EM Line Locating · Non-metallic mains · permanence
Tracer Wire Locating & Installation by EM.
Locate plastic mains through their tracer wire — and where there isn't one, advise on installing it. The permanent way to keep non-conductive water, gas, and irrigation lines findable for the life of the asset.
Free phone consult · No pressure · Mon–Sat 8am–6pm PT
Best suited for
Why it's used
- Active-locate plastic mains with metal-line precision
- Continuity testing finds breaks in the wire itself
- Future-proofs new plastic runs against 'non-locatable'
- Cheap insurance against the next dig over the line
How it works
- 1
Find the wire access
Tracer wire usually terminates at a valve box, meter, or marker post. The transmitter connects there by direct connection — the cleanest signal application, identical to locating a metal line.
- 2
Trace the main
The receiver follows the energised tracer wire, which runs alongside the plastic main — so the plastic line's route and depth are marked precisely, exactly as a conductive line would be.
- 3
Test continuity
Where the trace fades or drops, the tracer wire itself may be broken — a common failure. Continuity testing and re-application isolate the break, so the gap in locatability is identified rather than silently accepted.
- 4
Advise on new installs
For new non-metallic mains, we advise on tracer-wire installation and access detailing so the line stays locatable for its whole life — and confirm the install with a verification trace before backfill.
Frequently asked
What is tracer wire and why does it matter?
Tracer wire is a copper or copper-clad conductor buried directly alongside a non-metallic (plastic) main when it's installed, specifically so the otherwise-invisible line can be located electromagnetically later. Without it, a plastic water or gas main can only be found by GPR or by pushing a sonde — slower and less certain. Tracer wire makes plastic mains as locatable as metal ones, which is why modern installation practice includes it.
My plastic line has tracer wire but won't locate. Why?
Almost always a broken tracer wire — they corrode, get cut by later digging, or were never properly joined at couplings. The fix is to trace from the access point until the signal drops, which isolates the break; from there we can re-access beyond it or recommend sonde tracing or GPR for the unlocatable section. A dead tracer wire is a known, common, findable problem.
Should I install tracer wire on my new plastic main?
Yes — unconditionally. The cost at installation is trivial against the cost of an unlocatable buried main every future dig has to guess around. Tracer wire (with proper access points at valves or markers, and continuity-tested before backfill) keeps the line findable for decades. We advise on the detailing and verify the install while the trench is still open.
Can you locate plastic mains without any tracer wire at all?
Yes, by other methods — GPR images the pipe itself where soil allows, and a sonde pushed through the line traces it as a point source. Those work, but they're slower and more soil-dependent than a simple tracer-wire trace. That contrast is exactly why tracer wire is worth installing: it converts a difficult locate into a routine one for the life of the asset.
Related EM methods
Sonde Drain & Duct Tracing
Push a sonde — a small battery transmitter — through a non-metallic pipe, drain, or duct, and trace it from the surface as if it were a metal line. The EM answer for plastic, clay, and concrete lines that carry no signal of their own.
ViewActive EM Line Locating
Apply a known frequency to a target line and trace only that line — the precise, unambiguous core of electromagnetic locating. Direct connection or signal clamp puts a traceable signal on a specific conductive utility so it stands out from everything else in the ground.
ViewEM + GPR Utility Clearance Survey
The complete pre-dig clearance: passive sweep, active EM tracing of every conductive line, GPR imaging for non-conductive lines and confirmation, sonde tracing for drains, and depths at the dig point. The single survey that makes breaking ground safe — and the everyday private locate done right.
ViewDepth Estimation & Utility Mapping
Add the third dimension and a permanent record: estimated burial depth at every point of interest, and a marked, measured map of what's underground — the deliverable that turns a one-day locate into a lasting site asset.
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Tracer Wire Locating & Installation across BC
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