As technology improves, the price of equipment tends to come down. We have seen this with ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment used to scan concrete. Previously, GPR equipment was cost prohibitive to the average person, but it is now starting to be fairly accessible, price wise. You can buy relatively inexpensive equipment that claims to scan concrete, although the best equipment is still fairly pricey.
If you are someone who has a regular need for GPR concrete scanning, you may be tempted to purchase your own GPR scanning equipment and do your own scanning to save some money. This may be the case if you’re a concrete contractor, or even a general contractor who regularly drills into existing concrete. The good news is that there are no health or safety risks to the operator of ground penetrating radar equipment. Unlike X-rays, ground penetrating radar does not give off any harmful radiation that could affect someone negatively or require them to take special precautions.
That being said, GPR concrete scanning should be completed by professionals in order to obtain the accurate results that are typically required of such a project. Unless you are prepared to go through extensive training to learn how to interpret the data a GPR concrete scanner puts out, we would highly discourage you from attempting to complete concrete scanning on your own, and instead, hire a professional GPR concrete scanning company like Enhanced Scanning.
If you aren’t familiar with the images that GPR produces, it isn’t readily apparent what you are looking at. It’s not like the image you might get from an X-ray. Instead, you see a series of hyperbolas that indicate where embedded items are located. It’s up to you to interpret the data to determine what exactly is embedded in the concrete and how deeply.
Interpreting GPR data accurately is something that takes training, as well as some real-world experience. Simply reading the instruction manual that may come with your GPR scanning equipment will not be sufficient.
At Enhanced Scanning, our team has been highly trained in how to interpret GPR concrete scans. When it isn’t readily apparent what we’re looking at, we can often make inferences based on our experience in concrete scanning. We also have other tools at our disposal that we can employ when the GPR data is not conclusive.
While the scanning process itself isn’t dangerous when you’re dealing with ground penetrating radar, improperly interpreting the data and then hitting embedded objects such as electrical lines or post tensioned cables can be! Don’t put yourself or the integrity of the concrete at risk simply to save a few dollars. Contact a GPR concrete scanning expert like Enhanced Scanning to schedule service.