Pergam Technical Services (Pergam USA) exhibited at the 2026 Texas811 Damage Prevention Summit, held October 7–9 at the Galveston Island Convention Center at The San Luis Resort in Galveston, Texas. Johan Wictor represented Pergam USA at the booth. He met pipeline operators, utilities and locating service companies to discuss a practical field problem: finding buried plastic gas pipe that has no working tracer wire.
| Event | 2026 Texas811 Damage Prevention Summit |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 7–9, 2026 |
| Venue | Galveston Island Convention Center at The San Luis Resort, Galveston, TX |
| Organizer | ACTS Now, Inc. |
| Pergam USA | Exhibitor, represented by Johan Wictor |
About the Summit
ACTS Now, Inc. organizes the Summit, and Texas811, the state's one-call notification center, is a platinum sponsor. The program combines workshops, general and breakout sessions, and an exhibit hall. Attendees include excavators and utility locators, gas, water, electric and telecommunications companies, municipal and county officials, and state and federal regulators.
The organizer listed the 2026 exhibit hall as full. Exhibitors and sponsors included locating service companies, equipment suppliers, gas utilities, pipeline operators and state agencies.
What We Discussed
Most booth conversations concerned polyethylene gas pipe installed without tracer wire, or with tracer wire that is broken or missing. Electromagnetic locators need a continuous conductor to trace, so these lines are difficult to mark. Visitors described this need in both residential distribution and industrial settings.
GasTracker 2: Acoustic Locating of Plastic Gas Pipe
Pergam USA offers the GasTracker 2 from MADE S.A. of France. The transmitter connects at a standard meter box and sends an acoustic signal through the gas under pressure, which makes the pipe and the surrounding ground vibrate. A ground sensor and a handheld receiver detect this vibration. The receiver has two modes: Prelocate, to find the area where the pipe runs, and Pin-point, to mark its position and direction.
The manufacturer specifies operation on low-pressure (0.30 psi) and medium-pressure (58 psi) gas networks.
Performance depends on soil conditions, depth, pipe configuration and ambient noise, so results vary by site. Crews should verify every locate under their own procedures and applicable 811 requirements.
Handheld Laser Methane Detectors
Conversations also covered Pergam's handheld laser methane detectors, such as the LM Smart. These instruments use tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) to detect methane remotely. Pergam USA lists detection distances of up to 197 ft for the product line; the LM Smart and LM100M reach 98 ft. Sensitivity reaches 5 ppm×m, depending on the model.
Working distance depends on the model, the background surface and weather conditions. These detectors find leaks; they do not locate pipe.
Next Steps
Pergam USA is following up with the people we met in Galveston. We plan to build working relationships with operators and service companies in Texas and to offer on-site GasTracker 2 demonstrations where they are useful.
To discuss plastic pipe locating or methane leak detection, or to request a demonstration, call Pergam USA at 425-251-1483.