Here at Enhanced Scanning, the “bread and butter” of our business is GPR scanning services. We use ground penetrating radar (GPR) to scan the ground for buried utilities like electrical lines, gas lines, water and sewer pipes, and telecommunications cables. We also use GPR to scan concrete for embedded items like rebar or post-tensioned cables, to aid in archaeological digs, and much more!
Many of our clients already know the benefits of ground penetrating radar, either because they’ve used GPR scanning services in the past or because they’ve done their homework prior to contacting us and know what kind of information a GPR scan can provide. But others are new to this type of scanning technology. You may be one of them. You might have landed on our company’s website because someone told you that you need, or could benefit from, a GPR scan prior to the start of a new project on your property. Maybe your structural engineer requires it, or your general contractor has refused to break ground or disturb your concrete slab until you present them with the results of a thorough GPR scan. Or perhaps you called the free 8-1-1 service to come out and scan for buried public utilities and they recommended that you also have a GPR scan done for buried private utilities on your property.
If you’re looking to learn more about ground penetrating radar and the GPR scanning services we provide at Enhanced Scanning, read on! In this blog post, we will do our best to answer some of the questions we often get from our customers and potential customers about GPR technology, how we use it at our company, how you can benefit from it, and more.
What Is Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)?
Let’s start with the basics and talk a little bit about what ground penetrating radar actually is. GPR is amazing technology that uses high-frequency radio waves to tell us what is located beneath the surface of the area that is being scanned. It is a non-destructive scanning technology, which means that we can find out where hazards are located without having to dig, drill, or otherwise disrupt the area in question.
Without getting into too much technical detail, GPR works by using electromagnetic pulses, which are sent out from a transmitter antenna into the ground, a concrete slab, a cinderblock wall, or whatever else is being scanned. Those waves will then bounce off any buried or embedded hazards or changes in the makeup of the ground, and a receiver antenna measures the strength and time delay of the reflected waves. The GPR system uses that data to help determine what is located beneath the surface, as well as the depth at which it is located.
How Is GPR Used, Practically Speaking?
Ground penetrating radar has a lot of practical applications. One of the most common reasons we are called to a location for GPR scanning services is to provide a client with information about unseen hazards prior to the start of a construction project.
For example, if you own a home and want to excavate for any reason (to install a swimming pool, add irrigation lines, install a septic system, add a propane gas line to your outdoor fireplace or grill, etc.), knowing what unseen hazards to avoid while digging is imperative. Otherwise, you could accidentally hit a utility line, causing expensive damage to your property or injury to the person doing the excavating. Hitting something like a water line might result in only a minor expense and a short delay in the progress of your project, but accidentally hitting a gas line could cause an explosion that could start a fire or even kill anyone nearby. The best way to avoid this would be to have a GPR scan done of the area that will be excavated. If nothing is found, you can safely proceed with your project, but if utility lines or other buried hazards are found in the area, you can then either decide to work around them, if possible, or safely relocate them.
We are also called out prior to the start of construction projects that involve disturbing concrete or concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls. When cutting, coring, or drilling into concrete, it’s important that you avoid hitting structural steel elements like rebar or post-tensioned cables, in addition to any embedded utility lines. Damaging rebar or post-tensioned cables can compromise the structural integrity of a concrete slab or wall, and hitting a utility line can cause expensive damage and could result in major project delays. Therefore, most contractors will tell you that the time and costs associated with having a GPR scan completed are well worth it!
In addition to construction-related projects, we occasionally work with those doing archaeological digs to help them find the best areas to focus their efforts. For example, on this archaeological site in Southern California, we used ground penetrating radar to find areas that contained non-native rocks, as well as evidence of any buried structures. Having a GPR scan done prior to the start of digging can save archaeologists a ton of time and effort and can also keep them from damaging any valuable artifacts during the digging process.
GPR can also be used for locating unmarked graves (or other buried evidence in criminal investigations), examining soil structures for agricultural or other purposes, studying glaciers, and mapping caves. GPR technology was even used on a lunar mission to examine the moon’s subsurface!
Ground penetrating radar is extremely versatile, as well as safe, making it the go-to technology for gathering information in a variety of environments.
What Can GPR Scanning Services Find?
Ground penetrating radar is masterful at finding the unseen, which is why we use it in a majority of our scanning jobs! It is particularly adept at finding metallic objects located in the ground or within concrete (although it is much more than just a fancy metal detector), as well as typical utility lines. In fact, most buried or embedded anomalies within a given area can be found using GPR.
Whether you are looking for buried utility lines, structural elements within concrete, voids in a concrete slab, or changes in geologic media, ground penetrating radar can almost certainly give you the information you need with the accuracy you desire.
Do GPR Scanning Services Have Limitations?
Just like any technology, however, ground penetrating radar has its limitations. In other words, it can’t do it all, and it shouldn’t be expected to. One major limitation of GPR is that it struggles to provide accurate results in wet environments, such as saturated soil or newly poured concrete. It also doesn’t perform well in soil with heavy clay content. In these types of environments, the Enhanced Scanning team makes use of other non-destructive scanning tools, such as magnetometers, to get the job done.
GPR is also best for scanning focused areas. This is because the entire surface is scanned using a device that is about the size of a typical lawnmower. Therefore, scanning a very large area would take a long time and would be cost prohibitive for most of our clients. If you have a large area in need of scanning, contact us to discuss some of the other non-destructive scanning tools we have at our disposal.
Are GPR Scanning Services Better Than X-Ray?
We often get asked if using GPR is better than using X-ray technology, particularly when scanning concrete. The answer to this is “yes” and “no.” We are typically asked this by people who have used X-ray in the past to examine concrete and are accustomed to the clear images that X-ray can produce. In contrast to X-ray results, they may have seen examples of the data delivered by GPR scanners (which can look like an unintelligible series of waves to the untrained eye) and are led to the conclusion that X-ray is much better at scanning.
It’s true that X-ray does produce very clear and accurate images. This is why we use X-ray in certain circumstances, like when we’re dealing with a very congested concrete slab and our clients will need to “thread the needle,” so to speak, when drilling into their slab. However, in more than 90% of cases, a GPR scan is able to provide our clients with all the information they will need to proceed safely with their projects.
Even so, why would we ever use GPR instead of X-ray? There are three very important reasons for doing so: cost, safety, and feasibility.
First of all, conducting an X-ray is expensive. It requires more extensive setup than GPR, and then, once the data is gathered, an X-ray typically needs to be processed off site. After the images are processed, the technician will then need to return to the site to mark the concrete where any hazards are located. All of this takes a lot of time and results in higher costs for the client. Unless an X-ray is absolutely necessary, we will always recommend a more cost-effective GPR scan, the results of which can be processed on site and delivered to the client almost immediately.
Second, there are safety concerns when using X-ray technology. As anyone who has ever been X-rayed in the hospital or at the dentist knows, X-ray emits harmful radiation, and certain precautions need to be taken when it is being used. When scanning a concrete slab or CMU wall using X-ray, the entire area must be evacuated for safety reasons. The technician must also take certain precautions, which adds to the time and cost involved.
Third, an X-ray isn’t even possible in all circumstances. Conducting an X-ray requires that the technician be able to access both sides of a concrete slab or wall. So, an X-ray couldn’t even be done on a slab that is located on the ground. GPR, on the other hand, only requires access to one side of a concrete slab or wall, making it useful in many more circumstances.
So, for these three reasons, GPR is typically our go-to technology for scanning concrete and CMU walls. It saves our clients money, is safer to use, and can be used in almost any environment. If we recommend going with X-ray, it will only be if it is absolutely necessary to obtain the type of results a client needs (or if a client insists upon it).
Are GPR Scanning Services Expensive?
For the most part, bringing in GPR scanning services for a typical project is relatively inexpensive. Unfortunately, we can’t provide an exact cost here, because every project is a little bit different (and some are wildly unique). The cost of your specific project will be based on the size of the area being scanned, the difficulty of the terrain, the area’s accessibility, any travel costs, and any other factors that might make scanning the area a challenge.
We always do our best to keep costs down for our clients by operating as efficiently as possible.
While there are costs involved with having a GPR scan conducted, you need to put this particular expense in context. Getting an accurate picture of what is located below the surface of the ground or your concrete slab concrete prior to disturbing it can potentially save you thousands of dollars by allowing you to avoid hitting unseen hazards. Not only that, but a GPR scan can also help you avoid the inevitable project delays that come when you come across something unexpected that you then need to work around. There are a lot of people out there who wish they would have spent the money to have a GPR scan done, rather than trying to save some money, but then later having to fix a broken pipe or repair a concrete slab with damaged rebar.
Ideally, you should include GPR scanning services in your initial project budget. If you need an estimated amount when putting together your budget, you can contact our office and provide us with some details, and we can most likely give you a cost range for planning purposes.
Can I Just Buy My Own GPR Scanning Equipment and Do It Myself?
Some people wonder if GPR scanning is a do-it-yourself type of project. While GPR scanning equipment is available to the public for purchase, we would advise most people against trying to do their own GPR scans. Operating the equipment is not necessarily all that difficult, but the interpretation of the data requires a good amount of training and experience to get it right—and it’s the interpretation of the data that is the most important part of the process! At Enhanced Scanning, our GPR technicians go through rigorous training on all of our equipment. We won’t send a technician out on a job alone until we are confident that he or she has the skills to accurately interpret a GPR scan.
We would also advise someone against hiring just “some guy” with GPR scanning equipment to scan your property or concrete. You really do want to work with a professional GPR scanning service that specializes in this type of work, as opposed to someone who simply owns some equipment and kind of knows how to use it. The accuracy of the results you are provided with can vary quite dramatically between a novice technician and a professional.
We love a good DIY project as much as anyone, but scanning for buried or embedded hazards on your property is a job that should be left to the professionals. We would love it if you called us at Enhanced Scanning for GPR scanning services, but if you don’t, please use another company that is experienced and reputable!
Do I Need to Hire a Local Company for GPR Scanning Services?
If you are in or near a relatively large city, there is likely a GPR scanning company near you—and possibly even multiple companies offering GPR scanning services. Hiring a local GPR scanning service will help keep your costs down because you will avoid paying for any travel costs, but don’t hire someone local at the expense of accurate results. Be sure to research GPR scanning services near you prior to hiring them to make sure they are reputable and will be able to provide you with the type of results you need.
If there isn’t a reputable GPR scanning service in your area, or if your project requires special expertise or the use of non-destructive tools in addition to ground penetrating radar, you may need to pay someone to travel to your location.
At Enhanced Scanning, we regularly travel outside of our immediate area of Southern California for scanning projects. We’ve gone as far as Alaska and the Eastern United States for projects that required our team’s level of expertise.
What If GPR Doesn’t Give Me the Information I Need?
While GPR is amazing technology, it isn’t right for every project, or it may need to be used in conjunction with other non-destructive tools to obtain the full picture of what is located beneath the surface. At Enhanced Scanning, we’ve invested in a variety of scanning tools for these reasons. Like we mentioned above, when GPR won’t suffice for a concrete scan, we can conduct a concrete X-ray. On archaeological sites, we like to use both GPR and magnetometers, since magnetometers can easily locate the distinctive magnetic anomalies present in burnt materials, which are often present in previously inhabited sites. In other projects, we might use a soil conductivity meter in addition to GPR. Soil conductivity meters can pick up things like soil contaminants or leaks from underground storage tanks, which GPR can’t detect.
In particularly high-stakes projects, we often use multiple tools to confirm the findings that were obtained using ground penetrating radar. At Enhanced Scanning, we pride ourselves on providing our clients with the thorough, accurate results they need to move forward with their projects. If that means taking some extra time and using additional scanning tools to get the job done, then that’s what we’ll do!
We also stay on top of advancements in our industry. If new technology comes out that will allow us to do our job better or more efficiently for the benefit our clients, we invest in that technology and in the training needed to operate it.
Ready to Learn More About Our GPR Scanning Services?
If you have an upcoming project for which you will need a GPR scan, we would love to talk with you! We can tell you more about the process and give you an estimate on what a project like yours might cost. We are also happy to answer any initial questions you might have about GPR in general or about our company in particular. You might also be interested in reading our Why Us page, which details what makes our company and our approach unique.
If you’re ready to go immediately, we can come out to your property and assess the area in need of scanning and discuss deliverables. Then, we can tell you more accurately what your project will cost and how we will go about obtaining the results you need. We will schedule your service as soon as possible so you can proceed with your project in a timely manner.
You can contact our office by phone (951-533-0850), by email (contactsocal@enhancedscanning.com), or by filling out our online form. We look forward to working with you!