GPR Locates Buried Cleanouts to Help Stop Water Intrusion at Industrial Facility
A leaking floor may not immediately set off alarms – but for the team at a large industrial facility, water seeping up through the tiled floor into office spaces had quickly turned into a persistent and disruptive issue. They needed answers fast, but the root of the problem was buried – literally.
That’s when they called in GPRS.
GPRS Project Manager Adam Sorge was dispatched to the site after the facility’s internal team struggled to determine the source of the leak. Their best guess? A backed-up sanitary line, based on outdated as-built drawings and anecdotal evidence. When those drawings failed to provide clarity, and the cleanouts were nowhere to be seen – tiled over and inaccessible – the client needed more than guesswork. They needed accurate utility locating services to help them avoid tearing up floors unnecessarily or damaging critical infrastructure in the process.
From Water Intrusion to Utility Precision
The situation was clear: water was pushing up from beneath the tile in the building’s interior offices. The facility team strongly suspected the sanitary line was blocked and backing up beneath the surface, but they had no idea where the actual cleanout access points were. Over the years, renovations had covered all the cleanouts with tile, and with no accurate utility maps available, they were flying blind.
Sorge arrived on-site with one key objective: use ground penetrating radar (GPR) and a concrete antenna to locate the hidden cleanouts beneath the finished flooring. While GPR is commonly associated with locating rebar and post-tension cables, it can also be used to find embedded metallic objects – such as cleanout lids – within or beneath concrete slabs.
“We don’t always see the sanitary lines directly,” Sorge explained. “But a lot of times, the cleanout lids are metal, and that’s something we can pick up really well with GPR, especially using the concrete antenna.”
As he scanned the area, Sorge detected clear signatures of three cleanout lids in the primary hallway where the leak was suspected to be originating. They were located right alongside a glass divider separating the office corridor from other work areas– exactly where the facility team had hoped but never could have pinpointed without assistance.
“The drawings they had were about a foot off from the actual location,” Sorge said. “That might not sound like a lot, but when you're talking about breaking through finished flooring, it's the difference between hitting the mark or having to keep digging.”
Concrete Scanning in Action
The deliverable for this type of job wasn’t a detailed CAD drawing or 3D model – GPRS’ concrete scanning services are all about real-time, actionable field data. Sorge marked the cleanout locations directly on the tile surface, providing the client with precise reference points so they could remove flooring and access the cleanouts without unnecessary damage.
“Most of the time for interior jobs like this, the deliverable is just our surface markings and a Job Summary Report,” he said. “We take a few photos of our markings to document what was found, and that’s really all the client needs to move forward.”
No guesswork. No digging blind. Just targeted results.
Sorge successfully located three cleanouts along the main sanitary line, which enabled the team to access and clean the blocked system, ultimately resolving the water intrusion issue. While two additional cleanouts were suspected to exist down a separate hallway, they were not identified during the scan – potentially due to differences in floor construction or the use of non-metallic lids.
More Than Just Locating – It’s Preventative Planning
During the job, Sorge also introduced the client to video pipe inspection (VPI) services offered by GPRS, which could provide a closer look inside the sanitary line once cleanout access had been restored.
Sorge says this project is a perfect example of how simple locating services can have a major impact, especially in environments where older infrastructure and undocumented renovations create hidden challenges.
“It was a very straightforward job,” Sorge noted. “They needed to find these lids, and we were able to come in and do that quickly and accurately. It saved them a lot of time and probably a lot of frustration.”
Visualizing the Built World® – Even Beneath the Surface
From aboveground scanning to buried utility locating, GPRS Project Managers like Adam Sorge bring unmatched precision and experience to every job site. In this case, a potential headache was turned into a clear path forward thanks to the power of GPR.
By helping the facility team Visualize The Built World® – even beneath tile and concrete – Sorge’s work allowed maintenance crews to respond swiftly to a potentially costly leak without unnecessary demo or delay.
This story is a reminder that what lies beneath isn’t always easy to find – but with the right technology and expertise, GPRS can help uncover what you need to see to keep your project moving forward safely and efficiently.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a Video Pipe Inspection (VPI)?
Video Pipe Inspection (VPI) is a non-destructive method of assessing the condition of underground pipes, sewer lines, and other subsurface infrastructure. Using specialized cameras, VPI allows technicians to visually inspect the inside of pipelines in real time, helping identify blockages, leaks, and structural issues.
Can GPRS help locate hidden leaks?
Yes, GPRS provides leak detection services using advanced technology like ground penetrating radar (GPR) and video pipe inspection (VPI). By accurately locating buried utilities and access points, we help facility teams address leaks efficiently – without unnecessary demolition.
