Locating underfloor heating pipes

Our GPR surveys provide a fast and efficient NDT means of locating underfloor heating pipes. We can detect and locate both metal and plastic pipes. Locate before you cut or drill!

The use of underfloor heating has become increasingly popular in recent years. Low running costs, no need for radiators and a comfortable environment are some of the main benefits.

However, if at a later date it is necessary to drill the floor slab (eg. fixings, service penetration, etc.) then it is essential to locate the position of the underfloor heating pipes in order to avoid damage. This can be difficult, especially if the pipes are plastic.

Using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) we are able to locate underfloor heating pipes, both metal and plastic, as used in the majority of underfloor heating systems. This is because GPR detects changes in the sub-surface and hence can locate metallic and non-metallic pipes. The results from our survey can be plotted on a CAD drawing or, in most cases, it is possible to interpret the GPR data in real-time and mark up pipe positions in situ.

Underfloor heating pipes are usually installed within the screed layer of a concrete floor. We have however also encountered underfloor heating pipes cast directly into the structural concrete slab (at the Physics Building, University College London). This makes the location of heating pipes more difficult as they have to be differentiated from the floor slab reinforcement.

One of the main advantages of GPR is that a trained GPR surveyor can interpret the data as a pseudo-cross-section view, often in real-time. For this particular survey, we were able to interpret the data and differentiate between the reinforcement and pipes. We marked up the position of the heating pipes in situ and the fit-out contractors were able to drill their fixings safely, avoiding the pipes.

Site Survey

GPR can be used to locate underfloor heating pipes locally (e.g. for a single floor fixing or floor penetration), or a larger area. Larger areas are typically scanned on a regular orthogonal grid and the results processed off-site. The pipe positions are then plotted in CAD.