What is Vacuum Excavation?
Hydrovac Excavations – What Is It?
Hydrovac excavation is a method of digging by using high-pressure air or water. It is considered to be safer than the traditional hand digging because the equipment used helps to locate any utilities underground and makes sure that no harm is caused to it. The method is called ‘Soft Dig.’ Below are a few reasons why this is a safer method to hand digging.
- Advantages of vacuum excavation
- Reduces the chances line damage
- Reduces the chances of trench cave-ins
- The life of the workers is not at stake.
There are two types of vacuum excavation – Hydro and Air.
Air Vacuum Excavation
This method uses compressed air to loosen the air which is then sucked, and the soil is then deposited in a debris tank for refilling purpose later, or it is taken to some other place to be disposed of. There are several benefits of air vacuum excavation.
Advantages Of Air Vacuum Excavation
- It can accurately measure the depth of underground utilities.
- The worksite is not a mess.
- The soil deposited in the debris tank can be used to refill the site later after the work is done.
- More efficient than hand digging.
- This method of vacuum excavation is best for buried utilities that are too deep down there.
- No need for hand digging.
Hydro Vacuum Excavation
This method involves using high-pressure water instead of high-pressure air. It much faster than air vacuum excavation and much more efficient but despite that, it does not allow for the soil to be used later for refilling.
Water is used to break the soil which is then scooped up and stored in a debris tank. When the excavation site is frozen ground, in that case, hot water is used to thaw the ice, and then the digging takes place. Below are mentioned some of the advantages of hydro excavation.
Advantages Of Hydro Excavation
- The method involves more precision which reduces the amount of disposal.
- The loose soil is scooped up and stored in a debris tank thus keeping the area clean of any piling dirt and roadblocks.
- This requires lesser effort than traditional hand digging.
- Hydro excavation is less invasive compared to air vacuum excavation.
- This method is ideal when the excavation site involves underground pipes and sewers.
In recent years, vacuum excavation has been steadily gaining ground due to its efficiency. More and more companies are offering vacuum excavation services. Vac trucks (Vacuum Excavation) come in several sizes from small-sized trucks to larger more powerful trucks. The sizes of the truck and the type of suction depends entirely on the excavation site. Some of the companies have even devised a new way of entering excavation sites which cannot be accessed by any vehicles. They have attached vacuum excavation units and equipment to crawler carriers.
The Growth Of Vacuum Excavation And Labour Hire
With the growth in the vacuum excavation several, there is also an increase in the employment sector. Companies are hiring both skilled and unskilled workers to work in different sections of the company.