Vacuum Excavation

Potholing or daylighting is the process of digging a test hole to locate, expose and perform maintenance on underground utilities. Industrial, commercial and residential communities all need to “daylight” from time to time to check for cracks, leaks or any kind of damage.

Traditionally, potholing or daylighting was accomplished using a backhoe or by hand or shovel digging. Utilizing a backhoe increases the safety risks for nearby citizens and operators and often moves more dirt than necessary, while hand and shovel digging is intensive and time-consuming.

With hydro excavation, you can eliminate nearly all the downsides of traditional potholing and daylighting excavation. It provides a precise and non-mechanical process that keeps everyone safe. It also reduces additional costly expenses, such as restoration, repairs or damage to utilities.

Slot trenching is the process of digging narrow trenches. This is commonly needed for installing pipes, cables, signs, posts and other utilities underground. This is also practical when installing sprinkler and irrigation systems or locating and exposing underground utilities without the risk of damaging previously installed systems or lines. Repairs can be made to existing lines or new utility lines can be installed easily and quickly, without concerns for safety or service interruption. Since only narrow trenches are needed, hydro excavation provides an ideal solution because it is possible to dig trenches to specifications, minimizing the costs for backfill, concrete encasement, asphalt patching and maintenance.

Piling hole excavation is the process of digging pile or installation holes, which are used for a variety of purposes. These holes can range wildly in depth and diameter, depending on the exact needs of a business, such as the installation of signs, telephone and utility poles, fences and any other application requiring a post being installed in the ground. These holes serve as foundations to support the structure that will be installed. Hydro excavation allows operators to create accurate holes of any size and depth in order to create a solid support system for the structure.

Hydro excavation is the ideal choice for piling hole excavation because it is a non-destructive process. It eliminates the risk of damage to buried utilties, cables and pipes and reduces damage to the surrounding area than traditional excavation methods.

Excavating in remote areas or narrow streets and roads can be difficult with traditional equipment. It causes damage to the surrounding area and increases traffic congestion which can be hazardous and inconvenient. When cables, utility lines or water mains need to be repaired or installed in these hard-to-reach areas, hydro excavators provide the ideal solution. The unit can be located away from the excavation site while utilizing a boom, dig tube and hoses. This nondestructive way of digging reduces damage to the surrounding landscape and eliminates traffic congestion near streets and roads.

Hydro excavation is the safest method and best practice for cold weather digging. Equipped with water heaters, vacuum excavators allow for smooth excavation in harsh winter conditions. The most important benefit of hydro excavation in cold weather is that it can cut through frozen ground. Pressurized, heated water is injected into the surface of the frozen soil, immediately thawing the frost to create a slurry that can be quickly removed. This reduces dig time and eliminates the need for environmentally unsafe thawing methods, such as wood and coal. Heated water will also circulate through the unit system while on standby to prevent freeze-ups. In colder months, it’s also common for some construction sites to become less accessible. Vacuum excavation trucks can reach the excavation site with an extendable boom that rotates and pivots downwards, creating ease of accessibility.