What Lurks Beneath the Surface? Why You Should Scan Before You Saw Below the Surface
There’s something more important that many crews skip before the first blade strikes the concrete, subsurface scanning. In the concrete-cutting world, what you can’t see can hurt you: your budget, your schedule, even your team. Pipes, conduits, post-tension cables, rebar and voids, they all dwell below the surface. If you’re sawing blind, you’re taking a chance on everything.
Concrete: An Important Material Beyond its Basic Nature
If a slab appears clean and flat, many assume it’s safe to cut. But construction practices have evolved over time. Post-tension systems, embedded electrical wiring and tightly jammed plumbing make today’s slabs far more intricate. That’s where subsurface scanning enters the picture. The use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic detection tools give us the ability to see what’s happening under the slab.American Pavement Sawing works closely with scanning professionals in the local area to make sure all of our jobs are done with safety and accuracy in mind. Why? That’s because cutting blind isn’t just risky — it’s costly.
Possible consequences of not scanning.
Damaged electrical conduits pose significant risks. Striking a live wire can cause sparks, leading to costly repairs, power disruptions, and potential injuries. Striking PT cables can severely compromise an entire building, requiring complex repairs. It is not a simple fix. Enormous cleanup and lost time result from cutting into a concealed water line or drain system on water-filled jobsites. Vehicle accidents cause downtime, costing your business both time and money due to idle crews. Preventative measures are significantly more cost-effective than addressing problems after they arise.
A big myth is that scanning is ‘an extra’. In truth, it’s the reverse. An instant GPR scan prior to cutting can save days of expensive rework, litigation or liability. As it is, down here at American Pavement Sawing, we testify to this extra step not only because we value safety in the workplace but because we know what delays and mistakes do to a job schedule. Taking shortcuts can be risky. To mitigate this, we prioritize site preparation before commencing work. This proactive approach saves both our team and the client time and money.
How the Process Works
When we come in early, we coincide with scanning crews or bring in a trusted partner to take care of it before our blades start turning. We chart all the hot zones, express safe areas, and utilize the data to facilitate exact saw cutting.
This ensures:
- Fewer surprises
- A safer jobsite
- Cleaner cuts, and less rerouting.
- Happier project managers
The Bottom Line
Concrete cutting is not so much about power, it’s not so much about diamond blades anymore. It’s about knowing what’s beneath and respecting it. American Pavement Sawing does not take shortcuts we scan before we saw. From schools, warehouses and public roads, we provide safety and intelligent solutions for every job.