Advanced Hydro-Excavation and Vacuum Digging Services
Non-Destructive Vacuum Excavation for Underground Utility Protection
Precision Hydrovac Excavation Services
In Phoenix's developed urban and suburban corridors, digging near existing utilities with traditional excavators carries real risk. Hitting a buried electrical line, gas main, or fiber-optic cable can stop a project cold and create serious safety and liability issues — even when underground locates are on file.
Our hydro-vacuum trucks use high-pressure water to soften and break up soil while a powerful vacuum simultaneously extracts it into an onboard debris tank. The result is a clean, controlled excavation that safely exposes buried infrastructure — a process called "daylighting" — without damaging surrounding conduits or lines.
When Hydro-Excavation Is Required
Arizona law requires hand digging or hydro-excavation within 24 inches of any marked utility (the "Tolerance Zone"). Hydro-excavation keeps you compliant with those rules while still moving efficiently — making it the go-to method for utility potholing, slot trenching, and pipeline tie-ins near existing infrastructure.
Common Hydro-Vacuum Scenarios
- Safe Utility Potholing: Visually verifying the exact depth and diameter of existing civil infrastructure before horizontal directional drilling operations commence.
- Remote Access Digging: Utilizing extending vacuum booms to safely excavate terrain up to 100 feet from the truck in restrictive backyards or interior commercial mechanical rooms.
- Deep Plumbing Exposure: Exposing buried leaking main lines without destroying established landscaping or concrete hardscape limits.
The Safe, Precision Alternative to Mechanical Excavation
Traditional mechanical digging is fast, but when you're working near buried gas lines, fiber-optic cables, or electrical infrastructure, speed isn't worth the risk. SewerTime's hydro-excavation service gives you a non-destructive alternative that's precise, safe, and compliant with utility proximity requirements.
How Vacuum Excavation Works
Hydro-excavation utilizes kinetic energy via a highly pressurized stream of water to safely soften and break apart the earth. Simultaneously, a high-powered industrial vacuum extracts the resulting soil slurry into a mobile debris tank.
This process works well in Arizona's compacted desert soils, including hardpan and clay-heavy ground where standard hand digging is impractical.
Pressurized Water Lancing
High-pressure water softens and breaks apart compacted earth — including Arizona's desert hardpan and clay soils — without mechanical impact on nearby utilities.
Industrial Vacuum Extraction
A high-powered vacuum simultaneously extracts the resulting soil slurry into a mobile debris tank for clean, efficient removal.
Our Hydrovac Capabilities Include
- Utility Daylighting (Potholing) — Safely exposing subterranean facilities through small, precise test holes to verify depth and location prior to larger trenching
- Slot Trenching — Creating clean, incredibly narrow cuts for installing ducts, conduits, and laterals
- Debris Removal — Vacuuming out sediment and spoil from confined spaces and culverts
Lower Project Costs with Precision
By choosing hydro-excavation, you significantly lower the overall cost of your project. The precision of the vacuum minimizes unnecessary soil displacement, dramatically reducing the time and money required for surface restoration, backfilling, and landscaping repair.