Just spent $200 on a 'ground penetrating radar' app for my phone

Saw an ad for this app that claimed it could find underground pipes and wires before you dig. Bought it, tried it on a job in Springfield last Tuesday. The thing just beeped randomly over a patch of grass... ended up hitting a sprinkler line anyway. Had to pay for the repair myself. Anyone know a real way to check for utilities that doesn't involve a phone app?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth_sanchez471mo ago

I read something a while back from a guy who works for the utility locating company in my area. He said the only real way to find underground stuff is to call 811 first, it's totally free. They send out a pro with an actual machine that costs thousands, not a phone app. The app thing is a total scam, I seen a news report last year about a dude who sued the company that made one of those apps and got a refund after his lawyer got involved. Honestly, for $200 you could have rented a real metal detector from a rental place for a weekend and probably done better. Those phone apps just use the magnet sensor in your phone to detect metal nearby, not deep underground stuff like pipes.

dakotaknight2mo ago

My cousin in Tampa wasted $150 on that same app last month.

stone.sarah2mo ago

That's the exact amount my friend's dad lost on one of those crypto game apps. Makes you wonder if they're using the same price points on purpose, like it's a weird marketing trick. They probably figure $150 feels like a real purchase but not so much that people will call the police. It's a gross spot to pick, right between "oh well" and "I need my money back".