FAQs

  • What types of jobs can vacuum excavation be used for?

    Vacuum excavation is a great tool for a wide range of heavy-duty jobs. They are frequently employed to dig trenches and during and after horizontal directional drilling to create entry and exit trenches and remove drilling mud. They are used for dredging and cleaning out inspection pits that have become clogged with mud, water, and debris. They are the go-to tool for careful excavation around construction sites and sensitive structures, and digging basements, providing the added advantage of immediate spoil removal. Vacuum excavators are also used to dig post holes for traffic signs and guardrails, help contain spills and support clean-up projects. They can be used for routine maintenance of hydrants and water valves, as well as for digging in landscaping projects.

  • What is hydro-vac excavation?

    This excavation procedure employs pressured water to create a slurry of dirt instead of mechanical equipment. The slurry can then be vacuumed up using hydro vacuum machinery to expose deeper layers of the ground below.

  • How deep can airvac rigs dig?

    There’s no set maximum depth for airvac excavation; its digging capacity depends on the ground material, conditions on site, and truck capacity if backfill is a factor.

  • How deep can hydro-vac rigs dig?

    Strong hydro-vac trucks have a 60-foot depth limit for excavation. Additionally, the trucks have a 600-foot digging radius. Generally, the amount excavated is limited by how much slurry the truck can hold at any given point.

  • What needs to be done in preparation for excavation?

    For excavation projects of any size, underground utility lines and services must be located to ensure the safety of the excavation crew and to avoid damages and penalties from the local municipality.

Vacuum Excavation

  • Do you have other uses for vacuum equipment besides utility locating?

    Yes – we can clear bore hole locations (Air/Knifing) for geo-technical drilling equipment and we can provide trenching capabilities for most needs.

  • How do you determine where to dig test holes?

    We typically lay out all the utilities in your project area and then review conflict points to determine which areas of concern will provide you with the most useful and critical utility information.

  • How deep can you locate utilities?

    We can typically locate utilities up to 15ft deep; however soil and ground moisture conditions in addition to the condition of the utility itself play a big part in our success. We have multiple tools at our disposal to give us the best chance to find the utilities we are looking for.

  • How deep can you dig with vacuum excavation?

    Typically utilities run from 1ft deep to 7ft deep but in some instances a utility may be deeper due to directional drilling or utility congestion. We can test hole to +/- 20ft deep if soil conditions allow.

  • What are the dimensions of a typical test hole?

    The average size test hole we dig for uncovering utilities is typically a 12 inch by 12 inch opening, 3 to 6 feet deep. Sizes may vary due to utility and ground conditions and custom size holes can be requested during the job set up process.

Our Work

University of Delaware
/ Colleges & Universities

University of Delaware

Overview The University of Delaware has treated Softdig to numerous projects on and off campus that involve designating and locating ...
United Nations
/ Government & Military

United Nations

Overview Softdig’s United Nations project involved GIS mapping/analysis and verifying utilities at 37 locations for security improvements at vehicle entrances ...
SUNY Buffalo
/ Colleges & Universities

SUNY Buffalo

Overview Another job in the University industry is our University of Buffalo project. For this job Softdig offered services such ...

View All Recent Work

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