Ground Penetrating Radar Systems, Inc. – GPRS – of Las Vegas, Nevada, was contacted by a local General Contractor to scan for 17 proposed core drilling locations in an elevated concrete slab containing rebar and post tension cables, in Las Vegas, AZ.

A GPRS project manager was able to meet the quick turnaround time needed to accomplish the job and to schedule and complete the task within twenty-four hours of being notified of the need.  The client needed to make 17 core drilling penetrations ranging from 2 to 6 inches diameter in multiple buildings on site.  GPRS was able to locate and mark out all structural reinforcements and conduits located within the concrete slab to allow for safe cutting and drilling.

This was critical to preventing any compromise of the structural integrity of the building and also preventing any injury to the individual using the drilling cutting equipment.  It was essential that all reinforcements were located as well as live power lines and any other possible utilities that may be within the slab.  Any damage during core drilling or saw cutting into a wall would not only be dangerous but also costly.

GPRS also holds a wide variety of scanning radar equipment, such as specially-sized GPR scanners to scan the concrete in confined spaces that typically cannot be reached.  This allowed more options for the client to decide where to drill in order to complete the work they needed.

Ground penetrating radar is a fantastic tool to scan areas of concrete to locate post-tensioned cables, rebar, and conduits, including PVC pipes. Ground penetrating Radar can also be used for locating underground utilities such as water, gas, electrical, communication, sewer, and other objects prior to digging or excavating.

GPRS can also provide private utility locating services.  Where “811” or Blue Stake services stop at the meter and only detect utilities on the public side of any meter, GPRS can complete the entire project and locate underground utilities wherever you need.  GPRS also offers detailed reports, as-built illustrations, including GPS aerial mapping on a map or CAD illustration.  Working with GPRS also offers each client a “one-stop shop” solution for not only their locating needs but also for concrete drilling and cutting. These services most often go hand-in-hand and are often needed quickly with little or zero notice. GPRS can help to streamline each job’s demanding needs by assisting with ground penetrating radar services as well as concrete cutting and drilling solutions. Please contact Ground Penetrating Radar Systems – GPRS to learn how we can assist with your next project.

Ground Penetrating Radar Systems, Inc. – GPRS – of Southern California was contacted by an electrical company in order to scan for reinforcing or conduits prior to core drilling for an office cubicle improvement. We found that the slab consisted of 6” on center wire mesh with an 8” thick metal decking slab. We marked all high spots of the metal decking with blue tape and all low spots with red tape; in this location we found no signs of conduits. We advised the customer to drill only on the high spots of the metal decking to avoid possible conduits that may be running on the low parts of the deck where it’s harder to see and also to reduce the thickness of the concrete that is to be cored to 4”. We performed this work during the night, while the office cubicles were unattended.

GPR scanning is a great tool to use for post tension cables, rebar, and conduits; it can also be used to scan for underground utilities prior to digging or excavating. GPRS has offices throughout the entire state of California and performs projects in cities like; Ventura, Santa Barbara, Thousand Oaks, San Luis Obispo, Bakersfield, Lancaster and the greater Los Angeles area. Please contact Alfredo Espinal at 805-729-5877 or alfredo.espinal@gprsinc.com to learn more about ground penetrating radar and how GPRS can assist in your projects.

Ground Penetrating Radar Systems, Inc. (GPRS) was contacted to perform a GPR survey at a high rise building in Atlanta, GA. GPRS was asked to determine the location of reinforcing, conduits, or any other potential obstructions prior to core drilling in multiple locations.

Ryan Abueg was the technician from GPRS that arrived on site to complete this project. Prior to arriving on site, the locations had been laid out using the orange “X’s” that can be seen in the photos. Using the 1600MHz GPR antenna, any anomalies that were found were marked directly on the surface using a black marker. Once each location was surveyed, the findings were then explained to the contractor in order to develop a safe plan for the drilling.

The photos included depict the final markup of two of the areas of concern that were brought up by the contractor onsite. As mentioned before, the proposed core locations were laid out prior to GPRS arriving on site. If these areas were cored before they were surveyed, there may have been serious damage done to the structure or lead to severe injury to the workers present. GPRS recommends that a GPR survey be performed prior to any cutting or drilling being performed.

Ground Penetrating Radar Systems, Inc. can identify underground anomalies such as utilities, obstructions, and subsurface voids using non-destructive testing methods. Our technicians have the ability to identify an anomaly’s depth with accuracy of 15% of the depth of the anomaly itself. This is important to note because there are often times when a customer has to excavate to a specific depth in order to install conduits, plumbing, or foundations on remodels and new construction projects. The obvious benefit of having such a high degree of accuracy is that the customer will have an indication of when to hand dig as oppose to using heavy machinery. 

GPRS, Inc. offers a response time unrivaled in the industry. Often times, we can schedule your project the same day or within a few days at the most. By delivering fast and accurate service, you can be sure your project remains on schedule and within budget. Our experienced technicians set the bar and offer professional services to meet the needs of the fast paced construction industry.

This GPR scan took place at a shopping center located in Austin, TX. The customer needed to determine the locations of the underground utilities prior to using directional boring to install a new communications line.

David Hagenmayer with Ground Penetrating Radar Systems, Inc.,was contracted to scan the area requested and mark out all potential utilities. David successfully located the private utilities and the client was then able to conduct the directional boring safely and install the new communications line.

Ground Penetrating Radar Systems (GPRS) gets the industrial. GPRS has been specializing in subsurface locating for over 16 years. During these many years of service, we have had our hands on just about every sort of industrial site imaginable. From government projects to your backyard we are here to help you.

For this particular project GPRS was contacted by an electrical contractor at an industrial plant to locate private utilities and any unknowns that may lie beneath the ground. After scanning in some congested areas we were able to emerge from this project confident that the general contractor would have a safer dig.

“Time is a primary currency traded on any given construction project. At Ground Penetrating Radar Systems, our everyday efficiency in operations allows us to respond to the immediate needs of our customers, often within 24 hours or less.” (gprsinc.com)

Scan before you plan! This ensures worker safety and saves valuable time by targeting specific areas of concern. GPRS can also provide GPS reports overlaid on Google Earth or overlay information on pre-existing CAD files for future building plans. This is all done in a safe, time-efficient, non-destructive manner.

GPRS assists by giving a real-time depth view of subsurface hazards such as reinforcing, utilities, conduit, underground storage tanks, voids, etc. This reduces the likelihood of subsurface obstruction strikes during core drilling, saw cutting, trenching, soil boring, directional drilling, anchoring, and other sub-surface applications.

Ground Penetrating Radar Systems uses the GSSI (Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.) Sir-4000 technology in locating. GPRS also uses the RD-8100 Locator to locate live power and radio frequency (RF) signals underground. We can also detect utilities in or under concrete via induction or conduction with an exposed or known surface utility line.

For questions or quotes on any subsurface locating in the Greater Chicagoland Area with fast response times and easy scheduling, please contact:

Zack Walter 
Project Manager – Midwest Division

At an Experimental Station located in Wilmington, Delaware a contractor had contacted GPRS to locate and mark any conduits located within the elevated slab with ground penetrating radar. The purpose of the markout was to identify any conduits in order to ensure the safety for his crew when coring. GPRS was able to detect a beam located below the elevated slab that was directly in line with the contractor’s coring locations. The steel beams were marked in blue painters tape and the contractor relocated his cores based upon the findings.

It is always best to know more information as to what lies beneath a concrete floor before beginning to saw cut, even in the event the project is an ongoing new build of a hospital. It’s easy to say there aren’t any conduits passing through the room where saw cutting is to take place thinking nothing is there. Regardless if the building is a new build or constructed 30 years ago, the importance of knowing the paths of any sub-surface utilities should be the first step.

A general contractor had a project inside a hospital in Ann Arbor, MI where they had to make some improvements to a newly constructed room and add a floor drain. They didn’t know for sure if any conduits were placed in the floors during construction of the hospital. The fact the project was inside an ongoing newly constructed hospital, they thought nothing was laid in the concrete or just beneath but wanted to do their due diligence before compromising any utilities. Prior to saw cutting the floor, the contractor needed information on any sub-surface utilities that might be passing through the room. Ground Penetrating Radar Systems of the Ann Arbor & Detroit Michigan region was contacted by the contractor to investigate the floor for sub-surface conduits. GPRS was able to mobilize to the site and utilize the latest in GPR technology to locate any obstructions in the proposed saw cutting area. While scanning the room, GPRS located numerous embedded conduits along with the plumbing pipe that needed to be tapped into. They marked the paths of the conduits/pipes directly on the surface and also provided the depths. It was a great idea for the contractor to have the floors scanned prior to saw cutting even though they thought nothing was passing through. By having GPRS out to investigate, it saved countless hours of having to trace back the origin of the conduits.