Conduit locating in Montreal before an electrical or telecom connection

Why conduits are hard to trace in Montreal

On a single Montreal property, there are often several generations of conduits: an old abandoned service, a newer PVC conduit, fibre added during a renovation. Plastic conduits without a tracer wire do not respond to electromagnetic locating; only ground-penetrating radar can detect them.

The soil adds another difficulty. Marine clay left by the ancient Champlain Sea is widespread in several parts of the island, notably in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie and Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (1). Saturated clay reduces ground-penetrating radar penetration, which is why combining both technologies and identifying zones of uncertainty matters.

What we locate before the connection

• Existing electrical conduits between the building and the street
• Telecom and fibre optic conduits
• Abandoned conduits, which can be mistaken for an active utility
• Obstacles along the path of a directional bore

How we work

1. You tell us the starting point, the end point and the planned method (trench or drilling).
2. The technician connects to the available access points to trace metallic conduits.
3. The ground-penetrating radar scans the corridor to detect non-metallic conduits.
4. The path is painted on the ground and documented in the report with estimated depths.

Frequently asked questions

Do I also need to submit a request to Info-Excavation? Yes. Info-Excavation covers its members' public networks up to the property line. Our survey takes over for the private portion of your property.

Can you check the path of a directional bore? Yes. Give us the planned entry and exit points; we scan the corridor and flag the conduits that cross it, with their estimated depth.