Daylighting / Potholing
Hydro excavation permits safe daylighting for pinpointing utility lines, valves, and junction boxes, as well as rapid and repeatable potholing for pole or post installation.
Hydro excavation permits safe daylighting for pinpointing utility lines, valves, and junction boxes, as well as rapid and repeatable potholing for pole or post installation.
Digging deep holes the traditional way, using mechanical excavators, is often imprecise, and generates multiple risks. Hydro excavation reduces or eliminates all those risks, while creating a clean and spoil-free worksite.
Utility lines are often mis-mapped or left out entirely (2021 AGC Survey), particularly in urban areas, areas with older infrastructure, or areas with significant recent construction that has altered documented landmarks. Conventional mechanical excavation risks accidental “discovery” of these service lines, resulting in costly damage, service interruption, and even, in the case of gas or electric lines, the potential for severe operator injury. Pre-dig site mapping with geophysical technologies such as ground penetrating radar, magnetics, and electrical capacitance can reduce this risk, but is not always effective with non-magnetic pipe, and is often less diagnostic at greater depths (FHA Site Characterization). Manual excavation involving workers within a hole creates greater cave-in injury risk, even when following proper OSHA 29 CFR 1926.650 & 651 trench shoring standards. In addition, applications such as power or data pole installation can require the repetitive digging of holes in a linear pattern. Mechanical excavation also presents a service line risk here. Mechanical methods such as screw augers create spoils piles that are time-consuming to remove. Finally, even cutting-edge minimally-invasive technologies such as horizontal directional drilling (HDD) require confirmatory digging to establish that the new line is being dug in the correct direction.
Daylighting, digging multiple test holes to affirmatively pinpoint utility line locations over distance, reduces both cost and time compared to cutting a trench along the full length of the pipe, and is effective even when geophysical methods can’t deliver clear results. X-Vac’s powerful hydro excavation trucks are the ideal tool for the job, featuring both adjustable high-pressure water delivery systems to cut small holes straight down to the target, and powerful vacuum systems to remove the resulting slurry and maintain visibility down in the hole. Cutting nozzle options and available boiler systems make short work of tough soils and keep the unit running even when the ground is frozen. Workers operate the system from outside of the hole, adjusting boom hose position and water flow using a standard wireless remote. In both daylighting and potholing, spoil removal is built into the process, keeping the hole clear and eliminating spoil piles that must be removed at the end of the job.
Hydrovac equipment must always be operated by a properly trained and competent worker, following all safe work practices and documented procedures for this type of equipment
