telstra copper and optic fiber cables and Dial Before You Dig. Give us a call and see we can do for you and explore possibilities together. Are you any engineering company planning to set up a new plant?
Are you a contractor starting to build any new building? Are you a home owner planning to build your dream home? In all this case, a looming scare that remains in air is that of what lies beneath the surface. It is to remove this scare and give you green signal to go ahead with your project fearlessly and confidently that concrete scanning comes into picture. Reasons for concrete scanning by expert professionals: While the scare of what lies beneath is a very abstract term to use, let us have a look at some more concrete reasons for why you need professional help to execute concrete scanning by expert professionals at GeoScan in Geelong:
Concrete scanning per se This is a non-destructive (NDT) modern technique that is exploited to clear the subsurface from any hindrances that may impact any type of excavations adversely. This technology has improved a lot over all these years enabling any type of detection under any type of slab. Type of detection carried out by GeoScan in Geelong When you approach professionals like GeoScan for concrete scanning, you are rest assured to get your desired results. Professional companies like GeoScan can detect following objects that may hinder excavations:
Benefits of concrete scanning by expert professionals One of the greatest benefits of availing professional services for concrete scanning in Geelong are obvious. You save both time and money as pre-scanning of your targeted land eliminates the possibility to spend more money in case of hitting or cutting through live electrical wires, post tension cables or any type of object while digging the land. It naturally saves your time as you do not have to put aside your core work in the middle of the excavation. Apart from these two obvious benefits of availing concrete scanning services by professionals in Geelong, another benefit is that of obtaining detailed reports and documentation for future reference. Professionals like GeoScan Utility offer a comprehensive report for concrete scanning. This report includes detailed findings, images that indicate depths and space between structural objects. Professionals like GeoScan use latest equipment with high frequency 1.6 MHz and 2.3 MHz antennas to carry out flawless concrete scanning. This enables:
Do you need more reasons to avail professional concrete scanning services by GeoScan in Geelong? Call us right NOW. Professional metal detection is one of the services offered by GeoScan. It is an accredited company that specialises in underground utility, structural and geophysical investigation. This firm employs experts in detection of cable faults, cable location and underground pipes. GeoScan owns modern technology and equipment that it can use in the metal detection process. Ferrous metal detectors are employed in cable and pipe location. The detector is said to be capable of searching for galvanised pipes, cast iron and steel. It is capable of finding concealed box covers for irrigation and utility valves; buried taps and meter services; metal and concrete caps; and, underground storage tanks made of metal. The discovery of metal is considered an essential industrial process regardless of industry. This includes food, bakery, dairy, pharmaceutical and textile industries. Businesses need to be assured that their products are absolutely free from metal pollution. Metal detection services introduce an effective safety solution that can avert any contamination. GeoScan can help mining companies capitalize on modern metal scanning resources because of technology progression. In fact, it is acclaimed as one of the leading companies in scanning (sub-surface) of valuable mineral deposits. The company is in the process of acquiring sophisticated software, novel scanning technology and capability to implement accurate data assessment. It is important to note that the company also conducts site survey and drafting making use of Auto CAD technology. One area of interest is the method of how industrial metal detectors work. The most popular technology being used at present is called induction balance or Very Low Frequency. The VLF detector is made up of the transmitter and receiver coils. The first is an outer loop which covers a coil of wire. Electric power passes through this object in two directions (several thousands of times per second).The frequency of switching of direction every second creates the unit’s rate of recurrence. The second is the receiver or inner coil loop with its interior wire functioning as antenna to pick up and magnify frequencies emanating from target objects beneath the ground. Electric current which passes through the transmitter produces an electromagnetic field. This is similar to that of the electric motor. The magnetic field’s polarity is at right angle against the coil. Every time current shifts direction, magnetic field polarity also changes. In other words, if the wire is parallel to the land, the magnetic field pushes down to the ground and pulls out of it. On the other hand, the fundamental method of detecting metal is through the Beat Frequency Oscillator or BFO. GeoScan specialists have been trained to detect materials such as metal. Moreover, these technicians are well-versed in performing beneath-the-ground, obtaining evidence to be utilized for forensic research, archeological artifacts, and storage reservoirs buried under the earth’s surface. GeoScan Utility & Structural Investigation is a company with emergency response capabilities in Melbourne and major places of Victoria. It has earned the nod of its clients because of the 24/7 service and expertise in structural and utility investigation. GeoScan Utility & Structural Investigation has the capability to locate underground water pipes promptly and efficiently. The company has a complete range of contemporary equipment like the pipe and cable locator. Its electro-magnetic feature generates a signal that creates a path along the service and gets hold of electrical depths. Meanwhile, the non-metal components which include drain systems and empty channels are found by using tracer rods. These are inserted into the pipes which produces a signal alongside the tracer bar.
Underground infrastructure becomes more complex for the most part because of blockage factors. Therefore, the appropriate equipment for detecting underground pipelines becomes more necessary. The reality is the concentration of subterranean traffic creates additional challenges even for experts, utility firms and excavation contractors. It is essential to get hold of the most dependable service provider for finding pipe lines, cables, and faults such as GeoScan. This company based in Australia makes use of state-of-the-art apparatus which passes on electro-magnetic signals into metallic compounds and tracks down a signal medium while securing electrical power for this particular service. Non-metallic components like sewer systems or vessels can be detected using bendable rods which are inserted into the ducts. The signal is transmitted to the tracer rod. GeoScan Utility & Structural Investigation is a company based in Victoria which provides multiple services. The engineers and technicians of GeoScan are known for their technical expertise, complete training and accreditations. The tasks that this company undertakes are relatively complicated. However, it has managed to pas with flying colors. The company has complete insurance and liability coverage for all its employees. It conducts modern concrete scanning services using a reliable and harmless technique of discovering targets located in concrete structures. This is usually done prior to drilling, cutting or mechanical core operations. Said procedure is vital to stay away from severe effects on existing facility infrastructure, worker welfare, concrete cutting machines and safety. GeoScan owns and makes use of sophisticated systems, which include the Ground Penetrating Radar. GPR equipment utilizes non-destructive examination methods. This unique type of radar detection in concrete scanning is provided by GeoScan, for the quick inspection of job sites without any hindrance. At the same time, it helps in the preservation of structures and prevention of work downtime. It also bring about reduction of unnecessary costs since the Ground Penetrating Radar can get rid of expensive task downtime or other obstacles that may come from possible structure damage, facility closure caused by disconnected utility lines, or injuries to workers. The cost of the GPR is quite affordable as against actual project value, cost of accidents, structure impairment, or personal injuries. GeoScan has received accreditation form plant locators accredited by Telstra; the Australian Industries Petroleum; Train Tracking Awareness; Occupational Health and Safety Industry; and, Safety and Environmental Management Plan. GeoScan also has the capability of doing technical project management in hydro and vacuum excavation, safety management programs and traffic management plans. Indeed, its credentials make the company a perfect choice for complex jobs. |
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