VACUUM EXCAVATING AND POTHOLING
Potholing is a form of hydro excavation that is used to locate known subsurface utilities. Potholing involves digging a test hole to expose underground utilities so contractors can verify the depth, size or type of underground utility. Once the utilities have been located contractors can then examine the installations for fractures, leakages or any type of deterioration.
Until recently, potholing services had been done manually by digging with shovels or by using a backhoe. A backhoe is a large machine which has an excavating bucket attached to it. Because the digging bucket is heavy and large, it creates a danger of harming the below ground installations causing extensive damage it also moves much more soil than is required. Manually digging is a labor intensive way of potholing. It takes a lot of valuable time to get the job carried out and it is not accurate enough to move the required quantity of soil without making a mess, which means that backfilling will be needed once the potholing has been completed. Additional time and cash will have to be spent as a result.
With the advancement of hydro excavation technology, however, you can do away with almost all of the drawbacks of standard potholing excavation methods. Hydro excavation potholing is a procedure that uses highly accurate, high pressure water plus an air vacuum. The water breaks up the soil is then transferred to a holding tank via the vacuum pumping system. Potholing services using this system are a clean, accurate way to pinpoint small areas of concern and investigate them.
Potholing is an exploratory maintenance work which ideally is done quickly, efficiently and with no damage incurred on existing installations. Hydro excavation potholing is the best way to examine any underground pipe network to find, or identify potential problems, while avoiding the pitfalls of past methods such as broken lines or other structural damage. Hydro excavating is a perfect fit for people looking for modern excavation techniques. For a small potholing job or a large one hydro excavating is the perfect solution.
UTILITY LINE LOCATING SERVICES
Utility line locating is one of the many functions hydro excavation is capable of performing. Underground utility networks are complex wiring systems, that from time to time malfunction or need to undergo a maintenance check. Aging infrastructure networks in most modern cities are a good example to consider where repair work is an ongoing problem for local councils.
Gone are the days when utility line locating was done manually using shovels and spades and more recently heavy digging equipment. Backhoes, was in fact, the preferred method, when trying to uncover underground utility lines. These methods got the job done, but were risky operations since they had the potential to break or damage the lines. A less risky, more modern, and more accurate method to use is hydro excavation
HOW CAN HYDRO EXCAVATION BE USED IN UTILITY LINE LOCATING?
Hydro excavation is a soil excavation technique that uses a combination of high pressure water and a vacuum system to cut into the soil and remove it from a site by sucking it up and storing it in large bins housed on trucks attached to the unit, leaving a clean, well organized area to perform repairs or maintenance. Hydro excavation is well suited to utility line locating since it is a clean non-destructive method of clearing soil from around complex wiring systems.
Hydro excavation is a safe method of excavating soil from around utility lines. There is very little chance any damage will be inflicted on the installations. The system offers other advantages over more conventional digging methods. Since the digging is performed by a high pressure water system, it is quick and accurate and can isolate small areas that need to be investigated. The soil removal system ensures that all excavated soil is removed from the site while work is being performed; this guarantees the work area is clear and easily managed.
After the job is completed, the cleanup is easy because the trenches were precisely cut, less backfilling is required. Hydro excavation is today’s solution to yesterday’s problems and helps make utility line locating a less challenging task.
Hydro excavation is the new way to solve old problems.
