Frequently Asked Questions

Cable and pipe locating is a specialised service to precisely find the position and depth of underground utilities such as electricity cables, telecommunication lines (including NBN and fibre optics), water pipes, gas lines, and sewer or stormwater drains. Using advanced electronic equipment, we can identify these hidden services before any excavation or construction work begins.

Locating cables and pipes before you dig is crucial for safety, cost-saving, and project efficiency. Hitting an underground utility can lead to dangerous situations (like gas leaks or electrocution), expensive repair costs, project delays, and potential legal liabilities. Knowing what's beneath the surface ensures your excavation is safe and avoids costly damage. It's a vital step for anyone planning to excavate, drill, or build.

We can locate a wide range of buried services, including metallic pipes (like copper and steel), non-metallic pipes (such as PVC or polyethylene, often with the help of a traceable rodder or by locating tracer wires), electrical cables (high and low voltage), communication cables (copper and fibre optic), gas lines, and water mains.

Concrete scanning, often done with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), is essential before cutting, coring, or drilling into concrete structures. The purpose is to determine whether your concrete slab, wall, or beam contains conduits, post-tension cables, rebar (reinforcing steel), voids, or any other hidden elements. Identifying these embedded items prevents costly damage, structural impairment, and safety hazards during construction or renovation.

Concrete scanning can detect various objects and features within concrete. This includes metallic and non-metallic conduits (electrical and communication), post-tension cables, rebar patterns and depth, mesh reinforcement, live wires (in some cases), voids, and can even help determine the slab thickness.

Hydro excavation is a non-destructive digging method that uses pressurised water to break up soil and a powerful vacuum system to remove the debris into a holding tank. It's a safer, more precise alternative to traditional mechanical digging, especially around sensitive underground utilities. It minimises the risk of damaging existing pipes or cables and is ideal for confined spaces or areas with many buried services.

Hydro excavation is the preferred method for tasks like potholing (to visually confirm utility locations), trenching in congested areas, culvert cleanouts, debris removal, and any excavation where precision and safety around existing infrastructure are paramount. It's also more environmentally friendly as it reduces the amount of spoil and backfill required.

A jet rodder (also known as a high-pressure water jetter or sewer jetter) is a powerful machine used to clean and unblock drains, pipes, and sewers. It consists of a high-pressure pump, a flexible hose, and a specialised nozzle. We often use a drain camera to guide the jet rodder. High-pressure water (up to 5000psi) is pumped through the nozzle, creating powerful jets that cut through blockages like grease, fats, sludge, tree roots, and other debris, washing them away without damaging the pipe itself.

You should consider jet rodder cleaning if you're experiencing recurring blocked drains, slow draining sinks or showers, gurgling noises from your pipes, or foul odours. It's also an excellent preventative maintenance measure to keep stormwater drains and sewer lines clear and functioning efficiently, especially for commercial properties or areas prone to build-up. Our jet rodder hire service is available across the Wide Bay and Burnett regions.

Yes, when performed by trained professionals, jet rodding is safe for most types of pipes, including PVC, clay, and concrete. The high-pressure water is directed at the blockage, not the pipe walls. Unlike traditional methods like mechanical snakes or excavation, jet rodding is non-destructive and effectively cleans the entire pipe diameter.

We use a combination of advanced technologies to locate hidden water leaks and cable faults. This can include acoustic listening devices to detect the sound of escaping water, tracer gas detection for small leaks, thermal imaging to spot temperature differences caused by moisture, and electronic cable fault locators that send signals along a cable to pinpoint breaks or shorts. The specific method depends on the type of utility and the suspected issue.

Early detection of water leaks prevents costly water damage, mould growth, high water bills, and structural issues. For cable faults, early detection minimises downtime for essential services (like power or communications), prevents further damage to the cable, and ensures safety by identifying potential electrical hazards.

Microtrenching is an efficient process for installing fibre-optic cable lines with minimal disruption. It involves creating a narrow and shallow slot (a "microtrench," typically around one-inch wide) in hard surfaces like roads, footpaths, and other concrete or asphalt features. This allows for the quick deployment of communication networks.

Microtrenching offers significant advantages over traditional trenching methods. It's faster, reduces the need for extensive road closures and heavy machinery, and is more cost-effective. It's also less disruptive to the surrounding environment and public, allows for easier restoration of the surface, and ultimately gets buildings connected to high-speed networks more quickly.