Tracer Wire & Non-Metallic Pipe Locating in British Columbia
Modern non-metallic mains are installed with a tracer wire precisely so they can be located later with EM equipment. When the tracer wire is intact and accessible, locating a plastic line is straightforward; when it's broken or absent, other methods take over.
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Tracer-wire locating applies an EM signal to the conductor buried alongside a non-metallic pipe and traces it to map the pipe. Where no tracer wire exists, a traceable rod or sonde is pushed into the line, or GPR is used, to locate the otherwise invisible plastic main.
- Connect the transmitter to the tracer wire at an access point
- Trace and mark the signal along the line
- Verify continuity and flag breaks in the tracer wire
- Fall back to rod/sonde or GPR where tracer wire is absent
- PVC, PE and other plastic water mains with tracer wire
- Non-metallic gas and service lines
- Tracer-wire breaks and continuity faults
Locating plastic mains and services that carry a tracer wire.
Utility crews and excavators locate plastic mains via tracer wire — and flag broken tracer wire that would otherwise make the line untraceable in future.
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Tracer Wire & Non-Metallic Pipe Locating — FAQ
Plastic mains are usually installed with a tracer wire — a copper conductor laid alongside the pipe — that EM equipment traces. If the tracer wire is broken or was never installed, a traceable sonde or rod inserted into the line, or ground-penetrating radar, locates it instead.
Tracer Wire & Non-Metallic Pipe Locating Across BC
More Electromagnetic Locating Methods
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