How ground penetrating radar can save you a fortune

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If you plan on doing some renovations or repairs, then you risk encountering a number of challenges. Any presence of conduit pipes, rebar or cables can ruin your plans and take you back to the budget figures. But technology has saved us again, and there's a remedy: GPR scanning. Now you can detect any obstacles in your construction area way before you drill your first hole. Ground penetration scanning has revolutionized the construction industry. If you're beginning a construction, then here is how GPR technology can prevent you from breaking the bank.

Detecting rebar

Rebar is the steel that's used in reinforcing concrete. Drilling through the steel may not only damage your equipment, it also destroys the integrity of the structure when the steel is destroyed. That in the end translates to higher construction costs for you, because you'll be forced to repair the structure and patch up the areas where steel was encountered.

Once you use the GPR to locate the rebar, you can then map a grid onto the concrete surface that shows you where the steel reinforcements are. This will assist you in your drilling.

Detecting voids in the surface

Sometimes, the material under the concrete floors degrades and wears out in time. This may be due to the impact of repeated machinery and vehicles, erosion from broken water lines or natural degeneration. The wearing away creates air pockets below the surface that can tamper with the stability of the concrete. If left unattended, these air pockets can lead to collapses and expensive repairs.

Using GPR scanning enables you to detect such voids and remedy them before anything unpleasant happens. Additionally, you will only work on areas that have the cavities instead of drilling multiple holes in a bid to detect them. That translates to money saved on your part.

Detecting UST and piping

GPR scanning is able to locate any presence of underground storage tanks (UST). Additionally, it can also determine how far below the earth the tank is. Any piping or electrical lines can also be detected before the drilling cuts them off. Constructing blindly in an area with electrical lines can not only cost you a fortune, it is also very dangerous. You can end up electrocuted or worse.

The best part about this GPR technology is that it can locate both metals and non-metals. So whatever the material in the area, the scan would locate it. This ensures that you have a good view of the underground layer before you begin.

Contact a professional distributor, such as Diamond Cut Concrete, for more information.

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