westers

I'm currently building a new house on a decent sized area and the eventual plan is to build more houses on the land? For this reason I am going to put in pipes, ducts etc. for future use but cover them for time being. Is there a cheap handheld GPS that would give me a reasonably accurate position and make plotting them and finding them at a later date easier?

I'm based in the UK but can get things delivered to an address is the US if anyone has any specific recommendations.

Thanks

Westers

cordelli

You need something accurate to inches to do that, and I don't think there is any GPS out there that will do that for you.

There are a couple of choices, depending on what you are laying for pipes. If they are metal pipes, you can get a pipe finder which is pretty much just a souped up metal detector.

I would put a stake or whatever at the end, a boulder, some type of marking thing so you could find them again. We also learned the hard way when we went looking for the cover to the septic tank once, it's best to mark the distance from something you need to find again from two or three points, so you can find it again.

djk7

I think you should really look at products/services designed especially for your requirements. Here in the US, there are companies who specialize in finding/marking existing pipes, primarily in preparation for digging, but they could serve your purpose also. I would think there would be similar companies in the UK.

Following along with Cordelli's suggestion, here is an example of detectable metallic tape designed to be used with non-metallic piping so that it can be found later. This company also has a full line of tracing supplies and equipment, although the tracers are pretty pricey for one-off use.

On the above ground marking side, you could use survey markers, like these, to mark corners or other notable points for future reference.

ScottC

An off the rack GPS isn't going to help you much. You'd be better off hiring a survey crew for a couple of hours, or investing in a better grade GPS like something from Trimble.

TMOliver

Even the "best" GPS devices, those found in sophisticated maritime navigation equipment, don't provide the level of accuracy for which your're searching. Just as I want permanent corner markers on a survey, for any additional water and drain lines installed (or underground electrical cable or TV coaxial), you need a clear large scale "plat" (map) and some sort of permanent markers (including a "reference point" marker).

I recently served as mediator in a dispute bertween two families over a "trespass' by one onto the cemetery plot of another. A gravedigger ignoring a corner marker created a dispute which has eliminated the planned site for the interment of a last member of a generation, and the relatives were/are severely p*ssed. The result of carelessness: One family's Granny will have to be exhumed and reinterred a few feet to the South in order to make room for the other family's Gramps to be placed in layaway. More expensive remedy required than the cost of finding a misplaced/mislaid water or sewer pipe.....

willyroo

At the very minimum you'll need a Differential GPS. Google away...

JadedTraveler

The kind of equipment you're describing, when used in surveying and construction is called 'geo surveying' gear or a 'geo theodolite'. Costs start at a few thousand per device, (US prices). Rental units are not very common in the US, and if you did rent you'd need some training or be willing to read the manuals in detail.

A GPS unit for the masses, that's you and me, is only accurate to plus or minus six or seven feet, and that is with the previously mentioned Differential GPS.

Hire a local surveyor to do the work, many of them specialize in construction work, you call them when you need them and pay by the hour or by the job. There's no real way around this unless you can get and operate the surveying equipment yourself.

If you're on a limited budget, try getting a one-time survey and map/drawing done where the surveyor marks a certain number of as-close-to-permanent-as-possible markers, say 4, 8 or 16 of them (not necessarily all on the property boundaries). The surveyor gives you a drawing of those markers. And you then have known points of reference from which you can work.

westers

Thanks for all the replies, once again the Travel Technology forum comes up trumps. I guess I was overestimating current Technology. Looks like old fashioned markers and a bit of plotting it is then.

Thanks
Westers

bpratt

Rather than relying on markers, I think the other earlier suggestion of making the pipes/ducts findable later is the way to go. When I had 800 feet of new water main put in, using 2 inch PVC, I just attached an insulated copper wire to the outside of the pipe. The above mentioned metallic tape would work as well, as would using metal pipes.

Then you just need a general location (which GPS could give you) and a metal detector to find everything.

Seems much easier than using markers and/or maps that could get lost over time.