line locates

Why You Need Hydro Excavation for Line Location

Line location is a critical part of the excavation process and it is one that comes with considerable risk. That’s why you need a company with the latest tools to get the job done and 4 Warriors is just the team to handle all your line locate needs.

Why You Need Hydro Excavation for Line Location

A Persistent Problem

When we first started laying utility lines underground, we needed effective excavation methods but had to make do with manual labor. Nowadays, however, the problem has only grown. There are increasing numbers of buried utility lines being installed and an increasing need for the existing lines to be maintained. It was already a delicate balance between water, sewer, electric, as well as natural gas lines without underground traffic light and telecommunication cables being thrown into the mix as well. Much of the time these are not mapped out in a comprehensive and accessible way, so without proper training and tools excavation can lead to situations where workers are injured and one or multiple utility lines are damaged.

Safer, Cheaper, Better

By necessity, much of this work has been done either by manual labor or heavy machinery in the past. But today we have a much more reliable and cost efficient method in the form of hydro excavation. Here’s how it works. First, it makes a hole in the ground via pressurized water blasts, breaking up all the dirt and gravel. Second, a high-powered vacuum sucks all the debris out into a container. Finally, it is transported conveniently offsite. Because of the precision water blasts, there is no risk of cutting utility lines or exposing them to danger. If that wasn’t enough, it saves more time as well, allowing a smaller crew to get the job done ahead of schedule.

When you’re ready to make the switch to the cutting edge in excavation technology, 4 Warriors Hydro Excavating’s highly experienced team is ready to help. Feel free to contact us at any time. Thank you and God bless!

How Can You Locate Old Gas Lines Safely?

Gas lines are hazardous to work around, even when you know precisely where they are. But in many parts of the country, gas lines were initially laid out when there wasn’t a standardized method of marking subsurface utilities and improvements to a property. There also wasn’t a standardized method of storing that information or giving the details to the local governments of the area.

How Can You Locate Old Gas Lines Safely?

Unfortunately, these older neighborhoods and industrial areas are also the most likely to have complications during any new construction project. The parts wear out. The pipes decay or rot after decades of submersion. They’re also buried at different depths depending on the habits of the original builders and the area’s erosion. So the first step to making your project site safer is to locate old gas lines as soon as possible.

How can experts help you find them?

There’s a complicated, unorganized mess of pipes and connections beneath your worksite, even if you’re not in an urban area. Power and telecommunication lines generally run closest to the surface. Then water is a bit further down. Gas may be a couple layers deeper. That presents a massive problem for mechanical modes of excavation: the tools might eventually reach the gas line. But even if it doesn’t break that particular part of the system, it will have carved through everything in between.

But hydrovac services can work around preexisting infrastructure that shouldn’t be damaged. The pressure level for water or air that displaces the surrounding dirt doesn’t just come in one setting. It can be turned on high to cut initial scouting lines in the soil that are parallel to the utilities’ course. Then the pressure can be fine-tuned to unearth the lines without damaging them. Armed with the right tools and the knowledge of likely layouts in your area, a local hydrovac service is the best way to locate old lines without slowing down construction. Go to 4 Warriors Hydro Excavating to get started.