For all the DIY concrete workers, it is the must-know thing about rebar and cables. It’s common to go through the pre-existing concrete-like rebar during construction work sometimes. So, you have to work carefully to save the existing cable, rebar, or conduits for coring, cutting, and drilling on slabs or walls. If any of them become excessively hot during the drilling time, you have to pay a significant loss.
In this regard, there are many modern technologies to scan your existing rebar inside the wall so easily. We will share all those necessary tips and tricks to find out how to avoid rebar in concrete drilling.
So, this guide will help you know all the nicest ways for safe and perfect drilling. After reading this content, you will be able to detect the subsurface. So, why late?
Concrete Scanning for Detecting Rebar
You mean concrete scanning overall when thinking of avoiding rebar during drilling time. The technicians go through concrete scanning to check the concrete column and slabs. And, they do this concrete scanning right before the drilling job for a new construction project.
Overall, concrete scanning is what you have to do for your rebar to find a job. Let’s see what exactly you can check through the concrete scanning:
- Walls
- Slabs
- Ceiling
- Floor
- Bridge
- Balcony
- Tunnels
- Roof, etc.
However, all the methods that you use for the concrete scanning will be your way to find rebar in the concrete to avoid it while drilling. So, the relation between the concrete scanning and finding rebar is well-linked.
Read More: 7 Best Drill Bit for Concrete and Rebar
Importance of Concrete Scanning to Find Rebar
While you need to identify the object’s location for safe construction, you must go for concrete scanning. The concrete scanning means a lot to the technicians to save extra costs, damage, and injury.
It is a fast and most efficient way to detect and give information to the engineer. Good concrete scanning is vital for detecting the concrete depth. Therefore, the engineer can easily detect the rebar and do their drilling job safely. However, concrete scanning can help you:
- Simplify the coring and drilling job.
- You will find rebar with ease to avoid a big loss.
- It will lessen the risk of damage for pre-tension cables, conduits, and pipes.
- Prevent Injury risk
- Reduce s mid-project repairs.
3 Best Ways on How to Avoid Rebar when Drilling Concrete
There are many significant ways to avoid rebar in concrete. So, let’s share with you the most significant one first-
Ground Penetrating Radar Scanning Method
The ground-penetrating radar or GPR method gets priority among the experts to detect rebar position. This method works through the radio waves with a specific frequency and scans the rebar position in concrete.
If any risk is spotted inside the wall during the drilling time, it bounces back immediately. At that time, you will know something hidden in the sub-surface. The GPR scanning method helps you recognize the rebar position and continue drilling safely.
Using Rebar Locator
The second significant method is a handle rebar locator that can detect the rebar 8 inches below the concrete surface. But here, you have to be sure whether or not the concrete surrounding or unit is designed to trace metal rebar. If so, rent a rebar locator from any reputed concrete surveying company.
How to Use the Rebar Locator
You need to use the rebar locator properly to trace the rebar. Here is how:
Hold the rebar locator flat beside the concrete surface and start on the concrete edge to point down. Press the power switch to turn the display on. But, it will not show you perfectly if the concrete is not that smooth. In that case, you can put a piece of a cupboard that is pretty thin. Put it in between the locator and concrete.
Remember to slide your locator horizontally to get its indication beep. It means the locator will sound “beep” as soon as it finds the rebar. So, until you hear that beep sound, you’ve to keep the locator horizontally.
Keep chalk with you to mark the spot where the rebar is found. This way, you’ve to keep moving the locator and marking the place to find all other rebars. On the other hand, move the locator vertically to find the crossbars.
Note: If you don’t hear the sound “beep” anymore, you’ve to understand either there’s no rebar in that spot, or the rebar is located too deep that it is tough to detect for the machine.
Using of Metal Detector
And, the next and last method to detect rebar in concrete is using the metal detector. Using this metal detector is simple to use. You can use it trouble-free by turning it on, and it will start detecting the rebar. Keep passing the detector simply as same as the rebar locator. And, like the rebar locator, the metal detector also will sound “beep” while finding the rebar.
Keep moving the detector in vertical and horizontal mode until you find the rebar. But, there is a little difference between the rebar locator and the metal detector. The metal detector will not provide you with the exact location like the rebar locator.
To make you more explicit about the performance of metal detectors, we can say the metal detector will give you an idea about the location. Our recommendation is to use either the GPR or the rebar locator in this case. Using any of these two methods will provide you with an accurate rebar position. But, if you cannot manage any of these methods, go for the metal detector.
FAQs
Why should the engineer put rebar in concrete?
Rebar is a metal or iron bar that works as robust support for concrete structures. And, it is crucial to put rebar in concrete for the construction of roads, buildings, etc. And, it is not a wise decision to do a concrete project without having rebar. If you want to do so, it will not be hat strong, and you will be at risk.
What’s the difference between a rebar and wire mesh?
To make your construction significantly solid and durable, you must use rebar in concrete. But, remember, the rebar will cost you a bit high. On the other hand, the wire mesh will cost you less but raise questions regarding its quality and strength.
What does rebar look like?
Rebar gets its surface deformed in indentations, ribs, or lugs. Rebar endorses a strong bond in concrete and prevents slippage risk. The most significant rebar is carbon steel, consisting of round bars with bent or deformed patterns.
To Wrap Up
If you want to make an appropriate drilling job in your preciously constructed project, you must know how to avoid rebar when drilling concrete. And, to understand how to avoid rebar when drilling concrete, you’ve to go through some accurate methods that we have discussed above.
We hope you’ll benefit 100 on 100 from our shared 3 best methods. You can now easily locate the rebar position inside walls or in concrete for risk-free drilling.
