What Is Hydrovac Excavation? Benefits Of Hydrovac Excavation
What Is Hydrovac Excavation?
Hydrovac excavation is a soil removing service that uses pressurized water to create a dirt slurry, which can then be vacuumed out of the ground. It is an increasingly popular alternative to mechanical excavation due to its safety and efficiency in digging around existing utilities such as gas mains and power lines.
The process involves using high-pressure water wands to cut through the soil and soften it before suctioning it into the tank of an excavation truck. This allows crews to dig deeper than traditional methods without risking damage or harm to workers on site.
Hydrovac excavators are also used for daylighting, where small patches of underground infrastructure are exposed, as well as pile hole excavation.
Benefits Of Hydrovac Excavation
Hydrovac excavation has emerged as a popular alternative to traditional mechanical excavation methods, offering numerous advantages.
One of the most significant benefits is the minimal risk of injury or damage. With the use of high-pressure water, hydrovac technology can cut through tough soil and grass without posing a threat to passersby or underground utilities. Instead of using heavy equipment to scoop up dirt, hydrovac operations soften and vacuum the soil, revealing wires and pipes with ease.
Another advantage of hydrovac excavation is its precision. Using a handheld pressurized wand, operators can direct the stream of water with accuracy, even in tight quarters or around obstacles like streetlights and signs.
The flexible and small wands allow for maneuvering in a range of locations, ensuring that the excavation process is minimally disruptive to the surrounding environment.
Hydrovac systems are also useful in winter when frozen soil can present a significant challenge to traditional excavation methods. Hot water hydrovac technology can heat up and soften the soil, allowing construction and repair projects to continue throughout the cold months.
Finally, hydrovac excavation is a faster and more convenient process than traditional excavation methods. Mechanical excavation tools can damage pipes and cause costly repairs and delays.
In contrast, hydrovac excavation is gentler and less disruptive, allowing for timely project completion without unnecessary interruptions. Overall, hydrovac technology has many advantages that make it an attractive option for excavation projects.
Hydrovac Excavation Applications
Hydro excavation trucks, also known as hydrovacs, are highly versatile and can be utilized for a wide assortment of applications. One of the primary uses for hydro excavation is daylighting or potholing. This process is used for exposing utility lines and underground pipes.
By using pressurized water and vacuum suction, all types of soil can be removed from these lines without causing damage to the lines themselves.
Before the advent of hydro excavation, pipeline and utility crossings had to be exposed by hand digging or with backhoes, but this posed a danger to workers if they inadvertently hit a utility line. There was also a much higher risk that lines or pipes would be damaged in the process.
Another application of hydro excavation is soil trenching. This is the process of digging very narrow trenches or slots to place utility lines, pipes, or cables. Because hydro excavation allows for very accurate and narrow trenches, the job can be completed much faster than manual excavation, and a minimal amount of backfill is needed.
Hydro excavation is also ideal for anode and shoring installation. In order to protect the life of gas lines and underground pipes, anode pads must be installed around them to protect them from corrosion. This can be done safely and efficiently through hydro excavation methods.
Pole hole excavation is another application of hydro excavation. The installation of holes for posts, poles, signs, etc. can be accurately and efficiently completed through hydro excavation. Holes for these items must be of various depths and diameters. Hydro excavation uses pressurized water to create the holes and then air vacuum to remove dirt and debris.
In cold weather, digging poses many more challenges than at other times of the year. Traditionally, cold weather digging has involved a lot of pollution because the ground first had to be thawed utilizing coal, wood, and/or chemicals before backhoe digging could commence.
However, hydro excavation causes no pollution because it uses only air and water. Hydro excavation can be safely used in cold weather to remove debris and contaminated soil, etc.
When curb boxes, which are water control valves, become rusted, corroded, or damaged, it can lead to flooding. For repairs to be made, excavation is usually required. Due to the urgent and delicate nature of these repairs, hydro excavation is the preferred method.
Hydro excavation is also ideal for culvert cleanouts. When culverts and manholes become overloaded, flooding of storm and wastewater can occur, causing significant damage and health hazards. Hydro excavation is ideal for quick and effective manhole cleaning and sewer services.
Tree root protection is another important application of hydro excavation. It is a safer alternative to conventional digging for the protection of tree roots.
Since conventional digging relies on the use of backhoes and other machinery, tree roots are often damaged in the process, which can lead to soil erosions. Since hydro excavation uses only water and air, tree roots remain undamaged.
Service pits are becoming increasingly common in several industries. Hydro excavation offers an environmentally friendly, fast, and cost-effective way to dig these pits. Finally, for industries that utilize underground tanks, hydro excavation provides a highly accurate means of exposing tanks with minimal backfill required.
Why Hydrovac Excavation?
Hydrovac excavation is becoming increasingly popular due to the numerous advantages it offers. It enables safer digging and excavation than traditional mechanical shovels, as the high-pressure water effectively cuts through tough grass and soil while posing minimal risk to passersby and underground utilities.
Moreover, hydrovac operations are also more efficient than manual labour, leading to shorter job completion times. Hydrovac equipment also has a smaller footprint compared to mechanical diggers, enabling it to reach tight spaces that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Finally, its environmental friendliness means that it helps preserve deep ecosystems while avoiding hazardous spills or gas escape during excavations.
Taken together, hydrovac excavation is an effective solution for a variety of tasks in both residential and commercial settings.