When you need to know where your buried utility lines and other hazards are located on your property (or a property you’re working on), it’s important that the utility locating service you bring in is very thorough. It doesn’t do you much good if they only find half of the buried hazards in a designated area, or even most of them. Because it only takes hitting one utility line to bring a project to a standstill or cause expensive damage that will blow your project budget out of the water.
When you bring in the free utility locating service that is paid for by the utility companies, they will tell you upfront that they will only mark public utility lines for you—and only up to the meters on your property. It is your responsibility to find everything else that needs finding. If you suspect there are any private utility lines or other buried hazards where you plan to do any digging or excavating, you will need to contact a private utility locating service in Hemet as well to find them.
Some contractors and property owners in Hemet bring in both the free utility locating service and a private service, but others opt to just use the private service. Private utility locating services offer a lot of convenience. You can schedule a service time, rather than just getting a “window” of time where you have to wait around for a service technician, like you will likely have to do with the free service. Private companies typically can get to your project quickly, while it can take several days for the free service to get the job done.
In addition, private utility locating services in Hemet will have more non-destructive locating tools at their disposal. If it is vital that you find and identify every buried hazard in your project area (as it is for many projects), working with a company that has access to a variety of tools is essential.
If you suspect that you will need to eventually hire a private utility locating service in Hemet to find what the free service can’t or won’t, you might as well forgo using the free service altogether, and just have the private service find everything for you.
Really, the only downside to calling a private service from the get-go is the cost. But you might be surprised at the affordability of such a service, especially if you use a smaller, local company like Enhanced Scanning. For utility locating projects, an underground scanning company like this will typically charge a base rase, which will cover a certain amount of their technician’s time (say, two hours), and after that, you will pay an hourly rate. However, every company is different in their pricing, so if cost is an issue, be sure to understand how you will be charged before you decide which company to go with.
