Concrete scanning · Drummondville
Concrete and slab scanning in Drummondville
Concrete scanning locates rebar, conduits and other embedded items before you core, drill or cut a slab, wall or column in Drummondville. The planning meeting is booked early, because it sits inside the work schedule.
Drummondville
Working in Drummondville
Drummondville asks for an appointment for planning requests that involve meeting an inspector, and states that appointments will become mandatory. One more step in the schedule is therefore secured early. The survey is prepared separately: describe the number of openings, their approximate location and the reachable face. If several penetrations are scattered, say so, since separate areas are not swept the way a continuous surface is.
Drummondville asks that you book an appointment for any planning request that involves meeting an inspector, and states that appointments will become mandatory. A meeting to schedule is one more step in the calendar, better secured early than discovered once the opening date has been set.
Preparing your project in Drummondville
- Book the planning meeting as soon as the nature of the work is settled
- Count the planned openings and say whether they are grouped or scattered
- Indicate the reachable face for each area to survey
How ground-penetrating radar works
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) emits high-frequency electromagnetic waves and records their reflections at boundaries between materials with different properties, such as concrete and steel. The ASTM D6432 guide describes this investigation method.
GPR is also one of the non-destructive test methods for in-place concrete reviewed by the American Concrete Institute (report ACI 228.2R-13).
When to request a scan
Describe the planned work to define the survey area.
- Before coring for plumbing, ventilation, electrical work or sampling
- Before cutting an opening (door, window, hatch, stairway)
- Before anchoring heavy equipment, racking or guardrails
- Before drilling post-tensioned slabs
- Before partial demolition of a structure
- To locate radiant floor heating or a pipe before repairs
Preparing the survey and using the findings
Provide the location, drawings, planned openings and access conditions. Agree on the required marking, photographs, sketches and report in the scope of work.
Post-tensioned slabs require particular care. A scan alone does not authorize drilling; the work must be reviewed by the parties responsible for the site and structure. Prestressing, strands and ducts are set out on the post-tension, prestressing strands and ducts page.
GPR limitations
Dense reinforcement, metal surfaces and wet concrete may reduce readability. Depths are estimates, and no detected indication does not prove an area is clear.
Read all findings together with their assumptions and limitations. Antenna selection and complementary tests depend on the investigation objective.
Frequently asked questions
Does concrete scanning damage the structure?
No. GPR is a non-destructive test method: the device moves over the concrete surface without drilling or coring it.
What can ground-penetrating radar detect?
Usually rebar, conduits and other embedded items whose electromagnetic properties differ from those of concrete. Readability depends in particular on depth and on the condition of the concrete.
Do several scattered penetrations change the survey?
Yes. Separate areas each need preparation and marking, which is not the same organisation as one continuous surface. Saying so in the request helps frame the scope.
Can the survey come before the meeting with the City?
Nothing prevents it, and its observations often help describe the work. The two processes stay distinct, and neither removes the need for the other.
Sources
- ASTM D6432-19, Standard Guide for Using the Surface Ground Penetrating Radar Method for Subsurface Investigation
- American Concrete Institute, ACI 228.2R-13, Report on Nondestructive Test Methods for Evaluation of Concrete in Structures
- Ville de Drummondville: Prise de rendez-vous avec l’urbanisme (in French)
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