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Dig a trench with a backhoe and you’ll find the sewer line eventually. Along the way you might also find the gas line, the cable line and a good share of your front yard.
There’s a better way to get to buried pipe. Mideastern uses hydrovac excavation, which digs with pressurized water and a powerful vacuum instead of a metal bucket. It opens a clean, precise hole right where the work needs to happen, with far less risk to other utilities and far less mess to clean up afterward. We use it for homeowners, farms and businesses across Clinton, Bond, Marion and Washington Counties.
Every job starts with a call to JULIE, Illinois’ 811 one-call system, so public utilities get marked before anyone breaks ground. On site, a pressurized water wand loosens the soil without the cutting force of steel teeth. At the same time, a high-powered vacuum pulls the loosened mud into a debris tank on the truck. What’s left is a neat opening and a clear view of the line.
From there, our plumbers repair, replace or connect the line with everything in plain sight. Because the hole stays small, there’s much less to backfill and restore when we’re done.
| Hydrovac | Backhoe | |
|---|---|---|
| Risk to buried utilities | Much lower. Water doesn’t cut lines. | Higher, especially if marks are off or a line was never marked |
| Size of the hole | Small and precise | A wide trench |
| Yard damage | Minimal | Equipment tracks and big dirt piles |
| Tight spaces | Reaches beside foundations, under decks and between utilities | Limited by where the machine fits |
A backhoe still has its place, like running a long new trench across open ground. When the job is reaching an existing line, digging near other utilities or working close to a house, hydrovac is the safer tool.
Most often, we’re exposing a section of sewer line that a camera inspection showed is broken or full of roots, without trenching the whole yard to get there. We also use it on leaking water service lines, curb stops and shutoffs. That includes the long runs from the road or well on rural properties, where a backhoe would leave a scar across the whole lot.
Gas lines are another big one. Careful digging matters most there, and a water wand is about as careful as digging gets. We also pothole to confirm the exact depth and location of buried utilities before other construction starts, and we dig close to slabs, footings, driveways and mature trees, where heavy equipment would do real damage. Businesses and farms call us for the same reasons when they need to work around parking lots, sidewalks and existing infrastructure.
It’s a digging method that loosens soil with pressurized water and vacuums it into a tank on a truck. It’s a non-destructive way to expose buried pipes and utilities.
Around existing utilities, yes. A metal bucket can cut a gas, electric or fiber line in an instant. Pressurized water loosens the soil around a line without cutting through it.
Yes. Illinois law requires a JULIE locate before any excavation, including hydrovac. Keep in mind that JULIE doesn’t mark private lines, like a line from the house to a detached garage or well.