If your crew needs to excavate an area around buried utility lines, consider using a hydro vac excavating company for safety reasons. Digging around utility lines is dangerous for your crew and it also puts the gas, plumbing, or electrical cables at risk of damage. Here's a look at how hydro vac excavating works.
How A Hydro Vac Works
A hydro vac is a truck that carries a drum that holds water and a collection container that holds wet soil. The truck also has a long hose attached that delivers water under pressure and another hose for vacuuming up soil.
While this truck is heavy duty, it doesn't need to be parked next to the worksite since the hoses will stretch from the truck to the area to be excavated. Hydro vac trucks come in different sizes and they hold different amounts of water and soil waste. Plus, the hoses are of different lengths, so the right truck has to be sent to the job.
How Hydro Vac Excavating Works
Hydro vac excavation is the preferred way to dig around utilities because it won't harm the utility lines. There is no need to use shovels or heavy equipment to dig. Instead, water is injected into the soil under high pressure, so it breaks the soil apart. However, the utility lines aren't harmed in the process.
As the soil breaks up, the slurry mixture is suctioned into the truck to be hauled away. This excavation method is much safer, quicker, and easier to do. Plus, it can even be done when the soil is frozen since the operator can use hot water to break up the soil if necessary.
How The Soil Is Dealt With
Unlike traditional trench digging where the soil is placed back in the trench, the wet soil from hydro vac excavation is hauled away from the site. Since it is a wet slurry mixture, it can't be used for backfill. Instead, you'll need to have dry soil brought in to fill the trench.
How Hydro Vac Excavation Can Be Used
Hydro vac excavating is used for work with utility lines, but it can be used to dig trenches of any kind and it's also used to dig holes for piers. You may find you prefer this method of digging when excavation work is needed on your projects. A truck can be used in both commercial and residential properties as long as the hoses can reach from the truck to the area that needs to be excavated.
Share24 May 2021
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