EM and GPR tracing
Conduit and in-slab service tracing
Slabs routinely carry electrical conduits, water pipes and hydronic heating loops that no drawing records. GPR finds the physical objects; electromagnetic (EM) locating adds identification by tracing the signal on energised cables. Together they separate a harmless bar from a live feed.
Scope
What this covers
Combined GPR and EM sweeps across the work area
Identification of live electrical conduits where a traceable signal exists
Marking of pipe and conduit runs with direction of travel
Flagging of unidentifiable targets so they are treated as live until proven otherwise
Timing
When it's needed
Demolition saw-cutting, trenching through slab-on-ground, and bathroom or kitchen strip-outs are the classic strike scenarios. In-slab heating in older eastern-suburbs apartments is a known trap: invisible, unrecorded and painful to repair once cut.
Treat every unidentified object in a slab as live and every unmarked area as unscanned. If a cut nicks a conduit or a tendon, stop work, keep people clear of the slab face and get the relevant specialist on site before anything else happens.
Quote variables
What shapes the scope
Whether suspect services can be energised or charged for tracing
Slab-on-ground versus suspended construction
Moisture and reinforcement density masking smaller targets
The consequence of a strike, which sets how conservative marking should be
Concrete scanning is an interpretive skill, not just a piece of equipment: ask any operator about their training, their experience on your slab type and how they express confidence in their marks. For excavation work, lodge a free enquiry with Before You Dig Australia and keep the plan responses on hand; field locating complements those plans rather than replacing them.
Scanning services
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If this is an emergency or anyone is at immediate risk, contact the relevant emergency service or your network or utility operator directly instead of using this form.