Contractors are faced with a number of challenges when breaking ground in urban areas. Congested underground conditions, unmarked utilities and increasingly strict regulations mean contractors need to be able to accurately locate underground assets in a timely manner. Using a utility locator such as the Vermeer Verifier G3 locator by McLaughlin will help improve safety for workers, increase productivity and ensure there will be fewer delays caused by hitting utilities.
When undertaking excavation works — big or small — there is always a risk of damage to underground assets and utilities located in and around the work site. If an asset is hit unexpectedly, it could result in project delays, service interruptions, costly repairs, fines and compensation costs, and in the worst case scenario, injury
or death.
There are many useful location services such as Dial Before You Dig that are able to provide information about what assets should be located on a particular site. But it is also a necessity to have a utility locator on site to be able to verify the existence of these assets and get the job done on time and in budget.
Utility locators have come a long way in recent decades, with technology advances introducing improved frequency capabilities, power capabilities in the transmitter, and GPS options to make them more accurate than ever before. This allows contractors to quickly identify pipes, cables and other utility lines at a broad range of frequencies and depths.
Designed for contractors
The Vermeer Verifier G3 locator by McLaughlin is designed to be user friendly, and gives contractors gain controls and mode options so settings can be easily adjusted to suit the needs of the project and ensuring signals aren’t distorted or inaccurate.
It also comes with multiple antennas which are securely injection molded in place to help filter out noise, to give a clear, accurate signal and provide more accurate depth readings.
Jeff Lawson, National General Manager of Sales at Vermeer, said the Verifier G3 has been designed with the same core qualities that defined the Verifier G2 product line.
“It has been designed to stand up to the toughest jobsite conditions, has the most accurate push button Peak depths in the market, and comes with a three-year warranty and weather-proof guarantee,” Mr Lawson said.
“The Verifier G3 comes with a number of features to increase speed and productivity, including Automatic Depth and Current Index measurements located on all screen modes to allow operators to locate on the move, and two gain control modes — semi-automatic gain for congested environments and manual gain.”
Accuracy is improved with its individual and combined Peak and Null screens to provide high accuracy peak data combined with high speed null mode data simultaneously, and a new compass icon feature that quickly identifies the direction of the utility path in reference to the receiver which allows direction changes or intersections to
be followed.
“Like other locators in the McLaughlin product line, it has strong accurate induction locating for quick, painless verification of marks or proposed excavation sweeps without any hookup required,” Mr Lawson said.
“It also has an innovative clamp design and exclusive one size fits all coil clamps that are completely waterproof.”
The Verifier G3 comes with smart plug and play software that helps to reduce human error when using different line connection techniques, and to cope with the congestion of the ever-growing underground utility infrastructure, these utility locators are all packed with strong, adjustable mid-range frequencies that allow for induction, even in congested areas.
“With its three year warranty, including water damage, and robust construction and rubber mounted internals, the Verifier G3 will only ever require calibration if damaged and is a great addition to the tool kit of any contractor undertaking excavation work and looking for a locator,” Mr Lawson said.
