If you are a bottle and dump digging enthusiast, then you might have some burning questions with answers that can make your experience that much easier. There is no way of telling what treasures lie below the surface, and the only way to find out is to dig deeper into the ground and see what you can find. However, endless hours of digging and finding absolutely nothing can sometimes be disheartening.

The good news is, you can actually use a metal detector to help you along the way and make your time spent more efficient. Owning a metal detector will mean that you will be able to tell mostly when you are nearby a location that will require some digging. This way, you can eliminate the guessing game, and dig with a purpose. There are some things that you might need to know first, and we will explain everything in this article for you to read and understand. 

What is a Metal Detector? 

If you have ended up reading this article to find out how to make your bottle digging experience more worthwhile, then you might be wondering what a metal detector is. The title gives away most of its designed purpose, as a metal detector is used primarily to detect metal. A metal detector is an electronic device that will detect the presence of any nearby metal. They are highly useful for being able to find metal that is within certain objects or metal objects themselves. They even allow you to find metal that is hidden underground, which is great for those who like to collect certain objects and materials.

Typically, a metal detector is made up of a handheld unit that has a sensor probe that can be swept over the surface of the ground or other places. In the event that the sensor comes near to a piece of metal, it will indicate the new find through sound, or a moving needle indicator. The method of indication will vary depending on which detector you own. In most cases, the metal detector will let you know how close or far away the metal is through its designed method of indication. 

How Does a Metal Detector Work?

The metal detector is a great piece of equipment that uses an electromagnetic field from the search coil that goes into the ground. Any metal objects that are within the electromagnetic field will become energised and then retransmit the signal back to the metal detector. The search coil in the detector will receive this signal and then alert the user that the metal is nearby. Some metal detectors can even be set to ignore the targets that you don’t want to locate and focus on the ones that you do. 

Can Metal Detectors Detect Glass Bottles?

Usually, a metal detector will not pick up on the presence of glass, as it does not contain the required properties that it would need to be detected. There can be situations where a metal detector will react to glass bottles, as there is metal in close proximity to them, and sometimes these bottles will have a metal lid that can be detected by the metal detector. 

However, some glass bottles can actually be detected if they do contain traces of metals. Such bottles can include inkwell bottles and those more expensive bottles that are wade using small amounts of thin gold wire or foil. If there is enough metal present in the glass bottle, then it can be picked up by the metal detector. This means that in some cases, your detector can help you to discover old glass bottles, especially those with metal lids.

It is also widely known that a key indicator that you are at or near a bottle dump is when you have found traces and fragments of rusted metal that are scattered over the surface of the ground. If you are in a location that you believe to be an old bottle dump, and you are detecting lots of this type of metal, then the likelihood is that you have found a bottle dump. Now, you can start digging and try to find as many treasures as you possibly can.

What Type of Metal Detector Should I Take Digging?

Just because metal detectors do not directly locate glass bottles, doesn’t mean that they won’t lead you to the best places to look for them. A metal detector will take care of the difficult part for you, so the experience won’t be as time-consuming, and will help you to find all the best discoveries that are commonly found at old dump locations. The device can even help you to record a map of your finds in the location to help you search more efficiently next time. 

For the best results, you are going to need a metal detector that has either a medium or large coil, as these will be the most reliable when it comes to bottle digging. These types of search coils can find larger objects that are even deeper under the surface. Other features that you will need to consider are metal detectors with ground balance control for surfaces with high mineralisation, and a lower operating frequency to help locate potential dump site areas. This is due to the fact that a lower frequency will mean that the detector itself will be more sensitive to finding the targets in specific that you are looking for. 

Best Metal Detector for Glass Bottle Dumps

While metal detectors do not directly signal when there is glass nearby, they can help you to identify potential dump locations by detecting the surrounding metal or metal bottle caps. If you are looking at buying a new metal detector to take with you when you go bottle digging, we have just the thing.

SUNPOW Professional Metal Detector for Adults

The SUNPOW professional metal detector is a great first time buy for adults who are just starting out in the metal detecting world. There is nothing stopping you going all out and spending lots of money on a professional level detector, but it might be worth choosing a model like this one to see if you get on with it. Then, if you decide that this is something you want to keep doing, you can work your way up to a more professional level.

This metal detector has three different operation modes available for you to choose between, which can help you to improve your detection efficiency. There is an all-metal mode that can detect metals like iron, aluminium, gold, bronze, and silver. Another mode is the notch mode that is designed to target different types of metal, depending on what you are looking for. The final mode is the DISC mode, and you can use this to detect only the most valuable of metal objects, and it will not detect the lower class metals. 

This metal detector has an upgraded DSP chip and a 10-inch search coil, which will help to improve the search range and sensitivity while you are using it. This helps it to search for objects that are lower underground. The all-metal mode has a maximum depth detection of 8.7 inches in total. The coil is entirely waterproof and is absolutely perfect for use in the outdoors near water. This is a great feature to have as it means you can search coastal areas and rivers for bottle dump locations. 

There is a strong anti-interference to make sure that there are no errors being made while you are out searching. This helps to eliminate any false signals that send you looking in all the wrong places. There is even a ground balance adjustment feature that makes it able to be used on a variety of surfaces and environments. These are features that are really important for the intended purpose of bottle digging to help you search more efficiently. 

This metal detector will aid you even in difficult to manoeuvre environments, and is an improved model with new features to make things even easier for you. The stem can be adjusted from 47.3 to 55.2 inches, and it has an armrest to help prevent your arms from getting tired easily when you are using it. The device is easy to manage and comfortable to use, and you won’t be disappointed with this product.

One thing that this metal detector does require is eight AA batteries, which are not included in the purchase. Make sure that you have some to hand for when it arrives in the post if you want to head out on a metal detecting adventure straight away. You can get rechargeable batteries, so you don’t have to buy new ones every time they run out.

Included with your purchase, you will get one metal detector, one shovel, a carrying bag, instructions for set-up, and one pair of headphones. The only thing that you have to provide yourself is the AA batteries, then you are good to go.