Electronic Service Locating

What is Electronic Service Locating?

Electronic Service Locating, also known as Utility Locating or Pipe and Cable Locating is the method of locating underground services. This allows our team to obtain depth and alignment of underground pipes and cables that contain electrical currents, telecommunications, gas, water, sewer and stormwater.

How does Underground Electronic Service Locating work?

Service Locating equipment uses state of the art electromagnetic field (EMF) technology to detect pipes and cables buried underground. An EMF locator uses a transmitter and receiver to omit and detect EMF waves through a conductible asset.

The image below showcases an EMF Locator.

What are the different EMF Locating methods?

Our accredited service locator team at Provac Australia Pty Ltd are able to locate underground pipes and cables using EMF Locators. There are a few different methods a service locator can use and they are known as clamp induction, direct connect induction, and drop box induction.

Clamp induction is the most common method used of EMF service locating and depends on access to service pits or poles where a locator can place an induction clamp around a conductible pipe or cable. Once the induction clamp is placed around the conductible pipe or cable an EMF signal is sent out by the transmitter box and can be traced using the receiving wand. This allows the locator to identify the depth and alignment of the underground asset.

Direct connection method uses the same technology as clamp induction. However, rather than placing a clamp around the desired pipe or cable a set of alligator clips are used to create an EMF circuit. A positive alligator clip that is plugged into the transmitter box is connected to the pipe, cable or earth stake and a negative alligator clip is used to earth out a circuit. This circuit allows an EMF signal to be sent down the conductible asset and is received by the locator with the locating wand.

Drop box induction is the last preferred method of service locating as it has the ability to spill its signal onto other services. Drop box induction is used when there is no access point to use clamp induction or direct connection methods. For example, this can be the case when locating a trunk water main or a high-pressure gas main which has few valves and pits.

The box is simply placed on the ground above the pipes estimated location and EMF waves are sent through the ground and reflect back up from the conductible pipe. It is a must that the material of the pipe is conductible to carry a signal. This signal is then traced with the receiver wand and the depth and alignment can be obtained.

Contact Provac Australia Pty Ltd for underground electrical service locating

If you need to locate underground services, get in touch with Provac’s team who are experts in using EMF Locating technology.