Sound and Bore Inspection
This inspection type adds one very important component to the sound inspection: that is the “boring” of the pole.
- Inspection:
- Visual inspection 360 degrees of the pole from the ground line to the tip.
- Sounding 35-40 strikes on a pole from ground line to top of reach.
- Boring at a probable decay point. These would be 1) A large check at the ground line; 2) At a point of machinery damage at ground line, or; 3) At a point of a visual decay indicator at ground line (green coloration, fruiting bodies).
- To the center of the pole.
- At a 45 degree angle, minimum.
- I recommend only one well-placed boring rather than multiple borings.
- Data Collection: This is customer-driven, but the minimum requirement would be a GPS point taken at the pole. Notations of attributes of the pole, which include physical characteristics, would usually be on a staking sheet (height, class, vintage) and any hardware or pole issues.
- Data Delivery: Should be given in a suitable electronic format, typically a shapefile (.shp), Excel or Access format. Some utilities request a mark up of their maps for important information such as reject location. RAM generates detailed maps from the data acquired during the pole inspection and presents it in a book form at the end of the job.
- Accuracy: This is a big step up from the Visual or Sound inspections. This is the lowest tier inspection type that I would recommend as a stand-alone inspection. A boring improves inspection accuracy vastly, but only if it is well-placed.
- Cost: This is a low-cost inspection and the first which I would recommend as a stand-alone inspection. The value and accuracy increase significantly with the addition of the boring.