Do you have an upcoming project in your home or place of business that will require cutting into a concrete slab? Maybe you’re remodeling a bathroom or your kitchen and have to move some plumbing around, or perhaps you have a building with a cinderblock wall that you want to cut into to add a new door or window. Before you bring out the concrete saw and start cutting away, there’s an important step to complete first: scanning the area that you want to disturb.
A concrete scan will tell you what is embedded within the slab or the wall. It will show you where the rebar is located, as well as any utility lines. If you just start cutting into the slab or wall without knowing what’s behind the surface, you could end up doing some serious damage. Hitting one section of rebar might not be that big of a deal, but hit multiple reinforcing bars and it could compromise the structural integrity of your slab or wall. Damaging utility lines will almost certainly bring your project to a screeching halt while you make repairs—seriously impacting your timeline, and maybe even your project’s budget. Or what about when you have a concrete slab that’s reinforced with post-tensioned cables? Hitting one could cause it to snap. Not only will that damage your slab, but it could seriously injure or even kill anyone who is nearby. The stakes can be very high when cutting into concrete, so you definitely want to proceed with caution!
So how do you scan concrete or cinderblock walls? Some people will tell you that a simple metal detector is adequate for the job. It’s true that a metal detector can identify the locations of rebar, but what about non-metallic items, such as water or sewer lines?
Currently, the best method for finding all of the potential hazards embedded in concrete or cinderblock walls is to use ground penetrating radar (GPR). GPR can locate metallic and nonmetallic items, which will allow you to safely proceed with the cutting of your concrete slab or wall.
Unfortunately, conducting a GPR scan is not a do-it-yourself type of project. To have a GPR scan done properly, you’ll need to call in professional concrete scanning services that have the necessary equipment, as well as the technicians who are trained to operate it. Fortunately, the cost of concrete scanning services is not typically prohibitive. A GPR concrete scan can be completed fairly quickly, and the data can be interpreted on site. If the area you need scanned is fairly small, you could have the information you need in a matter of an hour or two. And once you know what to watch out for, you can proceed with your project confidently!
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