Hydro excavation Melbourne is an incredible process! You’ll soon see more and more of these units around as people become aware of this technology and its incredible advantages.
Hydro excavation is the future of excavation!
A hydrovac is a truck-sized piece of equipment that uses high-pressure water blasting to not just cut into the soil, but to break it up and “liquify” it. Then the wet muddy water is “vacuumed” or sucked out of the hole into the truck and then carried to a dump location.
It’s a new type of soil removal that uses water rather than traditional mechanical means to dig holes.
This modern version of the backhoe allows for precise evacuations which mean less backfill, labour and in most cases less environmental impact.
The main advantages of hydro excavating over mechanical diggers are:
- Minimal risk of injury
- Accuracy
- Able to be used on frozen ground
- A gentle process that is fast and convenient
The truck simultaneously blasts the soil and sucks the resulting liquid out. The unit usually contains all its own water, which once used is sucked back up with the dirt and carried off to a predesignated dump spot to drain. The leftover dirt can often be reused for fill or on the construction site for later landscaping.
Because hydro excavation Melbourne isn’t a mechanical process, there is little danger of damaging underground utilities, which is fantastic when working in urban areas where excavations often uncover unknown pipes of all types.
Hydro excavation trucks were developed in Canada where frozen ground often thwarted traditional mechanical excavators, diggers and backhoes. They used hot water to melt the frozen soil and then huge vacuum pumps to pull the muddy water out of the holes that were created.
Oil, gas and construction companies of Canada embraced this technology when it first appeared as it enabled them to work through the long cold Canadian winters. Over time, it has been refined and adapted to many other industries across the world.
One of the best uses for this type of evacuation after digging frozen ground is when you are looking for underground pipes where the exact location is unclear. While the water pressure will break up the soil, it’s unlikely to break up pipes that are in reasonable condition. Hydro excavation Melbourne is often used to expose utilities before other digging services start.
Another great use of the hydro excavator is for trenches where pipes or cables need to go. Having the trench dug, and the soil removed at the same time, creates a safer working environment, as well as allowing workers to get on with the pipe laying sooner.
Pile digging is another great use for the hydro excavation. They can “drill” holes of any depth and dimension that a traditional digger or auger can, and often faster. Not having to clear and remove the debris afterwards is also a bonus for the operation.
Cold weather digging in places where the ground freezes and machinery can’t handle is not often used in Australia, but in the deep south or up in the mountains, during Winter, it’s proving to be worth the investment.
Plumbing
The plumbing industry finds Hydro excavating perfect for sites with a lot of long underground pipes.
Mining
Often hydro excavators can operate across a number of types of ground conditions where you need several types of traditional machinery. Great savings in time, manpower and machinery costs.
Utility Locations Services
Also known as day lighting, finding exactly where pipes, cables and lines are can save so many hours of time, payment of damages as well as lots of paperwork and stress!
Construction site liquid waste removal:
Getting rid of liquids, slurries and other viscous waste on a construction site can be a real headache with traditional methods, but with a hydro evacuation truck on site, it goes in a jiffy so you can get back to work as soon as possible!
Landscaping
A more unusual way of excavating a tree, but very effective for both the gentle removal and the digging of the hole to put it back into in the case of a relocation of large trees.
Hydro excavation Melbourne can also be used for
- Line and sign installation
- Potholing
- Pole and pile installation
- Sewer inspections
- Trenching and slot trenching.
Needing less manpower is another advantage that is overlooked. Compared to manual digging, there is less machinery and people involved, keeping risks and costs lower overall.
Some units are simply trailers that can be left on site to do the job and then picked up and towed away to dump the debris when you are done with it.
Having all the debris sucked straight up out of the ground means that there are no waste piles to navigate, keeping the worksite clean and easier to navigate.
From an environmental point of view, the waste dirt is transferred directly to where it needs to be and isn’t stockpiled or even handled twice or three times.
Shovel strike is the main cause of infrastructure damage in the utility industry, not trees, earthquakes, or other natural occurrences. The biggest advantage of using hydro excavators over traditional diggers is that there is little chance of damaging existing utilities like gas, electricity, water and NBN, and it keeps workers safer too.
If you have a tricky evacuation job that seems to have no solution, hydro excavation might just be the answer you are looking for!
It’s the latest technology and can deliver excavation solutions that are safer, very efficient and highly effective in a commercial setting with minimal impact, lower manpower and waste storage capabilities.
If you’d like to know more about the hydro excavation industry and how it can help you on your next job, give us a call today and discuss what job we can help you with now or in the future. We think you’ll be surprised at what it can do!