A Practical Guide to Underground Tape

If you are reading this article as a member of the general public, then perhaps you are curious as to what underground tape is and how it is used. If you are reading this as a distributor or an individual working in a storefront location, you may be curious to find out what makes Presco detectable underground tapes stand out above all the rest. Either way, you have come to the right place to find the answers to all of these questions. Here are the basics: Underground marking tapes were created as a necessary means to eliminate underground utility damages and keep workers safe. Detectable Underground Warning Tape is used for accurately locating and preventing damage to valuable underground utility installations. There are federal, state and even municipal guidelines established for protecting underground facilities. A great resource to find out what your state requirements are is call811.com. If you are questioning what projects will require you to dial that number, here is an idea:

• Mailbox installation
• Building a deck
• Planting a tree
• Putting in hedges
• Fence installation
• Digging a pond
• Pouring concrete

Excavator operators face tremendous obstacles due to the growing need for more abundant underground facility networks. With this comes the challenge of dealing with digs in multiple states with different legislative requirements. This is one of the primary reasons that the American Public Works Association developed color codes for proper identification of underground facilities (such as tv cables, gas lines, water lines, etc.). The officially recognized colors are as follows:

• Red- Electrical Lines, Cables, & Conduit
• Orange-Telecommunication lines
• Yellow- Gas, Oil, Steam & Petroleum
• Green- Sewers & Drain Lines
• Blue- Potable Water
• Purple- Reclaimed Water & Irrigation
• Pink- Temporary Survey Markings
• White- Proposed Excavation

What you should know: Safety is Presco’s #1 concern and damaging a buried utility line is a very serious situation. Thousands of people every year are devastated by cases which involve utility operations gone awry.  In fact, residents of North Ridgeville, Ohio had to be evacuated from their homes when an improperly marked gas line was struck during an excavation. Do yourself and your community a favor by avoiding high-risk situations, fines and outages by using the proper tools and channels to complete your next project. Presco’s Detectable underground tapes are made from a specially laminated pet/foil/ poly blend. This proprietary formulation provides exceptional weather resistance and durability characteristics when compared to other all polyethylene type detectable warning tapes. Additionally, our detectable tapes are fitted with an aluminum backing to make underground assets easy to find using a non-ferrous locator. Properly installed, this tape helps avoid catastrophically inaccurate digging when locating utilities such as electrical lines, gas pipes and communication cables. These features ensure that utility lines remain intact and unharmed by heavy excavating equipment and hold up for years to come. If you would like to know more about Presco’s underground detectable tapes or any of our other products, please visit us at www.presco.com or call one of our customer service representatives at 1-800-527-3295.