Why use hydro excavation

If you are lucky, your daily fill source is close by. If not, a lot of time can be spent traveling back and forth to get water for a hydro excavation job.

Meanwhile, air excavation units rarely need water and almost always go the entire day sometimes a week without needing to be refilled. It is nice to have some onboard water when challenged with a difficult dig spot but is not always necessary. If your water source is close by, this would be a non-factor.

However, if you are driving a distance to reach a water source, it could point towards air excavation being a better alternative. Similar to the water source location added travel to dump your debris tank can be a long and costly non-value added process for hydro excavation.

Debris from the hydro excavation can rarely be used as backfill because of its slurry form and therefore must be dumped at a different location. Air excavation debris is dry, can be used as backfill and dumped directly back into the same hole.

Again, if your debris dump location is close, this could be a non-factor. If your dump location is a time long consuming travel distance away, air excavation may prove to be the better alternative. Understanding the scope of the project is an important factor in determining whether to dig with air or water. When do you get paid? Vacuum excavation involves digging a hole using high-pressure water or air. A high-powered vacuum system then sucks up the spoils into a debris body, which acts like a storage tank.

While it may take longer, the vacuum excavation process is safer and more precise than using the tough, metal bucket of a backhoe.

Anyone who needs to dig precise holes can benefit from using vacuum excavation, Schueller said — from utility crews to landscapers to construction companies. Drillers use vacuum excavation trucks in large, open oil fields, and utility companies use them in tight spaces like residential areas.

The precision of this method is especially useful in residential areas. Consider a recent sewer job in a Joliet, Illinois, residential neighborhood. Rather than disturbing landscaping and lawns adjacent to these homes, the crew was able to dig a 1-foot-square hole, 9 feet deep, while using a vacuum excavation truck.

There are some key differences between using air and water in vacuum excavation. Hydro vacuum excavation uses water to loosen up dirt and dig a hole. It is faster than using air because liquid can cut more easily through earth.

There is even an option to use heated water to cut through clay or frozen soil. Importantly, the hydro method is just as safe when working around utility lines. Because the water is very highly pressurized so it is able to dig the soil and the air vacuum transfers the soil to a debris tank.

Hydro excavation is very useful for several industries. Excavation, plumbing pipes and sewer, installation of posts, poles, etc are just a few examples of hydro excavation applications. The benefits it offers make it more and more popular in the industrial world. Conventional excavation methods like manual shovel digging and the usage of backhoes are not as accurate for digging soil. This results in backfilling needing to be done when the job is complete.

Also, manual digging is very intensive for the laborers and is very time consuming. Heavy machinery poses safety risks to laborers and also causes damage to the surroundings. Hydro excavation eliminates these issues. It is a non-mechanical, eco-friendly and safe method. It gets the job done faster and more accurately with less effort from laborers. This means that costs are cut down and the service provided is better and more efficient. This also means that the hydro excavation company often gains a reputation for great service.