The Lower Mainland has microclimates, complex soil conditions, and diverse infrastructure. In densely populated urban cities such as Vancouver, New Westminster, Burnaby, and others, you have to reach into narrow spaces to work on sites and utilities. Also, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, and Chilliwack possess such poor soil conditions that bringing heavy excavation equipment on-site is practically impossible. So, what is remote excavation, and how can it help in these situations?
Hydro vac trucks provide remote digging, or remote excavation services by extending their boom hoses and hydro jetters up to 300 feet away from the truck. The trucks use high water pressure and vacuum pressure to break down soil and collect the slurry, safely removing soil from the site. You can use remote digging technology to enter narrow spaces and work on sites with critical soil conditions.
In this article, we will discuss how remote digging services work. We will then highlight cities in the Lower Mainland that benefit from it, and why. We’ll end with a discussion of what’s possible with remote digging.
What Is Remote Digging? How Does It Work?
Hydro vac trucks will use their hydro jetters to break up soil and the boom hoses to suck up the slurry. The boom hose and the hydro jetter are typically 2-8 feet in length, so the truck stays on site. But if they site has to be accessed through narrow spaces, or the soil condition is too unstable, then both the boom hose and the jetter can be extended up to 100 feet or more to excavate. This process is called remote digging.
If you try to use pressurized water and negative vacuum pressure to excavate from far away, you’ll usually face some issues. For example, both processes will become less effective with distance. Longer hoses cause more friction for both the water and the vacuum being created, so the overall forces are suboptimal.
Hydro vac trucks overcome this issue by using large hoses to lower friction, and smart equipment. The truck can use its sensors to auto-adjust its water and vacuum pressure. It doesn’t matter if you reach the maximum hose length possible, you’ll have the perfect pressure for your project.
Operators can also control the boom hose and hydro jetter remotely. You can effortlessly enter congested or narrow spaces from far away and excavate delicate sites without damaging any utilities. Highly advanced hydro vac trucks also come with automatic unclogging and other management features so you don’t have to worry about any issues at all while remote digging.
Which Cities Need Remote Digging Services?
The Lower Mainland has a notable number of cities that are densely populated, have complex infrastructure, or have problematic soil conditions. You either have to enter congested and narrow spaces, or work on soil that might collapse or be too waterlogged or icy to reach in winter. Let’s take a quick look at the cities that have such issues.
Cities With High Population Density and Complex Infrastructure
- Vancouver: As of the 2021 Census, Vancouver has a population density of approximately 5,749.9 people per square kilometer. The city’s downtown core has high-rise residential and mixed-use properties. The infrastructure is so dense that you are often left with limited space to work with.
- New Westminster: In 2021, New Westminster had a population density of approximately 4,249.6 people per square kilometer, making it the second-highest in Canada after Vancouver. The city has older neighborhoods that are packed with narrow streets, making it difficult for industrial and mechanical excavators to enter.
- Burnaby: In 2024, the city had a population density of 3,301/km². It has a high concentration of commercial and residential buildings, especially in Metrotown and Brentwood.
- Richmond: Richmond has a population density of 1,885/km² and has sections of densely built areas. You will encounter narrow areas and closed-off spaces around buildings.
Cities With Complex Soil Conditions
- Surrey: Many sites in Surrey contain fine-grain, compressible organic soil. If you try to work with heavy excavation equipment there, you risk your equipment getting stuck or causing a collapse.
- Richmond: The city’s soil mainly contains silt and peat deposits, which are too soft to tolerate heavy excavation equipment.
- Burnaby: Some construction sites in Burnaby become waterlogged. The soil is too soft for you to use heavy equipment to excavate. You also have to worry about the water content in the soil, which most excavation methods cannot address.
- Chilliwack: Steep sites in the city have erosion and runoff issues. Any mechanical excavator that you bring will face stability issues.
What Benefits Does Remote Digging Offer?
Remote digging with hydro vacs is the perfect solution to most of your project issues in the Lower Mainland. Here are the benefits that remote digging offers:
- Extended Reach with Consistent Power: Hoses can extend over 300 feet from the truck. So, you can access narrow, urban spaces without losing vacuum strength or water pressure.
- Minimal Environmental Impact: As hydro vac trucks only use water pressure and negative vacuum pressure, you don’t have to worry about utility strikes and other damage.
- Enhanced Safety for Workers: You can stay near the truck and handle the excavation remotely. Even on sites with dangerous soil conditions, you’re always safe.
- Efficient and Clean Results: With little backfill required and less cleanup afterward, hydro vac excavation helps keep projects on schedule and within budget.
Essentially, you choose remote digging when:
- Your site is difficult to access using standard machinery.
- You are working near utilities that require protection.
- The job site is in a landscaped or protected area.
- Speed, safety, and minimal disruption are important to your timeline.
Inflow Hydro Vac Services Ltd. Lower Mainland’s Remote Digging Experts.
At Inflow Hydro Vac Services Ltd., we have experience with both hydro vac trucks and the Lower Mainland’s terrain. Our operators have over a decade of experience in providing hydro vac services near Greater Vancouver, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Aldergrove, and Langley. We offer our extensive knowledge of hydro excavation, terrain conditions, and remote digging services to every contractor with equal dedication. So skip the wait and call (604) 913-7276 today!
Conclusion
Remote digging offers an advanced, efficient, and low-impact solution for difficult excavation sites. With hydro vac services, you gain access to otherwise unreachable areas without sacrificing safety or performance. Remote digging delivers excellent, fast results at a more affordable rate than other excavation methods.