Patriot Utility Services provides hydro excavation services throughout Texas. Headquartered just west of Houston in Katy, we are the Lone Star State’s trusted hydro excavators. Need to check on or uncover utility lines, conduit, or a segment of pipeline? Call (636) 208-0921 or send a request for quote online.
Why Choose Patriot Utility Services?
We have more than 50 years of combined experience providing non-destructive hydrovac services for utility companies, oil and gas projects, municipalities, construction companies, pipeline maintenance contractors, and more across Texas. Our hydro excavation contractors are experienced delivering high quality services for residential, industrial, municipal, and commercial excavation projects.
Need to check on or uncover utility lines, conduit, or a segment of pipeline? Call (636) 208-0921 or send a request for quote online.
Hydrovac Excavation Explained
Let’s take a deep dive to better understand how this technology works for your industry. It all starts with a powerful vacuum truck and our expert hydrovac technicians. Hydro excavation, aka vaccum excavation or hydro vacuuming is the process of gently digging underground using pressurized water to expose, report, and locate utility lines and sewer pipes.
Pressurized Water Excavation
Hydro excavation is sometimes referred to as vacuum excavation, and the history of its use dates back over a half-century when it was first used in the oil and gas industry. It remains a cutting-edge and environmentally friendly excavation technology that is both cost-effective and safe. Hydro excavation leaves a minimal footprint on the job site and surrounding area, allowing contractors to access and plow utility lines in ideal locations.
Hydro Excavation Services
Our hydro excavators provide the following services:
- Excavation for Daylighting Projects
- Hydro Probing for Line Locating Projects
- Tunneling Trenches to Uncover Utility Lines & Conduit
- Underground Pipe Repair & Replacement Tasks
- Boring 90° Ditches for Plumbing or Sewer Lines
- Digging Narrow Trenches to Lay Fiber Optic or 5G Lines
- Potholing Jobs
- Pipeline Construction Excavation
Hydro Excavation Applications
Our hydrovac contractors provide eco-friendly water excavation services for many industries and types of projects including:
- Utility Companies & Municipalities
- Oil & Gas Projects
- Residential Sewer or Water Line Excavation
- Gas Pipeline Construction & Maintenance
- Oil & Gas Processing Plants
- Chemical Plants
- Drainage & Sewer System Projects
- Electric Companies
- Landscaping Drainage Trenching & Tunneling
- Mobile Phone Companies
What Is Hydro Excavation?
Hydro excavation is the process by which soil or dirt is removed using water that is pressurized by a machine attached to a vacuum truck. Air is used in conjunction with the vacuum, or hydrovac, to remove unwanted dirt into an attached debris truck for removal.
The used of pressurized water shot vertically down into the soil is an incredibly accurate way to cut lines through and clear underground soil. However, the process also leaves any utility lines and surrounding structures or natural formations untouched. What’s more, this trenching method can cut through solid mud or frozen debris and dirt to prepare for underground construction and repairs.
Canada actually pioneered this form of advanced excavation during its use in the oil and gas industry. Now, hydro vacuuming is used all over the world as one of the best ways to dig out soil that is hard to evacuate.
The Hydro Vacuum Excavation Process
Our hydro excavation equipment uses highly pressurized water in combination with an air-vac. The goal is to cut through the soil, breaking it up into a slurry, and sucking it away to a tank on the hydrovac truck that stores it until it can be properly disposed.
A fan system or displacement blower supplies the energy used to remove the soil and slurry in an ecologically friendly way.
The decision of whether to use a fan or blower for soil extraction depends on the supplies on hand, distance to the truck, and the foreman’s call.
Related Reading…
- Utility Locating
- Land Clearing & Underbrush Removal
- Utility Contractors
- Well Drilling
- Daylighting
- Underground Construction
Displacement Blowers vs. Fan Systems for Soil Extraction
The fan system is better for faster excavations because it’s able to push huge amounts of air through the machinery very quickly. However, a fan suction system is better when used with soil and not wet slurries.
Displacement blowers work a little slower but are better for removing moisture-rich dirt slurry over longer distances. Displacement soil extractors are also capable of extracting slurry located deep underground.
While these soil extraction systems have unique strengths, both methods work to:
- move air throughout the machinery
- move water through ground soil
- break up and tunnel through soil
- flush dirt, debris, and extract slurry
Disposal of Hydrovac Slurry & Waste
In nearly all of these jobs the materials vacuumed out by our machines are only water and soil. To dispose of this muddy mixture we typically take it to the dump where it is dried out and use as fill dirt later.
However, if the material is hot, aka contaminated with chemicals or solutions that are regulated (such as chemical plants and oil & gas jobs) the company usually has their own disposal area on-site.
The Many Benefits of Hydro Excavation
There are many benefits to using hydro excavation over other excavation methods. It’s one of the most preferred methods in many different industries for its speed and accuracy. Plus, it’s a better alternative to other traditional and more disruptive digging procedures that are more expensive and inaccurate.
Continue reading to learn some of the biggest benefits of hydro excavation over traditional tunneling and boring.
- More accurate, precision drilling
- Better pre-design planning
- Efficient excavation
- Non-destructive and environmentally friendly
- Less disruptive to the land and rest of nearby area
- Safer than using a boring drill with a solid surface
- Fewer accidents and injuries to operators
- Avoids damage to other underground lines
- Faster
- Less expensive
- Reduces liability and insurance costs
- Sure, there are circumstances requiring TCI drill bits for horizontal directional drilling jobs requiring tunneling through rock.
Sure, there are circumstances requiring TCI drill bits for horizontal directional drilling jobs requiring tunneling through rock. Overall, hydro excavation is just a better option for everyone involved, including all contractors, construction team members, and crews when the job requires tunneling or boring through soil.
Why Choose Our Hydro Excavation Company?
- Safety
- Less Expensive than HDD Drilling
- Quality Services
- 50+ Years of Experience in Excavation & Construction
- We’re Bonded, Insured, & Licensed
- We’re a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business
- Locally-Owned & Operated by Texans
The hydro excavators at Patriot Utility Services are highly-trained and well equipped to use these vacuum trucks for excavation jobs of all sizes. Hydro excavation is a common service needed in many types of construction jobs.
The complexity of hydrovac services require specific skills and knowledge to complete jobs safely and effectively. You can trust us with all of your professional excavation needs.
Related Services…
- Water Line Excavators
- Horizontal Drilling
- Utility Line Installers
- Subsurface Construction
- Residential & Commercial Excavation
Industries We Serve
We work with a companies and organizations from a wide range of industries including:
- Construction
- Power Companies
- Utilities
- Oil and Gas
- Petrochemical
- Residential
- Transportation
- Civil Engineering
- Industrial
- Private Sectors
Areas Served
We provide services locally throughout the Houston area including Katy, The Woodlands, Fulshear, Sugar Land, Tomball, Cypress, Pearland, and Richmond, Texas.
We also provide services throughout North and South Texas including Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Saginaw, Plano, Lubbock, Midland, Abilene, Garland, Waco, Paris, Grand Prairie, Irving, Frisco, Carrolton, Denton, and Plano, Austin, San Marcos, New Braunfels, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Laredo, Brownsville, and Boca Chica, Texas.
Hire the Best in Hydro Excavation
We know you have choices when it comes to hydro excavation companies, but we hope you’ll give us a chance to prove why we’re your best choice in Texas. Call (636) 208-0921 or email Patriot Utility Services to request a quote from our hydrovac contractors. We’ll give you an accurate, fair quote and have the job done right the first time.
