Hydrovac & Hydro Excavation Services

Our hydrovac equipment and crew provide a safer, more efficient and less destructive method of excavation than traditional manual or machine excavation. Hydrovacs leverage the power of high pressure water injected into the earth through a handheld wand in order to effectively loosen and break up clay, rocks, debris and virtually all other materials. The debris is then vacuumed into a tank mounted on a truck or trailer for disposal. This approach results in a quick, clean, precise and less disruptive method of excavation that saves both time and money.

Below the surface of most developed areas lies a complex infrastructure of facilities carrying electricity, water, sewage, natural gas, telecommunications and even petroleum products. The hydrovac process, often referred to a 'daylighting' (also known as hydro-excavation, potholing, or vacuum excavation), is the only non-destructive means of digging and safely exposing underground infrastructure.

Before the advent of hydro excavation a great amount of time and care would need to be taken with heavy equipment and/or hand digging.

No matter how much caution is afforded, utility locates are not always perfect, and with a 1m allowance on either side, it is often a challenge to target exact locations, improving productivity and worker safety.

water, sewer and gas utilities

underground telecommunications

underground vaults

Hydrovacs are an efficient, cost-effective and the least evasive way of excavating for electrical pole holes, fence poles, signs and foundations.

When utilities obstruct the location where foundations need to go, hydrovac equipment can customize the hole to any size and shape to minimize the use of concrete or other materials.

Hydrovac equipment can excavate trenches as narrow as 3" wide and go to depths over 18 feet, which meets the majority of needs. Also, unlike standard equipment that is unable to dig through frozen ground, hydrovacs pressurized warm water excavation provides the ability to work year round.

perimeter (exploratory) slot trenching · line fault repairs · water box repairs · cable or conduit installation · main line valve boxes · anodes on existing water mains · junction boxes, · drain tile installation

fire hydrant extensions

rain water litre

porches and garages

temporary hydro poles

locations where a backhoe is too large

post holes for utility structures and for fence posts

house water service repairs

frozen ground excavation

base curb cleaning

sewer, catch basins, manholes, chambers & asphalt cleaning

culvert cleanouts

construction site clean-up

straw removal

removal of silt from ponds

valve box cleaning

debris removal & tank cleanouts

lateral backflow cleaning

Conventional Methods

Machine digging is often difficult because of unknown location of utility services.

Hand digging down and around utilities is typically very labour intensive, time consuming and dangerous.

Machine or hand digging during winter months is not feasible due to frozen ground.

With machine or hand digging a much larger area gets disrupted, which means more time required for restoration.

Hydro Excavation

Hydro excavation means easier, less destructive means of locating utilities.

Removal of earth by pressurized water and vacuum system involves less manpower who can work safely above ground.

Hydrovacs are able to penetrate frozen ground, which means year-round operation.

Hydrovacs can dig narrow trenches that result in minimal disruption and less time to restore the affected area to original condition.

commercial

municipal

oil & gas

power

utility

transportation

engineering

environmental

Construction, road maintenance and utility service crews all have the common objective of getting the job done safely, on time, and on budget. However, the need to work around buried facilities often poses safety risk for crews, and it can be very costly given the amount of time it takes to cautiously avoid damage. Cardan

Hydrovac's equipment and crew provide a safe, quick and efficient alternative to conventional means of excavation, which has proven to increase our customers' productivity by more than 300%