How Does Hydro Excavation Work?

‘Hydro Excavation’ is the process of soil removal or terrain digging in a certain manner. Hydro excavation uses pressurized water to force its way into the ground, and the debris is generally collected inside of an attached debris storage tank. This allows a non-explosive and comparatively safe means of soil excavation, along with an increased accuracy since it detects underground facilities. Specially designed Hydrovac Trucks are used in order to excavate soil, naturally, these Hydrovac Trucks in Edmonton are in high demand owing to the flourishing oil drilling business.

Hydro excavation has a wide range of applications. This process is used to dig holes in order to install poles and pilings; it is used for debris removal in case of a tunnel collapse, and also to clean up industrial tanks, to name a few areas of application. Hydro excavation is cost-efficient, timely, and accurate all at once.

How Does It Work?

Hydro excavation employs Hydrovac Trucks in order to excavate soil. It works particularly well when used to dig into the chilly Edmonton soil for instance, for the frozen ground is difficult to take apart. The equipment one needs would include: a large water reservoir, a larger debris tank, an 8-inch diameter suction hose attached to a swinging pivot, a cyclone vacuum unit, a high-pressure water system with a wand and an onboard water heater.

Step I

The water wand is inserted into the ground of focus. A highly pressurized stream of water follows, and heavily loosens the ground.

Step II

The slurry mix of soil and water is then sucked in with the help of a vacuum hose. The nature/properties of soil do not matter, the method works with all textures of soil.

Step III

The unwanted debris is safely compressed and stored in the attached storage tank. In case of frozen ground, the water stream is adequately heated up so as to loosen the ground. The innovation works wonders in places like Edmonton, as the Hydrovac Trucks have no problem dealing with ice cold ground.

Did You Know?

The other alternative that firms generally consider is ‘Mechanical Excavation’. Mechanical excavation is the removal of soil or rock with the help of heavy digging or cutting equipment. The problem with Mechanical excavation is that the debris is untidily lumped at the sides while excavating. Furthermore, Hydro Excavation is superior because the underground pipelines or gas lines are safely detected, and are unharmed during the excavation process. Thereby eliminating the time that is wasted dealing with broken underground facilities.