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utility locating device?

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(@john-hamilton)
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I have been asked by a client to find a gas line that traverses a property where they MAY be doing something like environmental remediation, and they would like to know where the line is. They called one-call, but unless they are going to be digging, they won't come out. Apparently the gas company has been less than helpful as well. I told him to call back and have the sound of a dozer revving up in the background!

Anyway, years ago I used a device where you would attach a cable at a convenient location, and the cable was attached to a transmitter box. Then, a second box is swept across the ground to pick up the magnetic (?) field, and you could trace the line. Of course, it would only work if the line was metallic, or I guess if they had buried a wire with it as they did with my water and gas service lines to my house.

I assume the line is pretty old, so it most likely is steel.

It is a small area and they don't want to go to the expense of ground penetrating radar (GPR) or hiring a utility location company.

Does anyone know what the device I referenced above was called? Ideally I would like to rent the gizmo.

EDIT: okay, by changing the search term I did find something:

http://www.accuratelocators.com/metrotech.html

But, that is a lot more than I want to spend to buy a device for something I may not use much.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 9:42 am
(@snoop)
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check the big tool rental places in your area. many of them rent subsurface utility location equipment.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 9:46 am
(@james-vianna)
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I can't remember the brand name but I have used what you speak of twice before with great success. I rented it (<$100) for the day each time from the local contractors rental center. I would suggest a couple of calls after searching the yellow pages.
James Vianna

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 9:50 am
(@timothyhohara)
Posts: 51
 

You just have them call back and tell them they are going to be digging. When I was an engineer for Verizon we would do it all the time when we were designing a job. You just tell One-Call what they want to hear and they come out.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 9:51 am
(@john-hamilton)
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Timothy: that's what I told my client to do, but they aren't keen on doing that (government agency).

I did find that my local survey instrument dealer has a Schonsted Mac-51 for rent for $45 per day. Probably what I need.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 9:58 am
(@steve-gardner)
Posts: 1260
 

Wait, they don't want the expense of a utility locating company but they can afford a land surveyor to do it who isn't sure he knows how to do it and would have to rent the equipment to try to do it?

The utility companies that I work for call what is known here as USA (Underground Service Alert) and use the buzzword "pot-holing" to tell them what they are planning to do and they get a good response.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 10:02 am
(@beer-legs)
Posts: 1155
 

Metrotech makes some pretty good utility locating equipment. I have used this one and everybody seems to think it's the best one out there. I have also used this one and this Goldak, but was not too terribly impressed with it.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 10:14 am
(@john-hamilton)
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Steve: I hardly think I could not handle attaching a wire to the pipe and using the device to trace the line. Like I said, I used one years ago, but no longer work for that company.

As for them being able to afford a land surveyor but not a locating company, did you ever think I might be doing other stuff like topo out there? There is only a single gas line going through the small site, hardly worth it to contract a utility locating company. This is the US government, so just issuing a task order is a major undertaking.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 10:20 am
 jaro
(@jaro)
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Call the one call system yourself and tell them you will be digging next week. Then, to keep from lying to them, go out there next week and turn over one shovel full of dirt.

James

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 10:22 am
 ddsm
(@ddsm)
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(@snoop)
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> Call the one call system yourself and tell them you will be digging next week. Then, to keep from lying to them, go out there next week and turn over one shovel full of dirt.
>
> James

Then add that service to your bill.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 10:26 am
(@steve-gardner)
Posts: 1260
 

Sorry, I didn't mean to get all harsh. If, for some reason they don't want to play the game with the One-Call people, and you're out there anyway and you think you can do it efficiently, go for it. I just couldn't see where the utility locating company's time to do it would cost much more, if any, than your time plus the rental but I'm probably wrong. You might also earn brownie points for taking care of it without additional contracting hassle with the utility locators.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 10:28 am
(@moe-shetty)
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Does anyone know what the device I referenced above was called? Ideally I would like to rent the gizmo.
"""

don't they call it an inducer?

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 10:45 am
(@billinsc)
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I recall using a device called an M-Scope. About the size of a kids lunch box. It could be used in conductive or inductive modes. I had good results with it on metal lines and pvc with tracer wire.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 10:58 am
(@toivo1037)
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I call them myself, and when they ask about marking area, tell them you are soil boring the entire lot. Everything will get marked.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 11:09 am
(@joe-m)
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You are allowed to do environmental remediation in a utility easement without the utility company's cooperation?

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 11:18 am
(@kris-morgan)
Posts: 3876
 

John

I call on behalf of my client and say that my survey will have control points, 16 to 24 inches deep, at various points along the property and I'll set some in concrete at depths of 3.5'.

Never had one balk at me yet.

The fact that your "survey" never materialized, well that's just government to get the wheels going and not finish. :0

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 11:24 am
(@kris-morgan)
Posts: 3876
 

Steve Garnder, I'm quite surprised

You're taking your life (and licensed) in your hands. Let the appropriate utility company locate THEIR utility. That way, if there is two pipes in the ditch and the signal jumps, well it isn't your A$$. I've been to that barbeque and it doesn't taste worth a damn.

For our oil and gas clients, we locate all flow lines and stuff, but on the big ones or 3rd party lines, we get them to locate them. I don't want to buy and 50' circle hole in the ground, backhoe/dozer, and person that got killed cause I thought I could do it more effectively.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 11:27 am
(@jim-frame)
Posts: 7277
 

> You just have them call back and tell them they are going to be digging. When I was an engineer for Verizon we would do it all the time when we were designing a job. You just tell One-Call what they want to hear and they come out.

In Northern CA a false callout is subject to civil penalties of up to $50k, and would probably jeopardize your license to practice. Not a good plan, in my opinion.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 11:42 am
(@gregg-bothell)
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The device I’ve seen used for gas lines was called a ”Split Box Locater” by the utility company guys that were using it. The locater looked kind of like a brief case, that split into halves.

It wasn’t necessary to expose or make an actual connection to the line being located. They would pick up the pipe location at a line marker, or some other known location, and place the one half of the box on the ground at that point, while using the other half to follow the pipeline. When the signal weakened, they would bring the stationary half of the box forward to the last located point, and repeat as necessary.

 
Posted : February 24, 2011 11:50 am
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