Frequently asked questions.

The measured link, yes – it must be disconnected at both ends. Whether that stops the whole plant or just one circuit depends on your wiring; we agree the scope before the appointment.

Yes. Time domain reflectometry reaches over kilometres; what matters is not the length but a known build-up of the link. Branches and transitions are gone through with you before the measurement.

We do not measure glass fibre – that is what the network operators’ OTDR technology is for. Our methods apply to metallic cores: control, signal and coaxial cables.

Yes. Once the route has been traced, as-built capture takes it straight into your as-built plan on request – then the next search is none.

Yes. Measurement takes place on the de-energised cable, disconnected at both ends – that is a precondition for the methods and for everyone’s safety. The switching operations are carried out by your network operator or qualified electrician; we agree the sequence beforehand.

Intermittent faults are usually high-resistance or moisture-dependent. Such faults are stressed with surge voltage and burned down until they answer reliably earth-sensitive – then they can be measured.

Pinpointing leads to the excavation, not to its vicinity: the aim is a marked spot where the joint lies within the opened window. Prelocation alone remains a distance figure – which is why pinpointing at the surface is always part of the job.

No. We locate, mark and document; jointing and reinstatement are done by your electrical or civil crew. That keeps the measurement independent of the execution.

Completely, for the duration of the measurement – we measure on the isolated, earthed cable. What that means for switching and supply belongs before the appointment; we tell you in advance which steps take how long.

Yes. Intermittent faults are burned down under surge voltage until they answer reliably earth-sensitive; then they can be measured. Sporadic does not mean unfindable – it only means diagnosis comes first.

Yes. Sheath fault location finds damage to the outer jacket of plastic-sheathed cables – worthwhile after civil works along the route or as a follow-up measurement on a section with recurring faults.

No. Switching, isolation and earthing remain with the network operator or your authorised switching personnel; we measure on the released cable. That coordination happens before the appointment.

Under tiles, screed and most coverings, yes. Strongly insulating build-ups – thick carpets, multi-layer old coverings – slow the thermal image down; heating up then takes longer but usually still works. We tell you honestly on the phone.

That is typically an insulation fault against the protective braid – exactly what the first measurement shows. Such faults can be located and repaired locally too; the mat does not have to come out for it.

Usually yes: heating conductors can be professionally jointed at the fault position. Whether that is worthwhile at the age and condition of your mat becomes clear after the measurement – the report provides the basis for the decision.

Yes, the affected cable must be de-energised. Isolation is done by your electrician or – on the service connection upstream of the meter – by the network operator; we coordinate that before the appointment.

No, that is the normal case. Route tracing is part of the job: we trace the path of the cable before narrowing the fault down on it.

That depends on your policy and the cause of the damage. Our damage report documents findings and fault position so that your insurer has a solid basis – only they can give you the confirmation itself.

No. We locate, mark and document; the repair is done by your electrical contractor. That keeps the measurement independent – and you free to choose who repairs.

Only the affected ring – and that one is usually down anyway. We measure on the isolated cable; the neighbouring rings stay in service.

Yes. The route is then traced during the job. It takes longer but works – and on request, as-built capture takes the traced ring straight into a proper plan, so the question stays open only once.

Yes. The insulation measurement per section shows where the ring is weakening beyond the acute fault – a basis for a refurbishment sequence instead of the next surprise.

We agree that before the appointment: your works yard, your electrical firm or – by arrangement – together on site. Switching authority stays with you.

Usually yes. Even on twenty metres, digging without measurement quickly lands in three wrong places – through paving, lawn and roots. Whether the job pays off for your link, we tell you frankly on the phone.

That the fault lies behind the handover point, on your part of the link. That is exactly where we measure: from the handover point to the last socket, including everything buried in between.

Yes. Fault type and position show whether a joint is enough or a section has to be replaced – and whether the damage sits in the cable or in plug and splitter, where no digging happens at all.

No. Fibre links are measured by the network operator with its own technology; our methods apply to metallic cores – telephone, network, coax.

Yes, that is exactly what capture after the fact is for: location works from the surface, with cable location, sonde and ground-penetrating radar. What is found enters the record with the note "located" – honestly distinguished from what was surveyed in the open trench.

You additionally receive a plan as PDF that works yard and planners can use at once. The GIS formats are included: if your municipality introduces a system later, the record can be taken over without re-capturing.

In the one of your records – in Germany usually ETRS89/UTM. If your GIS runs a different reference system, we convert to it.

Yes, that is the normal case: the cadastre grows section by section – by urgency, by construction sites, by budget. Each section is complete in itself and is carried forward with the next.

As deep as the ground allows: several metres in dry, sandy conditions, considerably less in heavy, wet clay. We tell you honestly what is realistic at your site – before the job, not after.

Yes, voids show up clearly – from backfilled vaults to forgotten cellar rooms. Whether air, water or backfill lies behind them is narrowed down in the evaluation; final certainty comes from one targeted core drilling at the marked spot.

In the direction of view: the clearance survey clears an area before construction; this service answers targeted questions in the existing stock – what lies under the yard, what sits in the slab, what the extension will stand on.

Accurate enough for a drilling clearance: the runs are marked on the structure and the drill points placed in the free windows with a safety margin. Where it gets tight, we say so – and move the point rather than risk it.

Yes. We measure from whichever side is accessible – floor or ceiling. Overhead takes a little longer; the result is the same.

Drawings show the intention, the radar shows the as-built state: installed loops deviate from the plan, and the drill goes into the structure, not into the drawing. With drawings the survey is faster – replace it they cannot.

Usually not – tracing normally happens on the live cable. Only cable identification before a cut and certain clamp-on situations need coordination with your qualified electrician; we settle that before the appointment.

Yes, as long as they are metallic: the signal is applied to dead cables and pipes directly or inductively. Pure plastic lines without a tracer wire are a case for sonde or ground-penetrating radar.

Yes – the surveyed points come as .shp, .gpkg, .dwg or .dxf. Whoever wants to build up the whole record combines network location with as-built capture: locate, survey, keep updating.

No – it shows what is measurable and names what remains unclear. A serious report distinguishes finding, suspicion and zones that cannot be assessed. Exactly this honesty is what makes it reliable.

It is the start, not the answer: plans know neither legacy installations nor abandoned lines nor what was never recorded. The clearance survey checks the plan against the ground.

It needs a walkable, drivable area. Asphalt, concrete, gravel and short growth work well; rubble heaps, dense vegetation and deep mud limit the grid – in that case we say beforehand what can be reached.