Water excavation is more common than you think. It’s not uncommon in Calgary’s construction and plumbing industries, but what is it? Is it digging with water or is there more?
If you’re contemplating excavation options for your project, you’ve probably heard of hydrovac, hydro excavation, potholing and daylighting. While related, it’s important to understand which one falls under the water excavation umbrella so you can communicate with contractors and know what you’re paying for.
At Mr. Trenchless, we provide water excavation services across Calgary. Let’s discuss what counts, what doesn’t and how to know which service makes sense for your project.
What Counts as Water Excavation?
Water excavation in Calgary uses pressurized water to break up soil and uses vacuuming suction to remove it. That’s how you know what you’re dealing with. If the process involves water pressure and a vacuum system to dig, it’s water excavation.
Here’s an overview of the key elements:
- Pressurized Water: to loosen and break apart soil
- Vacuum Extraction: to remove the resulting slurry
- A Debris Tank: to store the removed material
- Non-Destructive Technique: that’s safe around buried infrastructure
If all of these aspects are present, you’re getting a water excavation service. The method has a variety of applications. These range from exposing utility lines to digging long trenches for new installations.
What Are the Different Types of Water Excavation?
There are multiple types of water excavation. Each application has its own name, but is still considered water excavation. They are:
- Potholing: This is the act of digging small, precise holes to locate and verify the position of underground utility. The name potholing comes from the holes being narrow and deep like a pot. It’s one of the most common water excavation applications.
- Daylighting: Exposing utilities and making them visible above ground, its name comes from bringing “bringing utilities to daylight.” It’s commonly done before construction work to confirm locations and depths.
- Slot Trenching: It’s defined as digging narrow trenches for installing pipes, cables or conduits. Water excavation creates clean, precise slots without disturbing soil or infrastructure.
- Debris Removal: A vacuum system removes mud, water, gravel or other materials from an excavation site. This tends to be combined with water excavation, rather than done on its own.
- Cold Weather Excavation: Heated water cuts through the frozen ground. While the technique remains the same as traditional water excavation, water is warmed to melt frost and ice before breaking up the soil beneath.
Technically, all of these techniques count as water excavation. Why? They all use pressurized water and vacuum extraction.
What Services Fall Under Water Excavation?
When a contractor mentions water excavation, they are usually referring to a range of services that use the hydrovac method. Common services include:
- Utility Locating and Exposure: Finding and exposing gas lines, water mains, electrical cables, fibre optic lines and sewer lines iis done before beginning construction or repair work. Before any excavation in Alberta, you’re required to contact Alberta One-Call to have utilities marked.
- Trenching for New Installations: Digging new trenches for new utility lines, irrigation systems, drainage or underground cables, water excavation creates clean trenches without damaging adjacent infrastructure. Depending on your project, you may need a City of Calgary excavation permit.
- Pole and Sign Installation: It’s essential to dig holes for utility poles, fence posts, signposts and other vertical installations. The precision of water excavation is a great fit.
- Pipeline and Sewer Work: Water excavation can be used to expose pipelines for inspection, repair or connection. Mr. Trenchless often uses water excavation alongside trenchless repair services.
- Foundation Exposure: Digging around foundations for waterproofing, crack repair or inspection requires precision and care.
Digging around utilities or in tight spaces can be challenging. That’s why water excavation is often the top choice.
What Doesn’t Count as Water Excavation?
It’s important to note that not every excavation method qualifies as water excavation. Here’s what’s different:
- Traditional Mechanical Digging: Backhoes, excavators and trenchers use physical force to break up and remove soil. Even if water is used for dust control, it’s not water excavation.
- Air Excavation: Like water excavation, this method breaks up soil. However, it uses air instead of water. The vacuum system is the same, but the method is not the same. It’s a good option for certain soil types or sensitive environments.
- Pressure Washing: Using water to clean surfaces isn’t excavating. Pressure washing removes dirt and debris from above-ground surfaces, not soil from the ground.
- Hydro Jetting: Pressurized water cleans the inside of the pipes instead of excavating soil. Hydro jetting clears blockages from sewer and drain lines. This is pipe cleaning, not excavating.
- Manual Digging with Water Assistance: In some cases, crews use water to soften soil before digging by hand. This is wet manual digging, not water excavation.
Remember water excavation uses pressurized water to break up soil and vacuum extraction to remove it. If you don’t have both, it’s not the same.
Book Your Water Excavation in Calgary Today
What counts as water excavation in Calgary? In short, as long as the method uses pressurized water and vacuum extraction, it does. At Mr. Trenchless, we provide these services throughout Calgary. From potholing utilities to trenching new installations, we have the equipment and experience to get the job done.
Wondering if your project needs water excavation? Contact us for site assessment and honest recommendation!
