Digging for pipes, posts, signs, poles, etc. in cold weather is a bit more difficult than digging in normal weather. The ground is frozen and a lot harder than usual. Earlier methods for digging in cold weather involve thawing the frozen soil first. Coal and wood are used to thaw the ground before a backhoe is used to excavate. Manual digging may also be done after the soil is already softened.
This process takes a lot of time. The digging itself is long process, especially when digging manually. Thawing soil makes the process even more time consuming. Also, the chemicals from the wood and coal are dispersed into the air once they are burned. This causes harm to the environment.
Why Hydro Excavation Work Well for Cold Weather Digging
The process of hydro excavation is able to solve these problems. The hydro excavation trucks are equipped with heaters. This allows the water to be able to excavate through frozen earth and ground frost. Using hydro excavation for cold weather digging reduces labor cost considerably. It also reduces labor and material costs.
Traditional methods for digging through frozen soil involved thawing through wood and coal. This was very dangerous for the environment. Hydro excavation provides a 100% environment friendly process. The fire hazards from thawing the ground are also eliminated. Since thawing is not needed, the amount of time to finish the excavation is lessened.
Hydro excavation is a safe process because it only involves water and air vacuum. The excavation trucks can be positioned far from the actual excavation site. This keeps the contractors away from the only machinery or equipment involved.
