What is VAC-EX?
VAC-EX stands for vacuum excavation. Instead of putting a bucket into the ground, the soil is broken up with compressed air and drawn straight out. Whatever is buried stays undamaged.
- The technique explained without jargon
- What it does better than an excavator, and what it does not
- Why it is permitted around power and gas
- When it pays off to use it
The short explanation
A suction excavator has two parts. First, a lance that drives compressed air into the ground and bursts it apart. Second, a powerful turbine that draws the loosened material through a hose into a tank. Fundamentally, that is all there is to it.
The difference from traditional digging lies in what goes into the ground. With an excavator that is steel, and steel does not distinguish between soil, cable and root. With a suction excavator it is air. Air breaks up loose soil but leaves anything solid standing, which is why services and roots come out undamaged.
The three properties that matter
Why these machines are allowed where other tools are not.
Non-conductive
Tooling in aluminium and PE, lance shaft PEHD insulated and tested to 75 kV per foot. Safe next to live cables.
Non-sparking
Brass nozzles produce no spark, which makes work in gas-enriched environments possible.
Vibration-free
The lance is independently tested at 0 m/s². No HAVS risk for the operator and no pressure on the service.
What VAC-EX does better than an excavator
And where an excavator remains the better choice. An honest comparison, so you do not hire the wrong tool.
Better: around buried services
Everything in the ground stays whole. That is the reason these machines exist at all.
Better: in confined spaces
From 1 metre wide and with radio remote control you reach places an excavator cannot.
Better: around trees
The root ball stays intact, which is simply not possible with a bucket.
Worse: large empty digs
If there is nothing in the ground that needs to survive, an excavator is faster and cheaper. Hire that instead.
Other names, same technique
You will come across this technique under several names. They all mean the same thing:
- Suction excavator
- Vacuum excavator
- Vacuum excavation
- Air excavation
- Non-destructive digging
- VAC-EX
How a job runs
Preparation
Check the utility drawings, break out the surface, set out the working area and agree the zone.
Break up and extract
Work layer by layer until the service, root or foundation is visible.
Backfill
The tank tips hydraulically and clean soil goes back into the hole.
What next?
If you want to use the technique, hire a machine by the week, with or without an operator. Rates and packages are on vacuum excavation hire, the machine range on suction excavator hire.
Looking for a specific application? Read about exposing cables and pipes, tree root excavation or damage-free excavation.
Frequently asked questions
What does VAC-EX stand for?
Vacuum excavation, that is, excavating by suction. It is also the name of the machine range Tornado Rent hires out.
Is a vacuum excavator the same as a suction excavator?
Yes. Vacuum excavator, suction excavator, air excavation and VAC-EX all describe the same technique: breaking up soil with air and extracting it.
Does it use water or air?
Our machines work with air. Hydro excavation with high-pressure water also exists and is sometimes faster in very hard ground, but it leaves the site wet and the soil harder to reuse.
How much soil does the machine hold?
Between 0.2 and 1.0 m³ depending on the model. The tank tips hydraulically, so you can backfill as you go or tip into a skip.
Is the technique new?
No, it has been used internationally for decades, particularly in utilities and rail. In the Netherlands and Belgium it has spread quickly in recent years because the cost of utility strikes has risen.
Do you need a licence or certificate?
No special certificate is required to operate it. We give a hand-over briefing and you can work. For the trailer unit you obviously need the appropriate driving licence to tow.
Read more
Hire in the Netherlands
For international contractors working on a site in the Netherlands or Belgium.
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.
ViewDamage-free excavation
Digging around cables and pipes without damaging what is buried.
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.
Choose a package and period for a price indication