Even with the advent of sophisticated technology, locating PVC pipes and other non-metallic objects remains a vexing problem. The Innspector 07 from SubSurface Instruments Inc. takes aim with a lightweight, hand-held locator that detects buried lines and objects made of virtually anything — clay, metal, plastic or concrete.
“The Innspector 07 can detect all the things that you currently can’t find underground with other instruments, up to a depth of 10 to 12 feet,” explains Ron Davenport, company president. “Before this, only lines with a metal jacket or installed with tracer lines were detectable.”
Designed for portability, the one-piece, self-contained instrument weighs 2.8 pounds and uses four alkaline C batteries that fit in the handle. The unit is 15 inches wide and tapers to 8 inches, and is 1 1/2 inches thick, tapering to a half inch.
“Locators usually require at least two pieces of equipment, a heavy transmitter and a handheld receiver, plus cables,” Davenport says. “With the Innspector 07, you just pull it out of the case, turn it on and go locate. There is no setup or calibration.”
The device indicates the locations of buried items with a green laser beam pointer. “It’s similar to ground penetrating radar or a stud finder, in that it sends out multiple signals and processes them in real-time, but it isn’t GPR,” Davenport explains. To use it, the operator approaches the general area where the pipe or line is buried.
“Most times, they know about where it is, but they can’t pinpoint it to save their lives,” Davenport notes. The operator points the locator toward the far side of the pipe’s general location, then brings it forward, “like you’re slicing the pipe,” Davenport says. When the instrument discerns the edges of the pipe, two LEDs on the operator’s panel come on, indicating a target lock.
“When it locks onto the target, the locator shines a laser light on the exact location, which can then be marked,” Davenport says. “The operator can confirm it by stepping to the right or left and repeating the process. All the operator has to do is be careful and use common sense, because the unit detects everything that’s buried there.”
For information: 920/347-1788; www.ssilocators.com; Expo booth 160.
