Did you know that there is a safer and more effective method for digging than huge backhoes and heavy machinery? Hydrovacs are a great solution for industries like oil & gas that need to dig around underground utilities and obstacles without causing any damage.

Let’s talk about what hydrovacs can do for you or your company.

What Is a Hydrovac?

A Hydrovac is another name for a Hydro Excavation Truck. A Hydrovac’s main purpose is to excavate an area in a much faster and more efficient way than traditional methods.

A Hydrovac functions by using high-pressure water to break up or displace dirt, soil, or ground. At the same time, the Hydrovac uses an extremely powerful vacuum to immediately suck up and remove the material. The result of this process is a machine that almost instantaneously removes material.

How Do Hydrovacs Benefit the Oil & Gas Industry?

Using hydro excavation via a Hydrovac can eliminate much of the risks involved with excavation. There is no metal or sharp equipment touching the excavation area. So there is much less chance of damaging underground utilities.

There are even a hand-held versions of Hydrovacs that allow workers to be very precise in removing material. This is particularly useful when removing dirt around utility lines such as gas or cable lines.

Because of this, Hydrovacs can perform piling hole excavation due to their ability to dig holes of varying diameters and depths. This is something that is very difficult to almost impossible to do with any other machine.

Save Time and Money

Using larger equipment or other heavy machinery like a back-hoe can prolong work projects due to the much larger area of impact. Workers could spend a lot of time cleaning up the mess that these machines can make. This means your company will spend more time and money on workers to maintain the jobsite, rather than on completing the actual project.

A hydrovac truck can be used when preparing the ground for a new building or structure, creating the trenches for the foundation of the structure being built.

Hydrovacs also can perform something called Soil Trenching. This is when a very narrow trench needs to be dug in order to lay pipe or cable down into the ground. They can do this very quickly, and can even use hot or warm water to get through the frozen ground during the winter.

Use in Cold Weather

Cold weather can bring your excavation project to a screeching halt, as the frozen ground can be hard for even the most powerful machines to break up. Hydrovacs can use hot water functions that will enable your crew to keep working in the dead of winter. This could give your business a competitive edge if other companies in your area don’t have the ability to work with frozen solid ground.

Hydrovacs are also useful because they are much more maneuverable than a backhoe or Bobcat. Larger machines require you to have a very large and open space for them to work.

Hydrovac trucks have a boom that can extend horizontally or vertically. This enables you to get into tight spaces where other excavation machines can’t.

What Purpose Do Hydrovacs Serve in Oil Fields?

Maintaining things like gas and oil lines is extremely important as they can quickly become costly and hazardous to repair. Hydrovacs are the best solution for your needs if you’re doing any kind of excavation in or around oil fields.

Environmentally Friendly

Around 1.3 million gallons of oil spills every year from pipelines and vessels in the US. This usually happens as a result of improper or infrequent maintenance. Hydrovacs make it easy for you to remove dirt and debris from around pipelines so that you can perform maintenance and make repairs.

Because they use less power and energy than larger equipment like backhoes, they are a good choice if your company is trying to reduce its carbon footprint.

More Efficient

Hydrovacs are a non-destructive excavation option, allowing access old pipelines easily in order to maintain or replace them.

Hydrovacs also allow you to access or build new pipelines. A Hydrovac can do this without disturbing what is already there with precision piling or slot trenching.

Many Hydrovac trucks come equipped to deal with waste efficiently, which is very important when working in oil fields. They also actively clean any hole or trench that they dig.

Oil & gas companies are increasingly aware of their environmental impact which is why many utilize Hydrovacs to maintain safe and responsible digging.

Standard digging equipment can take hours when having to maneuver around underground utilities like pipelines. It is crucial when a leak or issue happens to be able to get to the source of the problem as quickly as possible. What could take hours to accomplish with traditional digging equipment can be done in a matter of minutes when using a Hydrovac system.

Safety

The oil & gas industry can be a particularly hazardous work environment when compared to other industries. So it’s important that the safety and well-being of your employees are at the forefront of your mind.

Hydrovacs are much safer than any other type of digging equipment. They’re also easier to operate meaning that you can train numerous employees to be able to use a Hydrovac.

Many types of heavy machinery used for excavation require a license to operate. When a licensed operator is late or calls out sick for work it can really slow down or completely stop work at the job site. Hydrovacs can increase productivity in these situations as more employees are able to use the equipment.

Where to Get Hydrovacs

Hydrovac trucks are available for purchase or for rent. If your business often requires excavation work, you will want to consider purchasing a Hydrovac. But if you only need digging done sporadically, you can rent Hydrovacs.

If you’re curious about how a Hydrovac truck can benefit you, contact us to learn more.