Hydro Excavation vs Air Excavation

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Hydro and air excavations are generically known as vacuum excavation. This type of excavation is safe, minimally invasive, but highly effective and has a wide range of applications: construction projects, locating underground utilities, drilling etc. But which version is better: air or hydro vacuum excavation?

When it comes to the operating principle, both techniques involve breaking the soil and sucking it up into the tank to clean the area. The difference is in the way the soil is broke. Hydro excavation uses high pressure water, while air excavation uses pressurized air. Both methods are safe for underground utilities, the environment in general and for the workers, but in certain circumstances, one of the methods can have better results than the other.

There are different opinions on this question, but specialists generally agree on the following aspects:

  • Digging near underground electrical wires is safer with air excavation, because air is not a conductor.
  • There are also areas where water may cause chemical reactions; in this case, air excavation is better once again.
  • Hydro excavation, on the other hand, moves more material faster and can break even rocky and frozen soil, as well as permafrost.
  • When it comes to site impact, both excavation options are safe, but water excavation is better when blasting sand could cause damage in the immediate area.  Check out hydrovac services at https://hydrodig.biz/fort-worth-dallas/.