Tech Tips – Seeker Error Codes
Additional error codes have been added to the instrument display messages. Refer to the operation manual for each leakage meter in the Seeker family for a complete listing of error codes or click here to view the Seeker error codes online.
Tech Tips – How to Best Utilize the Seeker GPS
Trilithic’s Seeker GPS Leakage Management System offers high-performance GPS leakage detection and documentation as an alternative to traditional manual leak detection methods.
Previously, a comprehensive leakage containment program consisted of sending technicians out with a leakage detection meter and requiring them to manually record the location and strength of the leak. As compared to the current GPS-based solution, this method was extremely inefficient, required a substantial investment of time and resources, and did not provide the coverage that current solutions offer.
Trilithic’s Seeker GPS now automates leakage monitoring and containment. Rather than dispatching dedicated technicians to patrol for leaks, the Seeker GPS can be installed in all fleet vehicles and allowed to operate autonomously while service and installation technicians travel between customer and plant sites.
As the technicians cover the plant, leakage data is automatically recorded and at the end of the work day, leakage data is uploaded to a central server. From there, leaks are prioritized and mapped, correlated to physical addresses, and work orders are generated. Repair technicians can then be dispatched to repair leaks in a logistically-ordered method, thereby increasing their efficiency and reducing the time necessary to locate leaks prior to repair.
Following is a table outlining the benefits of a GPS-based leakage containment system, as compared to traditional manual leakage detection and repair methods.
| Manual Leak Detection and Repair | GPS-Based Leak Detection and Repair | |
| The Drive Out | ||
| Average Speed | 15 mph | 37.5 mph |
| Miles Driven per Day | 14 miles | 262.5 miles |
| Hours Driven per Day | 7 hours (3.5 hours of which is spent recording data) |
7 hours (0 hours spend recording data) |
| Leaks Recorded per Day | 20 leaks | As many as are encountered |
| Miles Driver per Week | 70 miles | 1312.5 miles |
| Hours Driven per Week | 35 hours (17.5 hours of which is spent recording data) |
35 Hours (0 hours spent recording data) |
| Leaks Recorded per Week | 200 leaks | As many as are encountered |
| Miles Driven per Month | 280 miles | 5250 miles |
| Hours Driven per Month | 140 hours (79 hours of which is spent recording data) |
14 hours (0 hours spent recording data) |
| Leaks Recorded per Month | 800 leaks | As many as are encountered |
| Leak Repair (If the leak is between 20 and 100 µV/m, the leak can be recorded and repaired later) | ||
| Time to Locate the Leak and Determine Leak Strength | 10 minutes | 0 minutes (Seeker GPS records leak strength and GPS coordinates without stopping the vehicle) |
| Leaks Recorded per Day | 20 (3.5 hours spent recording data) |
As many as are encountered |
| Leak Repair (If the leak is greater than 100 µV/m, the leak must be recorded and repaired immediately) | ||
| Time to Locate the Leak and Determine Leak Strength | 10 minutes | 10 minutes |
| Time to Repair the Leak | 1 hour ± 25% (Depending on where the leak originates from: within a house or within the plant) |
1 hour ± 25% (Depending on where the leak originates from: within a house or within the plant) |
| Management Options | ||
| Data Input into Billing System | Manual (Via data entry technician) | Automatic (Via Wi-Fi) |
| Time to Input in Billing System | 16 to 24 man-hours (Assuming 200 leaks per week, input weekly) | Automatic download when the vehicle is parked overnight |
| Work Order Generation | n/a | Automatically created |
| Technician Dispatch | Dispatchers must manually schedule technicians for repairs | Dispatchers schedule technicians for repairs based on GPS leak locations |
| Repair Operations | ||
| Methodology for Locating hte Leak | Repair technician drives to nearest address where CLI technician believes the leak originates from | Exact position is located using GPS map and address dta |
| Time On-Site to Locate the Leak | 10 to 20 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Time to Repair the Leak | 1 hour ± 25% (Depending on where the leak originates from: within a house or within the plant) |
1 hour ± 25% (Depending on where the leak originates from: within a house or within the plant) |