Vacuum excavation
Vacuum excavation is digging with air instead of steel. A lance breaks up the ground with compressed air and a turbine draws it into a tank. Whatever is buried stays where it is. This page covers the technique, the applications and the limits.
- The technique explained in two steps
- What the technique is used for
- Which ground conditions work well
- What hiring costs and how long it takes
The technique in two steps
A suction excavator does little more than a very powerful vacuum cleaner with a compressed-air attachment. That simplicity is exactly what makes it safe.
Break up the ground
The air lance drives compressed air into the soil and bursts it apart. Up to 100 mm of cutting depth per pass.
Extract the soil
The turbine draws the loosened material through a 125 or 150 mm hose into the machine's tank.
Remove or backfill
The tank tips hydraulically. Clean soil goes back into the hole, the rest is carted away.
What vacuum excavation is used for
Exposing services
Trial holes and connections around gas, water, power and fibre. See exposing cables and pipes.
Root zones
Inspect or free roots without harming the tree. See tree root excavation.
Confined spaces
City centres, underground car parks and tunnels where an excavator cannot reach or is not permitted.
Rail ballast and industry
Extracting ballast, exposing foundations and working on petrochemical sites.
What works well and what does not
Vacuum excavation is powerful but not the right tool for everything. To be blunt: for a large empty dig, hire an excavator.
Sand and ordinary soil
Ideal. Fast and clean, even at larger volumes.
Clay and heavy ground
Possible, but slower. Choose a twin turbine machine and allow more time.
Stones and rubble
Up to roughly hose diameter it works. Larger pieces have to come out by hand.
Large empty digs
An excavator is quicker and cheaper. Suction pays off when something in the ground has to stay intact.
The short version
Vacuum excavation pays off as soon as a strike would cost more than the time an excavator saves.
- Ground containing cables or pipes
- Trees that have to stay standing
- Confined or sensitive surroundings
- Work where an outage simply cannot happen
Hire it yourself or have it done
You hire the machine by the week and work yourself, or you take the operated set and we supply the operator. Both options and the rates are on vacuum excavation hire.
Want to know which machine suits what first? Look at suction excavator hire, or read the background on what VAC-EX is.
Frequently asked questions
How fast is vacuum excavation?
In sand and ordinary soil a machine handles several cubic metres per hour. In heavy clay that drops considerably. The real rate depends on ground, depth and machine, so we would rather estimate it from your job than quote a general figure.
How deep can a suction excavator work?
With the trailer unit you can reach around 8 metres depending on ground conditions. The compact machines are intended for shallower work: trial holes, connections and root zones.
What happens to the extracted soil?
It goes into the machine's tank. The tank tips hydraulically, so you can backfill clean soil straight away or tip the material into a skip.
Is it noisy?
A diesel machine makes noise, comparable to other plant. For city centres and night work there is the electric version, which is considerably quieter and produces no exhaust emissions.
Does it need water?
Not with this technique. We work with air, not water. That keeps the soil dry and reusable, and leaves you without mud on site.
Can I operate it myself?
Yes. After a hand-over briefing most groundworkers manage well. If the work is delicate or nobody is free, choose the operated set.
Read more
Damage-free excavation
Digging around cables and pipes without damaging what is buried.
ViewVacuum excavation hire
Hire a VAC-EX suction excavator by the week, with or without an operator.
ViewSuction excavator hire
The VAC-EX machine range, from compact tracked unit to trailer.
ViewTree root excavation
Expose roots without damaging the root ball.
ViewRequest a booking
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Contact details
Tornado Rent B.V.
Dienstenstraat 1-5
3161 GN Rhoon
Marcel Haring
We deliver throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. Arrange transport yourself or let Tornado Rent handle it.
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