Before you dig, you must have the utilities in the area located. This ensures the people who dig do not hit anything that could cause them harm. Damage to the main lines of your house or neighbors’ houses could also occur if utility lines aren’t located. A professional Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technician can ensure all of your utilities are properly marked so you can dig safely.
The main difference between public and private utility locating is the type of utility or underground line. Public utility locating typically identifies public utilities on public property. They will also only mark up to the meter, and do not mark beyond that. Private utility locating typically locates private utilities on private property. At Echo GPR, we can help you to identify private utilities to ensure you stay safe while you dig. We use multiple tools to ensure everything is located to the best of our abilities.
Why You Need to Call a Private Utility Locator
Whether you are building a new fence or installing new landscaping, you must locate utilities before you dig anywhere on your property. You could get public utilities marked by calling 811. When you call Echo GPR, we can locate your private utilities. We can use our GPR technology to ensure nothing underground gets missed. This way, you can avoid getting injured or cutting into a main line. Near surface utilities are especially easy to hit; such as gas, fiber, and power – these are typically 2’ or less below the surface.
The benefit of contacting a private utility locator is to ensure no utilities get missed. Typically, when people come out to mark public utilities, they use a map to determine where the utilities are. Unfortunately, these maps are often outdated or inaccurate. If your utilities are marked inaccurately, you could hit a line causing expensive damage, or you could risk injuring yourself.
Places you might need a private utility locator could include:
- A private parking lot. Before breaking ground, you could have any potential utilities (street/parking lot lights, communication lines) located and marked out with depths to avoid any accidents – safer and saves time and resources on repairs.
- Inside of a store. Suppose you’re cutting into the concrete to move a buffet table or other refrigeration system. In that case, you must locate the electrical lines beneath the concrete to ensure you don’t cut into them.
- Prior to repaving a residential driveway, or breaking ground in a backyard. Clear any near surface utilities or other anomalies.
- Utility mapping. Creating a utility map in the planning of a project (Schools, business parks, etc.). This helps project managers plan and know what to expect in upcoming phases.
What Can a Private Utility Locator Find that a Public Utility Locator Can’t?
There are many things a public utility locator could miss when they come to check your property. A private utility locator will ensure everything underground gets marked. For example, if you have any of the following near your property, it’s essential to have a private locator check with GPR technology in addition to the typical locating tools:
- Fiber/Telephone/communication lines
- Streetlights
- Traffic Lights
- Septic/waste lines
- Sewer and storm drains
- Water lines
- Gas lines
There are many other hazards underground that a public utility locator could miss. These are just a few our team commonly finds when detecting what is underground.
We Recommend Calling Both Private and Public Utility Companies
Before you start any digging project, we recommend calling both private and public utilities. If you do this, you can ensure you will be safe throughout your project. It isn’t worth it to hit a line that causes an injury that could impact you for the rest of your life. We utilize a Radio Detecting wand to clamp directly onto any known utilities, as well as GPR to identify any unknown utilities or anomalies below the surface.
Echo GPR Can Locate Your Private Utilities
If you need to get private utilities marked, call Echo GPR today. We can locate private utilities on any site. The public utility locators will need to visit the site prior to our visit and mark out all publicly owned lines. From there, we will begin to verify and locate the private utilities and identify any unknown or abandoned utilities.
Contact us today to request our services or to get a free quote. Then, when you fill out our contact form or give us a call, a team member will reach out to you shortly.