The hydro excavation process allows digging in almost any soil condition without damaging existing infrastructures. Hydro excavation is quicker and safer than hand digging, with a much smaller hole size and hence lower reinstatement costs.
Crowded underground conditions containing water and gas pipes, ducts, conduits, sewers, electrical cables, fibre optics and telephone lines: all are vying for space and increasingly, are being laid in multi-utility trenches. Hydro excavation vacuum equipment uses high pressure water and a powerful vacuum to remove the soil surrounding those service with no damage to existing underground infrastructure and services.
The hydro excavation technique is particularly useful in places with limited access space. Digging can be done with minimal mess and cleanup. Spoil is stored in the vacuum tank, with no need for wheelbarrows or tip trucks. The area, including grass, can be cleaned up by the machine after work has been carried out, ensuring good customer relations as there is no need for the spoils to be deposited on site and no need for a tipper to receive and take the spoils away.
Digging can also take place close to trees with only minor peripheral damage to the roots. This is important for the environment and for safety. Once the job is completed, the pothole is closed, leaving the area virtually undisturbed and environmentally acceptable.
Article continues below…Most leaks and ruptures to pipelines result from damage through outside forces, and more than half of fibre optic outages are the result of excavation damage. Damage estimates to electrical cable, cable television lines, and other utilities caused by excavation activities are equally costly and devastating. With damage costs running high, contractors no longer consider potholing to be optional, but as an essential factor in underground construction.
Flexible Pipe Cleaning Tools’ hydro excavator can remove up to eight cubic metres at any one time, making this a most efficient process.
Uses of hydro excavation technology include the location of services; entry and exit pits for no-dig technology; drilling mud removal; facilitating access for maintenance; street ironwork; sewer maintenance; pumping stations; new sewer works; accessing hard-to-reach areas; internal excavations in buildings; grit and ballast removal; industrial cleanups; water main breaks clean ups; sewer spill clean ups; clean out hydrant connections or valve pits; and much more.
