Cold Weather Hydro Excavation Tips
Jobs don’t stop when cold weather occurs. In fact, emergency work and utility repairs often require accessing underground infrastructure in freezing temperatures.
When it comes to safe digging practices, hydro excavation offers many benefits including minimizing the risk of damaging buried utilities. As a non-destructive digging method, hydro excavation uses pressurized water to loosen and cut soil and a powerful vacuum to remove soil and materials.
As a leader in hydro excavation, TRUVAC innovates a variety of hydrovacs that operate in cold weather conditions, and has a few tips for cold weather excavation.
- Utilize hydrovac units. Hydrovac units are able to keep a specific water temperature and their high-power vacuum systems help remove that liquefied soil from the area. This also eliminates the need for manual digging in extreme cold when working with frozen soil is extra difficult and accidents are more likely.
- Evaluate ground conditions. If the ground is frozen, excavation faces difficulties due to the inability to penetrate the ground for maintenance activities. That means additional steps will have to be taken to thaw the ground including the use of hot water to melt ice and snow.
- Heat the water. For hydro excavation, heated water is able to effectively break up frozen soil. The hydrovac unit’s water needs to be heated to the appropriate temperature depending on the conditions it’s working in. That heated water will help melt the frozen soil and make it easier to vacuum out.
- Consider distance and depth. A standard blower will work from a distance of 200 feet or less from the truck. When the work site is further away, a more powerful blower is required for efficiency and precision. The need for a more powerful blower also comes into play with deep excavations that require more lift. That way the blower can remove the thawed dirt and debris from the work site.
- Prepare accordingly. When it comes to freezing conditions, there will be seasonal specific maintenance that should be performed routinely on the hydrovac. That includes the use of antifreeze, draining systems when not in use and storing the hydrovac in a temperature controlled environment. Likewise, your operators should wear multiple layers as well as hats and gloves to reduce their exposure to the cold.
With hydro excavation, cold weather digging is not only possible, but also much safer.
This article was contributed by TRUVAC. For more information on TRUVAC hydro excavators, visit TRUVAC.com. Tags: Truvac