Never Just Dig Holes Again! Let the Pros Pothole Your Utilities 

utility potholing

When you are planning to carry out excavation work for a construction project, utility potholing is an absolute necessity.

If you aren’t already familiar with utility potholing, it’s a construction method that allows a crew to investigate underground and find any potential water or sewer lines. Professional utility potholing companies have specialized equipment that isn’t affordable to rent for a short term job. Typically, companies use a hydro or air jet, which gently vacuum excavates the site so that underground pipes are easily located.

You might think that using RADAR technology or ordinary hand tools would be as effective, but these techniques are in fact far less accurate. Making a mistake and damaging underground utilities on a construction site can lead to expensive, extensive, and time-consuming repairs. Utility potholing prevents these steep costs and will give you peace of mind throughout the process.

The Problem with Traditional Tools

Even if it is a small scale construction project, excavating by hand with a shovel or trowel is labor-intensive and exhausting. Hand tools are arguably useful for getting into small spaces and are certainly affordable. However, costs can pile up depending on how long the excavation drags on. Added to this, the individual and company you contracted the work might be on a tight schedule and not want to wait for the work to be done by hand.

Hand tools can also make the work more difficult depending on the terrain. Clay, rough terrain, or especially rocky land can cause all sorts of issues and delays.

Another option many people consider using are backhoes, but it’s important to remember that they should only be relied on when you aren’t worried about what’s under the construction site. So if you’re okay with tearing up an existing site, backhoes might work out fine because the job can be completed quickly.

Just bear in mind that utilities will be at risk when a backhoe is used. A spotter on the ground can only do so much and mistakes can happen in even the most careful construction zones.

Read More: Vacuum Excavation vs. Traditional Excavation Techniques

 

Why Choose Utilities Potholing?

As mentioned before, when done by a professional, utility potholing is an accurate and effective tool to locate underground utility lines. Here are a few of its benefits:

Minimizes damage

The tools used are gentle enough to clear away earth without damaging the lines you are trying to locate. When compared with other tools, it’s the most accurate way to find the location of water or sewage lines.

There are two types of potholing: air and hydro excavation. Both are very effective techniques and surprisingly cost-effective despite the investment in machinery.

Air or pneumatic excavation uses compressed air to displace soil and unearth the utilities that lie beneath. One benefit of using air excavation is that the soil can be reused at a later point to fill in any holes that were left behind by the excavation.

On the other hand, hydro excavation uses pressurized water to remove the soil by turning it into wet slurry and vacuuming it away. Unlike in air excavation, the wet soil can no longer be reused to refill the hole later on. Nevertheless, hydro excavation is still the most used method of utility potholing today.

Read More: Why Utility Potholing is Essential for a Successful Construction Project

utility potholing

Reduces surface damage

Another type of damage you might not have considered is surface damage. With air or hydro excavation, the actual construction site will remain relatively untouched until the real work begins. 

With traditional tools, large amounts of earth and removed from the site and relocated, which is neither time nor space-efficient.

Increases safety

A final benefit is how safe utility potholing is. When a water line is severely damaged, workers can get injured and anyone living or operating a business in the surrounding area can be seriously affected.

Causing that sort of damage cannot be taken lightly because you could be held liable for the costs and inconveniences experienced by anyone affected. So not only will you have to pay to repair the damaged lines, which is expensive in itself, but you could have to manage lawsuits and fines as well. See more about potholing excavation.

Tips for Professional Utility Potholing

While utility potholing is generally a far safer and quicker process than other excavation methods, there are still some precautions and techniques that should be used by professionals to ensure the process runs safely and smoothly.

Extensive planning: Before any excavation takes place, you should plan ahead. That means contacting third-parties about any cabling that might be underground. You should aim to be as precise as possible to avoid expensive damage to cables. Damaging infrastructure below the ground is one of the easiest ways to incur delays and extra expenses.

Safety is a priority: It might seem unnecessary to hire a private excavation company, but professionals are trained and highly skilled individuals. Hydro and air excavation require this level of skill and leaving it up to a professional will avoid mistakes and mishaps. Professionals are also accustomed to working on complex sites and will keep the machinery away from any overhead wires, which someone less experienced might forget about. 

The Bottom Line

Vacuum excavation for utilities is one of the most sophisticated methods for exposing underground utilities. It’s safer and more effective than most alternatives, and it can be far more affordable in the long run. While it is a large upfront investment in a professional team and equipment, this investment ensures that you avoid serious damage to the construction site and hefty expenses down the line.

If you want a safer and more efficient experience on your construction project, choose a professional team to pothole your utilities.

Vacuum Excavation VS. Traditional Excavation Techniques

util locate van

If you are planning a home improvement project that involves digging into the ground, you’ll need to start by having all underground utility lines found. Even small projects like adding landscaping oder installing a new mailbox require the use of a potholing company. These companies use a variety of techniques to locate and protect utilities. From backhoes to hand tools, and vacuum excavation, here is what you need to know about the type of methods.

Backhoes

Backhoes are most often used when precision isn’t as important. For example, when a new development is digging up the foundation for new homes. It involves much less intensive work than other methods and can be completed rather quickly. When used for potholing, backhoe operators rely on a spotter who helps keep an eye on the ground. 

The downside to using a backhoe is that there is an additional risk when utilities are present. Even a skilled operator runs the risk of hitting and damaging the very line they were trying to locate. Due to their size, backhoes might not fit into many spaces, especially once houses are in place.

Hand Tools

Using a shovel or other hand tool to pothole is the most labor-intensive for the individual. Because the equipment needs are small, operators can get into almost any space. Outside of the necessary working hours required to dig, hand tools are also the lowest priced option. 

The major downside to using a shovel is the labor involved. Digging, especially on rough terrain, can be tough work and take a long time. While hand tools are relatively safe for locating utilities, caution is still required. A shovel probably won’t do any damage to an underground pipe, but it can sever fiber optics or other wires.

utility potholing

Vacuum Excavation

Utility locating is the first part of the investigation process. You need to know where utilities are before continuing. Then, using vacuum excavation, you can verify the utilities by potholing, or exposing them for visual identification. 

Vacuum excavation is a process where water or air is used to break up soil before sucking it up into a storage tank. This process eliminates nearly all risk of damaging underground utilities. It offers a lower cost, outside of the initial equipment investment, and a higher level of precision.

  1. Air Excavation: By using compressed air, this method loosens the soil to be stored in the tank. Since it’s only using air, the ground can easily be reused to fill in the holes later on.
  2. Hydro Excavation: Instead of air, this method uses pressurized water to loosen dirt. This technique is extremely precise and much faster than air-based methods. It does not, however, allow the same soil to be reused.

Read more about vacuum excavation services.

Which Method is Right for You?

Ultimately, the method used is going to be determined by the nature of the job. It may not be easy to decide on your own; using a reputable utility locating company is vital. You might be tempted to try a digital meter or to call your utility company. 

Unfortunately, utility companies often won’t come on to private property. When they do mark underground obstructions, it’s typically with spray paint. A digital meter is also useful to simply mark the surface. Many jobs require seeing the actual obstacle and not just relying on a rough estimate of where it is. Using a private utility locating service will ensure your job is done safely and without the delay and cost associated with damaging utilities. 

Vacuum Excavation: Achieve Less Surface Damage

Surveying a construction site is not only a necessity; it is an accepted and recommended practice for several reasons. Among the most urgent is the safety of the construction workers, along with the integrity of the structure and works built at the location. Also high on the priority list is keeping the grounds intact and free from unnecessary damage or navigational hazards.

Excavation is one of the most expensive things a construction company can do. Moving tons of earth from one place to the next is a non-trivial undertaking. What’s more, leaving deep holes, trenches, and other impassable obstacles behind can be a major safety hazard to say nothing of their effect on future building. The good news is there has been a better way to do things available to contractors for some time. It’s called vacuum excavation. If you haven’t taken advantage of it yet, you will be quite surprised at what it can help you accomplish.

What is Potholing?

Suppose you need to dig at a construction site to determine if there are any hidden underground hazards, pipes, electrical lines or other obstacles. What is the better option?

  1. Breaking out the shovels and pickaxes and hoping you don’t break something as you descend into the darkness

or

  1. Using a high-tech method that allows you to simply remove dirt and rocks and then replace them later

Potholing for Utilities is the second and best method.  It is being used more and more by construction companies and contractors to help locate facilities that might otherwise be damaged if not located beforehand.

utility potholing

Time Savings

Key to any construction project is the ability to save time and expense, both for the contractor and the client. When it comes to safety and the regulatory requirements of checking before digging, anything that increases the efficiency of the process is going to be an obvious priority. This is one of the reasons vacuum excavation services has become so popular so quickly.

The equipment itself is self-contained and operates on the simple principle it is possible to remove mud with a sufficiently strong vacuum and then replace it by reversing the pressure. Since no blades or bits are hitting the ground or anything underneath it, the potential for damage is practically non-existent. Further, once the earth is replaced, the process of drying causes it to set very much like cement, leaving almost no evidence any digging.

Practical Efficiency

Since in some states digging near a marked safe zone is prohibited by regulation, air and hydro excavators have become the go-to tools. These processes are considered “non-destructive” and are therefore recommended to avoid expensive accidents, not to mention the possibility of interrupting local utilities like electricity or water service.

When the possibility of hitting a gas line is taken into consideration, what might once have been a good recommendation becomes a necessity. Vacuum excavation is the correct choice in most construction contracting, and it is a safe choice when it comes to preserving utilities and underground lines.

Potholing Utilities for Damage Prevention & Effective Subsurface Investigation

Util Locate at Work

The practical considerations involved in starting or continuing a construction project without first ascertaining what obstacles might be hidden under the ground can be substantial. While there are technologies available to perform searches for utility lines, water or sewer pipes and other underground structures, there exists a quick, accurate and relatively inexpensive method for visually confirming the presence of underground construction obstacles. It is called utility potholing.

Preventing Damage

All non-trivial construction and the majority of building repair, expansion, or inspection activities involve some level of excavation. The foundation of any building must be inspected before any new construction can take place. Any land set aside for new work could be crisscrossed with all kinds of public facilities. 

Without some method of avoiding those obstacles, a construction crew could not only do tremendous damage to the lines themselves but could put the surrounding neighborhoods and populations in danger by cutting off electricity or water. They could even put themselves in danger if they hit a gas line or an underground fuel storage tank.

Surgery for Construction Contractors

Vacuum excavation is similar to a medical technique called arthroscopy. In medicine, doctors often need to repair ligament or tendon damage in a joint. Instead of conventional surgery, however, they make a tiny incision and insert a camera and light so they can see inside the joint. 

Vacuum excavation has the same objective. A construction crew needs to see beneath the ground so that they make a tiny incision using a non-destructive process. This method is called vacuum excavation and allows them to perform a visual inspection and avoid any possibility of damage. See more vacuum excavation contractors.

utility potholing

The Alternative

What happens if a backhoe hits a gas line? Most construction crews don’t want to imagine it, and for a good reason. Electrical lines, diesel engines, sparks, and natural gas leaks combine to produce unfortunate results. 

The same goes for a water line or a sewage line. Interruption of a water utility can be catastrophic for public services like hospitals. Electricity outages can cost supermarkets incredible amounts of money in lost product. Sewage breaks can tie up traffic and create health hazards for days.  The minuscule time and money savings of bypassing the potholing process and moving forward with a risky and potentially life-threatening construction project is never worth it. 

While it is possible to approximate the location of utility lines using various technologies other than potholing, the truth is nothing beats first-hand visual inspection, and nothing beats the time savings of using a proven process with no drawbacks. Why guess when it is possible to know for certain? Why take a chance when a first-hand look answers all the questions? 

Modern construction is impressive. The ability to see beneath the earth and avoid costly and dangerous obstacles is one of its greatest accomplishments. It is in every contractor and construction team’s best interests to take advantage of those technologies whenever possible.

Expose Underground Utilities with Vacuum Excavation

Util Locate Vacuum Excavation Truck

Underground utilities are particularly susceptible to damage, especially when worked upon in more traditional ways such as manual digging and using a backhoe.

Manual Digging is the most labor-intensive method of exposing underground utilities, requiring significant worker numbers to accomplish the job. This kind of work can also take days to complete, requiring both the removal and replacement of soil, meaning that projects can fall behind schedule. Another significant risk encountered when manually digging is that hand tools can come into contact with electrical wiring beneath the surface, which can pose a significant threat to human life, causing either severe injury or even death. Due to these reasons, other modern methods have become more commonly used.

A backhoe requires the use of machinery in order to dig up the ground and expose buried underground utilities. This piece of machinery has a large bucket which digs into the ground, in much the same way as a hand shovel. Additionally, due to the larger size of these machines, this means that the job can be completed more quickly. The problem with this method, much like with hand digging, is the lack of vision that the machine operator has underground. This lack of visual information means that underground cabling can be damaged during the excavation process, incurring significant costs and project delays while repairs are made to the existing infrastructure.

These older methods of potholing utilities have been replaced by a quicker, more cost-effective method called Vacuum Excavation.

utility potholing

What is Vacuum Excavation?

As the name suggests, vacuum excavation involves the removal of ground materials through suction. This method of excavation can be done in two different ways.

The first type of vacuum excavator uses water; highly-pressurized water is used to dislodge and remove soil. A vacuum is then applied over the area to suck up and store debris. Water excavation can be useful in situations where the ground would otherwise be too hard to simply vacuum. The high-pressure water helps to increase the moisture of the soil and make it easier to break up. Water vacuum excavation is suitable as it is non-destructive and allows for more accurate excavation of underground utilities.

The second method is simply air vacuum excavation. This method is suited to areas with loose soil and ground materials, which are quickly drawn up through an intake nozzle into a dry debris container. From here, you can unearth the underground utilities that you need to work on without causing any damage, similarly to the water excavation process. Once the work has been completed, a driver will dump the dry soil back into the hole you’ve created.

Overall, both of these methods are hugely useful at increasing safety on the worksite. Hand Digging is labor and time intensive, but it is also dangerous as workers can come into contact with live electrical wiring. The same can occur when using a backhoe. This danger is why you will now commonly find a Vacuum Excavator being used to expose underground utilities.

Potholing Utilities for a Cost Efficient and Safer Excavation

Potholin Vacuum Excavation

Potholing for utilities is a method that construction site workers can use to obtain a wealth of visual information regarding piping and other subsurface construction. Utility potholing has increasing importance in the construction industry, as a method that can help to make excavation safer and more cost-effective to do.

In the past, it was commonplace for contractors to use a backhoe. This piece of equipment is highly recognizable to the general population as a typical piece of machinery you would find on a construction site. However, it does not have the precision or maneuverability of more modern excavation machinery, meaning it has the potential to cause immense damage to existing subsurface infrastructure.

Vacuum excavation is a process in which water is pushed through the earth creating a hole that allows the crew to visually confirm the location of the utility lines. As the earth is removed to create the hole, it goes into a special storage truck that can easily be removed from the construction site and dumped elsewhere.

Not only is potholing the most accurate way of learning the location of utility lines, but it is also time and cost-efficient. Keep reading to find out the many other benefits of using vacuum excavation on your construction site. Know more about pothole utilities.

Increased Safety using Vacuum Excavation

Nowadays, you are much more likely to find a vacuum excavator being used. These highly portable pieces of machinery use air to displace soil. Since the air and water are only vacuuming at low pressures, this means that other utilities in the ground will not be damaged, which makes vacuum excavation the preferred method compared to using a backhoe.

While vacuum excavation is an extremely safe process, there are still a number of precautions that should be taken to keep your crew and members of the public safe. Before utility potholing can take place, you should reach out to third parties who have knowledge of the construction site. They might be able to provide you with recent utility line maps or estimations for how deep the holes will need to be.

It is also always recommended that you hire an experienced team that specializes in vacuum excavation They will have the training and expertise necessary to do the job safely and efficiently. A professional team will also understand the importance of preliminary work such as using RADAR or digital technology to gather estimates for locations and depths.

By hiring specialists, you will minimize the risk of damage to the utility lines as well as the expensive excavation equipment. You will also save money by avoiding the possibility of a utility strike which can cause expensive repairs or fines if it affects the local community.

Vacuum excavation also has a wealth of other benefits compared to using a backhoe. When excavating, a backhoe will displace a considerably larger amount of soil compared to a vacuum excavator. A vacuum excavator simply stores the displaced soil inside the machinery, meaning there is no need for a dumping ground.

utility potholing

Increased cost efficiency using Vacuum Excavation

The next important benefit of using vacuum excavation, compared to backhoeing and manual labor, is the reduction in costs.

Manual digging is an outdated method of excavating that requires a significant number of man-hours to accomplish the same thing as backhoeing and vacuum excavation. In comparison, vacuum excavation would be much quicker while also causing much less disruption to the ground. Once work is complete, workmen would also have to refill the holes they had made, doubling the time taken.

Considering the amount of manpower required to excavate utility lines as well as the extended time frame to get the work done, relying on hand tools is a very costly option in the long run.

The cost implications for backhoeing are different from manual labor. This piece of machinery can be a great tool when displacing ground is clear of subsurface infrastructure. It can accomplish what multiple workmen would do in hours, in mere minutes. When used in an area containing subsurface infrastructure, the damage that can be caused by the metal bucket on a backhoe hitting existing piping and cabling could be disastrous. This would most likely result in the project being put on hold, whilst repairs to the infrastructure are completed by those who caused the damage. As you can see, the risks of using a backhoe are very real, meaning it is a good idea to consider using a vacuum excavator instead when potholing utilities. Know more potholing companies.

Summary

In summary, vacuum excavation is a new and improved method of potholing utilities.

A professional excavation team will understand the needs of your construction project and will also work diligently and efficiently. This means your crew and the land itself are kept protected throughout the excavation process.

The use of low-pressure water and air by this system means that existing subsurface infrastructure is less likely to get damaged, versus other methods such as backhoeing and manual digging. The cost savings and improvement to site safety can also be immense through this mitigation of risk. You can find out more information regarding vacuum excavation and potholing utilities by visiting Util-locate.com.