What is a Sweep:
In utility locating, a sweep is when you walk across a job site or specific area with a precision locator while it's in a passive mode, such as Radio or Power, to search for unknown or unmarked utilities. You're not targeting a specific line, you're checking for anything that might be buried and emitting a detectable signal.
Conducting a sweep is a safe measure to ensure your work site is free from unmarked utilities and buried hazards before you break ground. A passive sweep should be done before any excavation or drilling begins, when there are no accurate utility maps available, to double-check that the area is clear after locating known utilities, and to detect energized lines without physical connection. Since doing a passive sweep is non invasive it is an extremely fast and easy way to catch buried hazards and help you identify unmarked utilities to form an accurate and safe plan.
How to Perform a Sweep:
To begin your sweep, first set the precision locator to a passive frequency like Radio or Power mode. As you walk slowly and methodically in straight lines across the area be sure to look for changes in signal strength (e.g., gain bar increasing), audible alerts (pitch increases near utilities), and directional indicators pointing to buried lines. To ensure your the utilities you are finding are planned for, mark any detected utilities with flags, spray paint, or mapping software.
Conducting a Sweep in Power mode:
Conducting a sweep in Radio mode:
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