The LITE evaluates the length of existing steel piles (Steel Sheet Piles, H-piles, Pipe piles, Cased Drilled Shafts, and highly reinforced Drilled Shafts) using the inductive field method.

The assessment of the unknown depth of existing foundations is key for their reuse or when unexpected settlement or scour raise concerns about bearing capacity. The LITE is a tool the Foundation Testing Engineer should consider using for length determination of steel piles (for concrete piles the Pile Integrity Tester continues to be the tool of choice).

The LITE system includes, a main unit with LED displays, a probe (inductive sensor), a voltmeter and battery.

The operation of the LITE is straightforward: Lower the LITE Probe into a PVC lined hole drilled within 18 inches (450 mm) of the pile to be tested. If the LITE detects the proximity of the steel pile its LED indicates "METAL". If there is no metal in its range of detection the LITE LED indicates "NO METAL".  The probe cable has evenly spaced markings for simple observation of the pile depth once the “no metal” indicator lights up.