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Daylighting & Potholing

Daylighting and potholing are both techniques used in excavation and underground utility locating, but they serve slightly different purposes and are employed in distinct ways:

 

  1. Daylighting: Daylighting involves using hydro excavation technology to expose underground utilities or structures during the day. The primary goal is to fully expose these utilities for inspection, repair, maintenance, or installation purposes. Daylighting provides a broader view of the underground infrastructure by clearing a larger area to reveal various utility lines and structures.

  2. Potholing: Potholing, on the other hand, is a more targeted method within the broader practice of hydro excavation. It involves creating small, precise holes or "potholes" to visually confirm the presence and precise location of a specific underground utility or structure. Potholing is particularly useful when the exact depth, location, or type of utility needs to be confirmed without causing damage.

 

In essence, daylighting is a broader process aimed at exposing multiple utilities or a larger area for maintenance or inspection purposes, while potholing is a more focused technique used to verify the location of a single utility or structure with precision. Both methods leverage hydro excavation's non-destructive nature, reducing the risk of damaging existing underground infrastructure compared to traditional excavation methods.

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Applications:

• Visual confirmation of buried lines

• Directional drilling test holes

• Sacrificial anode installation

• Pipeline and utility crossings

• Subsurface Utility Engineering (S.U.E.) test holes

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Pole Holes

Hydro excavation can be used to dig holes of varying diameter and depth depending on the purpose of the hole. These types of holes can be used to install power poles, telecom poles, traffic signals, light standards, signs, fence posts, and many other items. While the amount of holes that are dug in a day will vary depending on soil conditions and hole sizes, on average, hydro excavators can dig between 10 and 30 pole holes (24” diameter x 7’ deep) per day. Hydro excavation allows workers to dig faster and more efficiently than with a mechanical excavator or by hand, increasing productivity and cutting down on project timelines. 

 

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Applications:

• Utility pole holes

• Traffic signal pole holes

• Light standard holes

• Sign post holes

• Transmission pole holes

• Pole removals

• End-bearing piles

• Pilot holes for friction piles

• Spread footing piles

• Well monitor installations

Trenching & Slot Trenching

Trenching is an excavation method that involves creating a trench in the ground for the installation, maintenance, or inspection of pipelines, conduits, or cables. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), excavations are designated as trenches when they are deeper than they are wide (not exceeding 15 feet in width). When trenches are very narrow (as narrow as 3” wide) the technique is called “slot trenching”.

 

Trenching is considered to be among the most hazardous construction activities as it can involve a number of life-threatening dangers. Cave-ins, falls, hazardous atmosphere, and heavy machinery-related accidents are the most common hazards associated with trenching, but are decreased exponentially when trenching via hydro excavation. 

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Applications:

• Perimeter (exploratory) slot trenching

• Expose existing cables or conduits

• Cable or conduit installation

• Drain tile installation

• Line fault repairs

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Service Pits

Service pits play a crucial role in enabling efficient and safe maintenance and repair of underground infrastructure. They allow workers to access and work on utilities without the need for extensive excavation, reducing disruption to surrounding areas and minimizing the risk of damage to existing infrastructure. Service pits can vary in size depending on the specific utility or purpose they serve, with depths ranging from a few feet to several meters. Because of the varying sizes and depths required, hydro excavation has become the preferred method of excavation for service pits due to the precision operators are able to achieve, as well as the ability to station the equipment away from the site to prevent cave ins caused by heavy machinery. 

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Applications:

• Gas Service Tie-in Pits

• Electric Cable Fault Repair Pits

• Water Main & Service Repair Pits

• Telecom Splice Pits

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