An Insight Into Hydro Excavating

By Author: Metro Infrastructure
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Hydrovac excavation has many different terms. You may see it referred to as hydro excavation, vacuum excavation, hydro vac excavation or hydro excavating.

Here are the who, what, where, when, why and how of hydrovac excavating.

Hydrovac excavation has many different terms. You may see it referred to as hydro excavation, vacuum excavation, hydro vac excavation or hydro excavating.

Who provides hydrovac services?

Metro Infrastructure Inc. provides hydrovac services in Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga and the surrounding areas. They have 20+ years of experience in waste diversion and underground utility works and have the largest capacity trucks on the market. There are other companies that provide similar services but there are relatively few providers due to the large cost of equipment required to enter the market. Some questions to consider when contracting hydro vac services are

“Is this company insured in case of injury or damage?”,

“How many years experience does this company have?”,

“What kind of response time can I expect?”,

“Where ...
... will the excavated material go and will it cost extra to dispose of?”.

What is exactly is hydro excavation?

Hydro excavation is a non-destructive process which uses pressurized water (hydro) and a vacuum truck to remove earth (including soils, stones, aggregate, mud). This allows the user to observe any underground infrastructure which is buried below the surface in a safe means. Hydrovac services have gained widespread acceptance as a means of excavation in many industries because the process allows for precision accuracy and because it minimizes the risk of damage to underground assets (pipelines, cables etc).

Where is hydrovac excavation used?

Hydrovac services are used in a variety of industries for a variety of applications. They include:

Pipelines – installation or repair of gas, oil, water pipelines

Road and Commercial Construction sites

Within Public Works – culvert & manhole cleanouts, potholing, daylighting

Municipal and Electrical Utilities –hydro pole installation, valve and line repairs, potholing, daylighting

Telecommunications – telephone pole installation, potholing, daylighting

SUE (sub-surface utility engineering)

Refineries and Manufacturing plants – trenching, locating

Farms etc. - post holing

When should Hydro Excavation services be used?

Hydro excavators should be used when:

excavation is needed in a congested areas. Because of the design of vacuum trucks, these trucks can access areas within the city or within other facilities that traditional excavators could not access without considerable time, cost and disruption to operations.

precision excavation is required. Hydro excavating is ideal for potholing, trenching and shoring applications because minimal earth is excavated. Backfill and restoration costs are therefore significantly reduced.

there is any chance whatsoever that underground infrastructure may be on site. Underground infrastructure such as sewers, waterlines, gas lines, cable & hydro lines are hard to escape and are expanding at a rapid pace due to urban sprawl. Traditional excavation methods are dangerous, risky and too expensive to use when there is any risk at all of striking an underground utility.

excavation is required in winter or heavily frosted areas. Hydro vac trucks are typically furnished with high powered coil heaters which allow them to excavate in harsh winter climates. High powered heated water can penetrate and excavate through any depth of ground frost.

Why use hydro vac services?

Some of the benefits of using hydro vac services are as follows:

Allows for precision excavation in difficult to access areas, particularly urban areas

Results in less backfill

Less labour intensive than traditional excavation methods

Eliminates risk of damage to underground assets (pipelines, cables etc.)

Minimizes environmental impact of excavation

Safer process

Faster process

Minimizes project overall costs

Cold weather and frost are no problem

The costs associated with NOT using hydro excavation are as follows:

Repair costs and fines for striking utilities

Injury or death to employees or public

Equipment damage and downtime

Increased insurance costs

Legal fees

Damage to reputation

How can you locate a hydrovac services provider?

The best way to find a local hydro excavation service provider is to search online for one using any of the terms mentioned in the introduction of this article. For the most relevant results, add the name of the closest major city to you as a geographical reference in your search. Review the websites of the companies nearest you and any customer reviews. Ask for references from previous clients, call them and ask questions about the service they received. Finally ask for proof that the company is fully insured.
Resource: http://www.minimillennium.com/hydro-excavation.html