Questions?
Browse these Super Sucker FAQs to find answers to commonly raised questions.
Super Sucker Hydrovac Service can dispatch trucks from many locations throughout Ontario including but not limited to Barrie, Newmarket, Toronto and surrounding areas, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton and surrounding areas, Guelph, Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo, and London.
We have a dedicated phone service monitored 24/7 for emergency work orders. Call our Book-A-Truck hotline at 905-297-4695 as we have staff on standby to handle emergency situations.
Hydraulic excavators and backhoes, even hand tools like shovels all exert a certain amount of force to dig which qualifies them as mechanical forms of excavation. When excavating around underground utilities and buried infrastructure it is imperative to remove the risk of striking or damaging those buried resources so “non-mechanical” excavation is mandated.
There are two forms of non-mechanical digging which utilize vacuum excavation equipment:
- Hydrovac
- Suction Excavator, or Dry Vac
Exposing utility lines or underground infrastructure using vacuum excavation equipment is the safest and most efficient way to “daylight” or “pothole” a small section of the lines or pipe.
Vacuum excavation is the process of digging with either the suction power of a positive displacement (PD) blower or moving materials with the high-powered air conveyance of a fan system.
Effective PD blowers operate above 25” Hg (inches of mercury) and must be used in conjunction with pressurized water to break up materials and create a liquid slurry to be vacuumed up.
Fan systems are typically rated between 1,000 and 5,000 CFM and aren’t very effective for excavation purposes. True suction excavators and air conveyance systems used for excavation will operate at 20,000 CFM or higher and move materials at exceedingly high throughput rates.
The process of hydro vac excavation begins by inserting water into the planned excavation area before allowing the pressure to flow through. With the assistance of an air conveyance or vacuum, the unwanted soils or excavated materials are transferred to a debris tank located on the truck.
The resulting excavated area created from hydro vac excavation is much more precise and allows utilities and underground infrastructure to be exposed without damage.
One of the concerns with any kind of excavation is buried utilities. One wrong move or careless venture could rupture gas or electrical lines, water pipes or telecom cables. Utility locating and hydro vac services can drastically reduce the costs and liabilities associated with damaging underground infrastructure. This is why any excavation requires locates on site – available through Ontario One Call. Alternate locate agreements are available through our service members as well.
More importantly than the equipment itself, however, is the fact that Super Sucker Hydrovac Service is a COR Certified organization. This means that all our equipment, staff and crews can perform while meeting a very high safety standard.
Hydrovacs are very precise digging tools that ensure the safety of the public, environment and the service or utility being excavated.
75% of damages caused in the utility industry are from shovel strikes, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) recognizes vacuum excavation with either a hydrovac or suction excavator to be the preferred method of digging.
Suction Excavation uses very high rates of air conveyance to move materials through an air stream. It does not require water or anything else to generate the air conveyance, however, when used in conjunction with high-pressured air tools an even greater throughput can be achieved.
Suction excavation, or dry vacs, are known globally as the safest method of digging in the vicinity of underground utilities.
Even though hydrovacs are very popular in Ontario, around the world the most well-known and safest method of digging in the vicinity of underground utilities is with advanced dry suction excavation or dry vacs. The traditional dry vac set up was not set up for North American geography or weather, this is why we sourced and continue to assist in engineering systems that are outfitted for this continent.
This method does not require the use of water which removes a lot of the hazards when working within the proximity of electrical utilities.
The advantages of a suction excavator follow along the same lines as a hydrovac with a couple of key differences. By removing the need to use water during your excavation you not only remove the hazards that come along with it, but you also end up with an excavation site that is dry and ready to be worked in if necessary.
Furthermore, because there is no slurry being generated, the materials being excavated may not need to be disposed of at an offsite facility, but can be stored on site for later use, or they can be used to backfill the excavation directly.
Vacuum excavation is the safest way to dig in the proximity of buried infrastructure as well as being fast and precise. Our fleet of vacuum excavation trucks work on nearly every type of terrain, handling some of the most challenging excavation jobs.
They’re most commonly used for daylighting or exposing utilities safely but are also ideal for large excavations, rail maintenance, commercial facility debris cleanup, removing wet or dry material from trenches, pits, and underground tanks; and pulling water, sludge, soil, spills, debris, etc. from hard-to-reach underground areas.
The scope of your project will largely determine how Super Sucker can best be of service to you. Whether it’s a large excavation that needs to be filled, or small potholes that are required over a period of time, the most important factor you’ll need to determine is what type of soil you’re working in and how much material you’re looking to move.
Super Sucker Hydrovac Service has a full team of subject matter experts available to help you accurately assess your job scope and provide you with the best options for your specific requirements.
Our processes and diverse selection of advanced equipment are designed to create efficient, dependable, and cost-effective project flows for infrastructure owners, municipalities, and general contractors. They include hydrovac excavation, dry suction excavation, coring and reinstatement, mobile concrete mixing and pouring, material slingers, facility maintenance and project management.
Super Sucker Hydrovac Service has the subject matter experts who deal with infrastructure projects regularly and know how to accurately assess, coordinate and supply the specialized equipment needed to complete your project all while working within your timeframes and schedules.
Let us handle all the details, logistics, and even the paperwork – take the stress out of planning your next project.