Hydro Excavation Services in St. Louis, MO
Cost-Efficient Excavating & Debris Removal
Are underground utilities or hazardous materials preventing you from continuing your project? Grease Masters offers reliable and quality hydro excavation services throughout the St. Louis area to help you get back on track.
Our advanced trucks and certified technicians can handle any job – large or small – with precision and efficiency. Whether pipes, cables, debris, or other underground infrastructure, contractors, municipalities, utility companies, factories, and public facilities trust us with their hydro excavation needs.
Minimize the risk of damage and disruptions – get in touch with Grease Masters today.
What Is Hydro Excavation?
Hydro excavation, commonly referred to as daylighting, potholing, or non-destructive excavation, is a fast, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method of digging and removing soil. As a safer alternative to traditional digging, hydrovac uses a powerful combination of pressurized water and vacuuming to loosen and remove soil without damaging underground utilities.
Crews commonly use hydro excavation to trench, dig new utility holes, and uncover existing pipe systems with minimal risk of breaks or tears. This technique is beneficial in areas with sensitive below-ground infrastructure, such as historic districts (think Main Street in St. Charles and the Soulard neighborhood in St. Louis) or those with dense utility networks.
How It Works
Hydro excavation begins by injecting pressurized water into the ground, safely washing the soil from the area of focus. An industrial vacuum then extracts the liquefied soil cover, leaving a completely open trench.
The removed soil runs through a large hose connected to the 15-yard debris tank on our hydro excavation truck. Then, we release the slurry from the holding tank and refill the trench. In cases where there isn’t an on-site area to dump the soil, we can arrange off-site disposals.
Digging the trench to specifications minimizes costs for backfill, concrete assessment, and asphalt patching. Hydro excavators require a 2-inch water fill source, such as a fire hydrant or water truck. We can provide one if you don’t have one available.
Applications
Hydro excavation is a versatile method used for numerous tasks, from cleaning to trenching.
Debris Removal
Our hydro excavation technology can remove debris and clean areas without affecting the existing infrastructure. And our powerful vacuum and 600-foot hose allow us to reach remote locations for cleaning. Impacted areas include sludge pits, underground detention basins, retention ponds, drill mud, and more.
Potholing & Daylighting
Potholing and daylighting with our advanced equipment ensures precise soil removal to reveal both known and hidden utility lines. This careful excavation technique is crucial for preventing costly mistakes, as it allows our highly skilled technicians to identify and inspect underground infrastructure safely.
Slot Trenching
Utilizing hydro excavation services for slot trenching is a non-destructive and efficient way to install pipes or cables – even on frozen surfaces. While traditional slot trench practices are known for leaving impactful damage, hydro-excavating ensures safety and prevents issues. This technique is also suitable for installing sprinkler systems and locating underground utilities without risking damage to existing lines.
Pole Installation
Vacuum excavation is quicker than manual hole digging. It also reduces the risk of damaging pipes and other underground lines. At Grease Masters, we leverage our hydro excavation expertise to dig holes for various utility poles, such as the following:
- Power poles
- Light poles
- Telecommunications poles
- Traffic lights
- Signposts
- And more!
Culvert & Sewer Cleaning
Do you have a hard-to-reach area that needs efficient cleaning? By using high-pressure water to break up debris and a powerful vacuum to remove it, we can clear blockages, remove sediment, and improve water flow in various underground structures. It’s never been easier to prevent flooding, reduce odors, and maintain the overall health of your culverts, sewers, and storm drains.
Advantages of Hydro Vacuum Excavation
Traditional tools such as shovels, drills, and backhoes may not be suitable for specific areas. They can be time-consuming, less accurate, and potentially risky, especially when underground utilities exist.
Hydro excavating, on the other hand, is a practical alternative that offers many benefits:
Our powerful systems can dig through tough grass and all soil types. With the aid of onboard heaters, our hydrovacs provide a safe and effective means of digging in frozen ground, allowing construction and repair projects to continue throughout the colder months.
We can excavate up to 60 feet deep. Positioning the hydrovac truck 600 feet from the excavation area lessens on-site traffic and congestion, thus enabling work in limited-access locations.
Our operators use a handheld pressurized wand to direct the stream of water. The wand is small and flexible, allowing the crew to maneuver around tight quarters and nearby obstacles like streetlights, signs, and adjacent utility systems with minimal disruption.
Traditional excavation methods involve labor-intensive techniques and equipment, posing risks like falling debris and cave-ins. Hydroexcavation offers a safer approach. Workers no longer need to enter trenches, reducing cave-in fatalities thanks to decreased ground disturbance. Plus, pressurized water provides a non-hazardous method for digging.
Traditional excavation equipment like heavy backhoes or sharp metal drills easily tear through underground utilities and damage pipes, often causing service interruptions. Hydrovac excavation minimizes damage to existing infrastructure and avoids costly delays, offering a gentler and more controlled solution.
Hydro Excavation Services You Can Trust
Grease Masters offers a wide range of hydrovac services to St. Louis businesses, from oil and gas companies to construction firms and government agencies. We’ll help you complete your projects safely, efficiently, and on time.
If you’re ready to save time and money with reliable hydro excavation, contact us today!