We can find most plastic water pipes which cannot be traced with traditional locating equipment. We need a working hose connection which we can trace towards the source of the water.
To locate underground PEX or PVC water pipes which are in our main service area we charge $200 / hour. To schedule call us at 503-939-9585, email Jack@RushLocates.com, or book online with our quick and easy online booking process.
View our webpage about “if a utility can be located” to learn more about tracer wires.
Rush Locates is based in Portland but we serve all of Oregon and Washington.
We can tap our transmitter into any working water line via a hose bib, sink, or fire hydrant to make the line traceable. From there we can chase the path of the water line up to 400′ with good conditions.
For locations in our normal service area we charge *$200 / hour. You can get other private utility locating services in the same hour for no additional cost.
Cheaper, Faster, & More Versatile than GPR
Locating plastic water pipes was traditionally done with Ground Penetrating Radar, usually at a minimum cost of $150/hr (with a 2 hour minimum). Rush Locates can locate your water pipes faster than GPR, in locations GPR cannot access, and cheaper to you as well. If you really need it, we do offer GPR scans as well!
How to Find Underground Plastic Water Pipes?
Ground Penetrating Radar was for a long time the best way to locate a plastic water line. A special radio wave antenna and receiver take image slices of the underground. These images mostly show differences in density and are hard to interpret. Advanced computer algorithms filter the data and make understandable to a human. This is accomplished outside with an object about the size of a lawnmower. The GPR set up moves slowly across a target area and may require post processing of data. The process is not only time consuming and expensive but terrain limited as well. Of course, if there is a tracer wire present on the entire pipe then marking it is much easier.
Underground PVC Pipe Locating without GPR
Nowadays there are ways to locate plastic water lines better than GPR. One of these methods uses a mechanism similar to ground penetrating radar (GPR) except it uses sound waves. The images constructed of this sound reflection can show the location of buried plastic pipes. Another method applies a sound to a water line so it can be located. After applying a rhythmic noise to the line with a machine a special microphone to listens for the specific sound coming from the pipe.
GPR will not work in soil with lots of clay, which describes southwest Portland. Neither will it work well (or at all) in places with rough terrain. Some areas where you want to use it most have bushes, big rocks, trees, or decking over. GPR is also expensive, usually around $150/hr with a 2 hour minimum. We can fulfill your GPR needs if you require, just let us know. For buried PVC water pipe detecting over long distances that can quickly add up.
Rush Locates offers non-GPR underground water line locating services for buildings with PVC, CPVC, & PEX water lines and GPR services if required. And of course copper and galvanized steel water lines are locatable with traditional locating equipment as well. Cheaper, faster, and more versatile than GPR. Call or text 503-939-9585 or Schedule Online.
Always call 811 if Digging
It’s the law to contact 811 before doing any excavation or digging. This is the ‘Call Before You Dig’ service you hear about and it is free. They will mark the publicly owned utilities in the area. This means they will mark water up to the meter only and not at all on houses with a well. If this isn’t good enough for you and you still want to find out how to locate water lines in a yard, then use a private locator like Rush Locates. Almost everyone doing any digging is required by law in Oregon (ORS 757.542 – 562 and 757.993 and in Oregon Administrative Rules, Chapter 952) and Washington (RCW 19.122) to call 811 or get a public utility locate. Learn more about 811 and the requirements for digging with their FAQ.
