Locating Below Paved Surfaces - RIDGID A-Frame Fault Locator Operator's Manual

4. Remove the receiver from the earth and
move several steps as indicated by the
directional arrow and beeping along the
conductor path. Reinsert the receiver
spikes into the earth (Figure 11).
Continue moving away from the ground
stake along the conductor path. Signal
strength should drop (in some cases going
to zero) and then rise as you move to-
wards a fault.
5. Signal strength will peak over the fault. If
you pass the fault, the directional arrow will
change direction and the beep will change
from long slow to quick beep and the sig-
nal strength will decrease. Continue to
move the receiver back and forth until
slight movement causes the directional
arrows and beeping to toggle back and
forth. At this point, the fault is centered be-
tween the spikes of the receiver.
Compare the signal strength to the refer-
ence signal strength taken near the
ground stake. They should be similar. If the
fault signal strength is much lower than the
reference value, you may not have lo-
cated a fault. For instance, a grounded
splice point would behave as a fault during
the locate, but would give a much lower
signal strength. For a low fault signal
strength, you may want to mark the loca-
tion and continue down the conductor
Ground Rod
Figure 11 – Signal Strength
Figure 12 – Final Locate
10
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path looking for a fault signal strength
closer to the reference signal.
Once a fault is located with a signal similar
to the reference signal, turn the A-Frame
Locator perpendicular to the path of the
conductor. Move the receiver back and
forth until slight movement causes the di-
rectional arrows and beeping to toggle
back and forth. At this point, the fault is
centered between the spikes of the re-
ceiver. See Figure 12. Mark the location of
the fault.
6. Once the locating is completed, press the
ON/OFF button to turn the transmitter OFF.
Always turn the unit OFF before discon-
necting the cable leads to reduce the risk
of electrical shock. Remove the cable lead
from the target conductor first. Always dis-
connect the cable lead from the target
conductor first before removing the cable
lead from the ground spike to reduce the
risk of electrical shock. Disconnect the
cable lead from the ground spike.
Locating Below Paved
Surfaces
Locating can be difficult if the fault is below a
paved surface, because the receiver spikes
cannot make good electrical contact with
the earth. In this case, there are several
methods that can be used.
Fault
Conductor (Side View)
Fault
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Signal Strength
Signal
Strength
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