Why Utility Potholing Is Essential for A Successful Construction Project

Pot Holing Truck MacArthur

It’s long been said that if humans could see all that is under the ocean, they’d never leave the shore. The same is true of nearly any developed property, whether you are starting a new structure, repairing a building or adding to an existing site. You’re going to want to look into a process called “utility potholing.”

Potholing is a construction method where a small hole is placed in the ground through a process called vacuum excavation. Once the hole is deep enough, it is possible for a construction or inspection crew to confirm the presence of utility lines visually, and water or sewer pipes. Once located, the crew will be in a position to make certain the existing lines won’t conflict with either above or below-ground construction plans.

The equipment used to create the excavations through the potholing process are self-contained units designed to avoid damaging underground infrastructure. Here’s why utility potholing is essential for a successful construction project. 

utility potholing

Safe Zones

To avoid the possibility of damage to lines and subsequent site damage, flooding or service outages in the surrounding community, construction crews are not permitted to dig in safe zones, which are the areas within a few feet of either side of any previously located utility line.

Though it is possible to approximate the location of utilities and underground facilities using digital equipment and ground-penetrating RADAR, it is far more precise and far less risky if the construction crew can visually ascertain the location and alignment of any lines that might pose a hazard to the construction project.

Scheduling and Costs

Leaving aside the potential of damage and service interruptions in the event a dig might sever an underground line, the resulting delays and potential sanctions experienced by a contractor or construction crew can be both costly and harmful to the construction crew itself. Time is money, and many construction projects are operating on thin margins in the best of circumstances. The minimal time savings of bypassing prudent potholing isn’t comparable to the practically unlimited liability issues involved in damaging a public utility.  It’s always better to be on the safe side if only to protect the other residents in the neighborhood.  

Physics

What if it were possible to simply vacuum soil out of the ground at a precise location? If no tools are penetrating the ground, they can’t damage anything built underground either. If a vacuum can store the removed soil, it can also replace that soil, meaning there is no lasting effect on the site. The vacuum excavation process, therefore, delivers a non-destructive way to inspect the subterranean environment without any of the above-noted risks.  

If a process is safer, less expensive, leaves no permanent evidence it was ever performed, and can obtain better and more accurate information about ways to avoid damaging a site or public property, it stands to reason it is something that should be considered any time there is a potential for the presence of utility lines at a construction site.

How the Murrieta Explosion Could Have Been Avoided

murrieta explosion

 

Southern California was recently devastated when a ruptured gas line led to an explosion. The explosion killed a Southern California Gas Company worker, and fifteen people were injured.

Murrieta Explosion The reason behind the Murietta explosion was a contractor who was working without having the area inspected first. The contractor not only caused irreversible damage but violated state law by not utilizing a  private utility locating service. Tragedies like this can be avoided when proper utility potholing and inspections are used.

 

What is Utility Potholing?

Potholing is a construction method that confirms underground utilities and obstructions. Utility locating is the first part of the investigation process. A small, exploratory hole is dug along the planned route of new construction. Air and hydro vacuums are used to remove soil via high-velocity suction.

Some contractors like to use digital locators to find pipes and other utility lines. There are many occasions, however, where it is essential to actually see where the wire or pipe is located.

Why Pothole?

Murrieta Explosion

Digging without first locating underground utilities creates a risk to gas, electric, communications, water, and sewer lines. Accidents with these lines can result in service disruption, costly repairs, serious injuries, or death. While it may mean delaying a project, knowing where lines are before you dig ultimately makes sure projects are entirely safe.

 

Why vacuum excavation?

In the past, potholes were dug with large machines, like backhoes. Unfortunately, even a skilled backhoe user runs the risk of damaging the very utility they wanted to protect. Some companies resort to digging by hand. While this method required less machinery and skill, it is somewhat labor-intensive. A shovel is unlikely to cause damage to a water pipe, but could completely sever fiber optics or other communication lines.

The current preferred method of potholing is vacuum excavation. Vacuum excavation happens after utility locating and verifies the utilities by exposing them for visual identification. This method allows for small holes to be created with a much lower risk of additional damage. Vacuums also can create holes of different sizes and depths without extra manual labor. Read more about how to pothole for utilities.

utility potholing

Plan before you dig!

Whether you are doing the work yourself or hiring a contractor to take over, you must plan appropriately. Even smaller projects, such as planting trees or shrubs, require knowing what’s beneath the ground. Many utilities are only buried a few inches below ground, which makes them easier to hit when performing simple gardening projects.

Make sure to call several days before you plan on putting a shovel to the ground. Be careful as some programs only mark the area where utility lines are placed. You may also have to wait for multiple companies to take care of marking the area. Also, be aware that utility companies may not go onto private property. For a better response and completion time, consider going with a private utility locator company.

While some accidents are avoidable, many accidents don’t need to happen. Murrieta Explosion The explosion in Murrieta destroyed more than a house; it took a person’s life. Contractors might think they know better, that they are skilled enough to work around utilities, or they want to save time on a project. However, taking the extra time to identify underground obstructions is the best way to ensure your project is completed without tragedy.

3 Best Underground Utility Locating Systems

utility locating service

The job of utility locating service involves the use of a wide range of equipment. Depending on the type of work being done and the utility type being sought, locators choose the appropriate locating tool. Methods that locate utilities accurately ensure that excavation crews and communities are safe from injury due to striking utility lines. 

Locating underground utilities, such as sewer and gas lines, is a process of finding and marking these assets—all of which protect the public from accidents like explosions caused by buried gas lines or electrocution caused by striking buried utilities. 

Anyone planning to do any kind of digging in the U.S. is required to contact the state’s 811 centers to locate public utilities before digging a site. Excavators must also hire professional location services to locate all non-public assets due to the presence of private utilities on most construction sites. 

 3 Best Utility Locating Systems

Underground pipes, water lines, cables, batteries, power lines, metallic objects, and non-metallic objects can’t all be found by the same utility locator device. The key to detecting all types of underground utility infrastructure is the choice of tools that complement each other. Utility locating equipment in the market can be broken down into three types.

1. Ground Penetrating Radar Technology

Utilities buried underground can be located using ground-penetrating radar (GPR). A transmitter and a receiver are usually included in different types of utility-locating equipment units.

Radiation from the transmitter penetrates the ground through ground-penetrating radar. The receiver receives a signal when it is reflected off of something in the underground path, while signals are translated into images of objects beneath the surface by the receiver’s software.

2. Electromagnetic Profiling Locators

A conductive utility can only be located with an electromagnetic (EM) locator. The frequencies are transmitted from the equipment’s transmitter onto the ground. The receiver begins to identify and track the location of the asset once the frequency is transmitted through a metallic utility.

Additionally, it is capable of establishing the difference between different lines as well as finding utilities in many cases.

Tracer wire is commonly run along or atop gas pipelines to make them easy to locate because most are constructed from medium or high-density polyethylene pipe. An operator in these situations can make a connection and induce a current on a tracer wire and locate it by having access to the system.

3. Radiofrequency Pipe and Cable Locators

The use of radiofrequency (RF) locators for locating conductive utilities is also common. In the same way that EM equipment uses high frequencies to locate buried assets, a radio frequency locator uses high frequencies to gain access to such assets.

There is also the possibility that pipe locators can detect non-metal utilities buried alongside one if tracer wires are buried with them.

What is the Best Type of Utility Locating Equipment to Use?

The primary method of utility location is by using electromagnetic locators. Ground penetrating equipment is much slower, easier to operate, and less accurate than electromagnetic equipment, which is limited to finding metallic objects only.

However, GPR can also locate non-conductive materials, but an experienced locator in the field needs to be able to properly identify all kinds of assets.

Together, GPR and EM tools maximize their potential and provide accuracy and complete location of underground utilities with ease. The type of equipment to use for utility locators must also be determined by the environmental and area conditions.

A number of factors play into the performance of locating equipment. For example, soil conductivity and soil moisture levels.

Make Your Next Project Easy with Utility Locating Services

You can save tons of time and make challenging projects simpler with an underground utility locating service, regardless of whether you’re a professional or a novice. The most important benefit of using these devices, however, is that they can help avoid any electrical or natural gas disturbances during the project.

This is something you should leave to the professionals. At Util-Locate, we generate accurate data using high-tech ground mapping tools, CCTV line installation, and licensed expertise.

To find out what our services can do for you, get in touch with our team at 866-638-1075 at Util-Locate today!