Tracing Pipes Underground etc

[Ferdinand]

@JSHarris said:

 

29 minutes ago, JSHarris said:

If you can get a flexitrace up the pipe, then you can use a CAT to find the pipe.  If you can't, then you'll need to dig a few holes to try and locate it.

 

Can anyone advise me on such systems.

 

"Flexitraces" seem to be £500-1000. Are there alternatives, and what other kit do I need to use one?

Can I, for example, attach a transmitter to my drain rods and detect that a few metres away?

 

I had someone spend half a day last week looking for an old (clay) waste pipe. We have the manhole end and want to connect up 10mm away, and haven't found it yet.

 

Cheers

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited July 29, 2017 by Ferdinand

[Declan52]

You need one of these

https://www.nationaltoolhireshops.co.uk/product/transponder-mouse-for-hire/

It screws onto a sewer rod and you stick it down the pipe. It emits a signal that a CAT will be able to detect.

[Ferdinand]

And where do get a CAT to detect the Mouse :-) ?

 

I know nothing about this at all.

 

Is there a basic CAT and Mouse system? What would it cost?

 

If I want a simple system to detect pipes - mouse which attaches to my drain rods, CATscanner of some sort, and I guess a signal generator, will I have to lay out say £300 or £3000?

 

(Update: I see that that mouse is made by Leica and costs about £250

https://www.lsengineers.co.uk/digimouse-signal-point-tracer-by-leica-geosystems-731053.html)

 

Thanks

Ferdinand

Edited July 29, 2017 by Ferdinand

[Declan52]

Hire both out from a tool hire shop.

Most cats will come with a depth detection but they aren't really that accurate.

You can only use these on a 100mm and larger pipe though.

You don't need a Genny  unless you are trying to trace the route of a cable that has metal in it.

Not really the type of kit you would buy as it's uses are very limited so better off just hiring for a day/weekend.

[Jeremy Harris]

If you go to your nearest tool hire place they will hire you a CAT and a flexitrace, or similar. 

 

It's easy to use, just shove the sonde at the end of the flexitrace (or the one that Declan linked to that fits to drain rods - same thing) then walk over the ground with the CAT to find where the sonde is.  Mark the spot with a bit of spray marker, then move the sonde in the pipe by a couple of metres and do another run with the CAT to find that location and mark it.  After half an hour or so you should have a load of marks on the surface that are overhead the pipe.  Join the marks and you have the location of the pipe.

 

Edited to add: Declan and I posted at the same time, saying much the same thing

Edited July 29, 2017 by JSHarris

[Russell griffiths]

If you are not confident using it yourself I had a drain guy come out to find a squashed pipe he put his camera down as I walked around with the scanner to locate the blockage, found it in a couple of mins so I got him to scan 3 other pipes on site took about an hour and cost me £80 cash.