Hydro Excavation Services in St. Louis, MO
Cost Efficient Excavating & Debris Removal
Contractors, municipalities, utility companies, factories, and public facilities trust Grease Masters to deliver high-quality hydro excavation services throughout St. Louis. Our advanced hydrovac trucks and certified technicians can handle any job – large or small – with precision and efficiency. Contact our experienced team today for superior excavation and debris removal services.
What is Hydro Excavation?
Hydro excavation is a fast, safe, and environmentally friendly method of digging and soil removal. Instead of traditional tools, hydro excavation utilizes pressurized water and a vacuum system to break up and remove soil. Crews commonly use hydro excavation (often referred to as daylighting, potholing, or non-destructive excavation) for trenching, digging new utility holes, and uncovering existing pipe systems with minimal risk of breaks or tears.
How Does Hydro Excavation Work?
The hydrovac process injects pressurized water into the ground to wash the soil from the underground area safely. A powerful vacuum then extracts the liquefied soil cover, leaving a completely open trench. The extracted soil runs through a large debris hose and is stored in a 15-yard debris tank on the hydro excavation truck.
After, we release the slurry from the holding tank and put it back onto the ground to refill the trench. Or, if there is no on-site area to dump the soil, we can arrange off-site disposal. Digging the trench to specifications minimizes costs for backfill, concrete encasement, 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 do not have a water source available.
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.
Hydrovacing, on the other hand, is a practical alternative excavation method that offers many benefits:
- Effective anywhere, any time – Our powerful hydrovac 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. Construction and repair projects can then continue throughout the colder months.
- Handling of various projects – We can excavate up to 60 feet deep. The hydrovac truck can be positioned 600 feet from the excavation area. This lessens traffic and congestion at the excavation site, enabling work in limited access areas.
- Accuracy – Our operators use a handheld pressurized wand to direct the stream of water. The wand is small and flexible, allowing the crew to easily maneuver around tight quarters and nearby obstacles like streetlights, signs, and adjacent utility systems with minimal disruption.
- Increased Safety – Traditional excavation methods involve labor-intensive techniques and equipment, posing risks like falling debris and cave-ins, creating hazardous conditions. Hydrovacing offers a safer approach. Because workers are not needed inside the trench, cave-in fatalities are reduced due to decreased soil disturbance. Utilizing water, hydro excavation provides a non-hazardous method for digging holes and trenches.
- Less damage – 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 excavation method.
Hydrovac Applications
Debris Removal
Our hydrovacs can remove debris and clean areas without affecting existing infrastructure. If it can fit through our 8-inch diameter hose, we can remove it! Our powerful vacuum and 600-foot hose allows us to reach remote locations and clean up the impacted area. This includes sludge pits, underground detention basins, retention ponds, drill mud, and more.
Potholing & Daylighting
Potholing and daylighting with our state-of-the-art equipment ensures precise soil removal, uncovering known and hidden utility lines. This method is the best way to expose underground utilities, identify issues, and avoid costly mistakes during excavation.
Slot Trenching
Slot trenching with hydro excavation is a non-destructive, efficient method for installing pipes or cables, even on frozen surfaces. It ensures safety and prevents damage common with traditional slot trenchers. This method is also suitable for installing sprinkler systems and locating underground utilities without risking damage to existing systems or lines.
Pole Installation
Vacuum excavation for hole digging is faster than manual digging. It also reduces the risk of damaging underground lines and pipes during excavation. We dig holes for various utility poles, including power poles, light poles, telecommunications poles, traffic lights, signposts, and more!
Culvert & Sewer Cleaning
The high-pressure water and our powerful vacuum can clean out hard-to-reach areas like culverts, sewers, and storm drains.
Hydrovac Applications
Grease Masters provides local hydro excavation services to businesses in St. Louis, including oil and gas companies, construction companies, government agencies, and more. Our experienced team is ready to help keep your project on schedule and budget.
For safe, reliable, and fast hydro excavation in St. Louis, contact Grease Masters today!