Concrete is one of the strongest, most rigid and durable materials used in construction. It needs cutting and drilling, and for that, contractors use electrical coring or drilling machines. But why is concrete coring such a huge deal?
It is so because there are multiple risks associated with concrete coring. Concrete coring can lead to a hazard and compromise the structural integrity of your home, office, or hotel. You might be thinking, what exactly is the risk, and how can we ensure safe construction? What do you know about Concrete Scanning?
Let us stay tuned to the blog and read the answer in detail.
What is the Problem and the solution?
The problem arises when a contractor is coring the concrete and meets something unexpected like a rebar, post tension cable, voids, and various kinds of wires. Damaging these utilities not only creates the cost of repair but also creates dangers and risks to life for the workers and construction sites.
The simple solution to this problem is to know about the utilities hidden in the concrete in advance. But how is that possible? We can scan the existing concrete using
concrete scanning methods. One of the most popular scanning methods is Ground Penetrating Radar, referred to as GPR Scanning in general. Let us know What are the five reasons to choose GPR scanning before going for concrete drilling.
Reasons why concrete scanning should be your priority:
1 Safety of workers and construction site:
Imagine what can be the worst thing that can happen on a construction site. Equipment failure, power cut, or running out of construction material. The worst-case scenario is when workers or structures are seriously harmed.
Imagine a worker strikes a live conduit and causes chaos or interrupts the utility service and snaps off the wires and cables, ending up harming himself and other workers at the site. You cannot afford to leave things to chance.
A mistake like this will not only cost a safety hazard, but it will create an expensive error. Concrete scanning helps locate the Items hidden in the concrete and ensures the safety of your home or office.
2 Saving the reputation of your home or business:
Of course, protecting the lives of the workers and others involved in construction is a priority, but we need to protect the reputation of our company. If you want to save the image of your home or business, it is best if you build one with no hidden hazards. You must not only test the strength of your structure but as well scan it for any voids or hidden dangers. This way, you will avoid any future penalties or budget overruns.
3 Reinforcing steel:
Most abundant item inside the concrete is reinforcing steel. If a core drilling worker touches steel bars inside the concrete, the event can cause structural issues and damages, opening lots of repair work and delaying the construction. GPR scanning can help with the issue in a few minutes.
Besides hazards, GPR is used to scan the concrete before starting a renovation, such as a slab extension or installation of new structures like Ac, heating machines, fire protection systems, or drains and ducts.
4 Conduits:
Detecting utility lines and conduits is an essential part of industrial areas. If a worker hits a conduit during coring, it can cause a power outage and damage that will take days to repair. This is where concrete scanning comes in handy.
GPR, unlike X-rays, is the best method to detect items embedded in concrete, and it only needs to access only one side of the concrete. However, GPR doesn't detect the material inside the concrete itself; it takes a professional to get the correct readings and evaluate the right location and type of object.
5 Voids and beams:
Like any other item in the concrete, voids cannot be detected with open eyes. Space inside the concrete stays back due to poor concrete pouring techniques, and after drying up, it turns into a void. While coring the concrete, if the core drill of a worker touches a void, he may face a blast.
In another application of
GPR scanning, it can detect the space and voids between soil and concrete slab. The holes and gaps are formed due to reasons like soil erosion or previous sinkholes. The voids can slowly make the soil under the concrete shift away and loosen its grip on the ground.
Moreover, these voids remain undetectable because they are always covered with concrete. If you want a safe home or hotel, you need to get your concrete scanned and take immediate steps to save your construction on time.
How to find the right concrete scanning service provider near you?
When choosing reliable GPR scanning services near you, look for online reviews and ratings.
You can ask your friends and family, and they can suggest to you the contractor they know. This way, you can also see the previous work of that contractor and ensure they believe in customer satisfaction.
An excellent concrete scanning contractor adjusts according to the client's availability and believes in open communication.
Conclusion:
We discussed five reasons to choose a concrete scanning company while constructing your home. However, scanning the concrete not only serves its purpose in construction but many other fields.
In case you need concrete scanning in DC,
Concrete Insight offers services in scanning, coring, and concrete testing. To hire us for any of our services, get in touch with us now!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q 1 How accurate is GPR scanning?
Ans : GPR scanning is as accurate as a set of human eyes, but one needs to use the best human knowledge to analyze the readings and images, and other data and mark them accordingly.
Q 2 What is the purpose of concrete coring?
Ans : It is a technique in which cores of any size are drilled inside the concrete. These cores accommodate conduits, wires, pipes, HVAC, etc.
Q3 What are the timings of Concrete Insight?
Ans : Concrete Insight provides quotes 24*/7 and works on after hours and on weekends.
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