Daylighting Excavation
Daylighting excavation is also known as potholing. Daylighting is the excavation process of digging through the ground to expose underground utilities like cables or pipes. This is often needed to check utilities for types of damage or to replace utilities with new facilities.[1]. Daylight excavation was once mostly done by hand, but this increased the risk of injury or damaging the underground facilities. Most companies now use hydro-vac excavation trucks to safely and efficiently dig underground[2].
Daylighting Uses
Daylighting excavation is used by all industries. Industrial, commercial and residential communities all need to “daylight” their facilities.
- Underground Pipes and Plumbing - the majority of the US's plumbing networks are underground and require excavation to replace or remove pipes[3]
- Underground Utilities
- Safely Expose Gas Lines
- Installing Signage
- Posting Fences
- Replacing Telephone Poles[4]
- Landscaping - hydro excavation allows landscapers to dig in precise locations without disturbing other areas, making it easy to install or remove poles, fencing, or structural components[5].
Daylighting Techniques
Mechanical Machinery + Manually
Potholing or daylighting was traditionally done using a backhoe or manually by hand using a shovel. Due to the large scale of the backhoe, it posed a risk of damaging the underground facilities. Both methods often take longer than the more common method of daylighting excavation using hydro-vac trucks.
Hydro-Vac Excavation Trucks
Many of the risks from using mechanical machinery for daylighting are removed when using hydro-vac excavation. Hydro-vac uses pressurized water to safely remove soil and debris to expose the underground pipes or cables. Soil is stored in a vacuum truck and hauled offsite as needed[6]. Hydro-vac excavation helps save time and cost when potholing, and it is more accurate than mechanical excavation[7].
Hydro-vac daylighting excavation is far more efficient than traditional excavation methods. Hydro-vacuum trucks quickly break up ground and remove it without needing multiple vehicles to dig and remove the soil since all tasks are done with one hydro-vac truck[8]
References
- ↑ "Potholing/Daylighting with Hydro Excavation". https://hydroexcavation.com/. Hydro Excavation Online Hydro Excavation Resources. Retrieved 21 December 2021. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ https://vac-con.com/. Vac Con https://vac-con.com/daylighting-with-combination-or-hydro-excavation-machines/. Retrieved 21 December 2021. Missing or empty
|title=(help); External link in|website=(help) - ↑ "Utility Potholing Methods". https://www.softdig.com. Soft Dig. Retrieved 21 December 2021. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "The Best Way to Tackle Utility Potholing". https://www.softdig.com. Soft Dig. Retrieved 21 December 2021. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Industries that use Hydro Excavation". TPM Group. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ↑ "Daylighting Excavation". https://adlervac.com. Adler Industrial Services. Retrieved 21 December 2021. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "What is Daylighting and What Are the Benefits?". https://www.peaksewer.ca/. Peak Sewer. Retrieved 21 December 2021. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Advantaging of Using Daylighting for Construction". https://www.northernvac.com. Northern Vac. Retrieved 21 December 2021. External link in
|website=(help)
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