Drilling Services: Three Critical Steps for Detecting and Locating Utilities
Drilling is an essential process for numerous projects on residential lots, including construction, borehole installation and installation of new piping. If you are planning on carrying out any form of drilling work on your land, you should be diligent in detecting the position of utilities. The common underground services include electricity, water, sewage, data cabling and natural gas lines. The damage of any of these channels can have dire consequences. In simple terms, the workers could be injured, and the property might become contaminated or flooded. Also, the affected service might be knocked out, and the rest of your project could be delayed. Here are some simple steps to help you avoid these disasters during the drilling work.
Determine the Drilling Site
You should examine your property and determine the exact areas that you would like to drill. If you are planning on conducting horizontal directional boring, you should mark out the path through which the drill will pass. This process will take some time, but it will help you have a clear scope of the drilling work and a precise picture of the areas that will need assessment for utilities. If you do not have an idea on of the space you intend to bore, you would have to map out the services on your entire property. This process would be time-consuming and expensive.
Contact Local Providers
The information on essential underground utilities is available from relevant service providers in your local region. In simple terms, the utility providers have detailed maps which outline the placement of piping, conduits and data cables. Typically, this information is essential for performing troubleshooting, maintenance and repairs when a problem occurs in the city, town or rural area. You can benefit from the data because you will have an idea on the utilities that are on your properties. You should directly contact the relevant companies for accurate and actionable information.
Hire a Locator
Finally, you should hire an experienced locating service provider once you have narrowed down the area of search and determined the specific utilities that you might be on your land. This process is critical if you want to ensure absolute accuracy before commencing the drilling work. These companies have the right tools such as electromagnetic detection machines and ground penetrating radar setups for detecting and locating utilities. You should remember that without equipment for underground examination, your information will be guesswork. After all, the piping and wires buried underground can change their position due to the natural soil shifting.
