Unpacking How A Vac Truck Works
Designed for suctioning various liquids into a tank for removal and appropriate disposal, a vac truck can be deployed in a wide range of industries and sectors.
First invented by Californian miners all the way back in 1850, vacuum excavation – otherwise known as hydro excavation – has become the process of choice for those looking to wear away land masses without damaging materials, cabling or even nearby structures.
Despite its first usage, vac trucks can now be seen all over the world in an enormous range of settings. While a vac truck may be used to expose underground utilities in a safe and less laborious manner, they’re also essential for transporting potentially dangerous liquids, such as sewerage, petroleum and even floodwaters.
Understanding The Multidimensional Power Of A Vac Truck
To understand why demand for vacuum trucks is soaring to new levels right around the nation, it’s worth noting that their functionality means that they can be used for more than one purpose. As vacuum trucks are fitted with high-pressure hoses and suction tubes, this means that they are capable of undertaking both non-destructive excavation, in addition to sucking, storing and transporting liquids and other waste materials.
A vac truck works by using a pump to create negative air pressure, or the basic requirements needed to create suction. Despite this, the strength of the suction will boil down to the power of the pump that is mounted on the vac truck, meaning that they shouldn’t be viewed with a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
In addition to the size of the pump, the size of the hose attached to the vac truck will also have a role to play too, as these can range anywhere between a few metres long right up to one hundred or more metres. This is because vac trucks are often required at construction sites that may be tricky to access, so if the truck itself can’t make it directly to the site, the hose can provide greater flexibility.
Although a vac truck is often used for liquid waste management and safe transportation or disposal of such materials, particularly in commercial or industrial settings, another key function is their ability to perform vacuum excavation. Modern vacuum excavation processes combine high-pressure water with an air vacuum. The former cuts into and breaks up the soil, and the latter then removes the slurry that’s produced from the location to a debris tank.
Unlike traditional digging methods, vacuum excavation methods that use machines like a hydrovac or vac truck are considered to be much faster and more effective than the labour intensive alternatives, taking minutes compared to hours using traditional methods. Depending on the site and project, either hot or cold water can be used to ‘blast’ where required, while still providing superior precision when compared to other digging methods.
Vacuum excavators are usually in the form of customised trucks with different sized pumps and hoses, and are generally used to remove any unwanted materials from an area, such as mud, dirt and slurry from around underground utilities. In addition, vacuum excavation projects are usually completed using one of two formats: air or hydro.
As the high-pressure water is more aggressive than air – and can therefore cut through almost any soil type – hydro excavation is usually the go-to choice for those seeking to complete a job quickly, efficiently and safely as it’s especially effective at breaking up wet or rocky soil, hard and compact dirt and clay.
Ultimately, a successful vacuum excavation project often hinges on the quality of the machine, the experience of the staff member handling it and the communication between the service provider and the customer. If either of these components fall flat, the customer risks missing out on the many benefits that hydro excavation offers. Thankfully, the Austrans Group has a reputation for world class service with a tailored approach.
Meet The Experts On Vacuum Excavation
Established in 1999, the Austrans Group is proudly Australian owned and operated, and is now recognised as an industry leader in waste management, industrial services, project management, and hydro excavation all over South East Queensland.
From public infrastructure to assisting in massive environmental rehabilitation and providing complete disaster recovery support, Austrans have done it all, and have the expertise to get the job done. While the quality of our end to end services has cemented our hard earned reputation, we specialise in assisting with hydro excavation Brisbane projects.
Our ability to meet or exceed expectations has created a reputation of reliability and integrity, and has elevated Austrans to its current position as a major service provider with clients all over Australia. To discuss how we can work together, get in touch with us today.
