USERS TOUT BENEFITS of Vacuum Excavators.

"Fluid control was a problem before vacuum excavators were available ... Before, we used brooms to sweep up fluid and then tried to scoop it up. We even tried big shop vacs. There really wasn't anything right for the job until vacuum excavation came along."

-Brian Covey, Western Tel-Com Inc.

No one is more sold on the value of vacuum excavation equipment than the people who use it.

Clean up of drilling fluid and potholing may be the primary utility applications for vacuum excavators, but their versatility is recognized by their owners and operators who find a variety of other uses for them.

Western Tel-Com Inc., a power and telecommunications contractor in Holland, MI, operates two Vacuum Source vacuum excavators to pothole, clean up drilling fluid, set utility poles and dig emergency splicing pits.

"Potholing and fluid control is required on every directional drilling job in our area," says Western's Brian Covey, "and we regularly use our vacuum excavators for both purposes. We have contracts with the power companies in our area, and we will pothole to verify locations when necessary."

Company crews also use the equipment to set poles and make small excavations for a variety of purposes.

"Fluid control was a problem before vacuum excavators were available," says Covey. "Before, we used brooms to sweep up fluid and then tried to scoop it up. We even tried big shop vacs. There really wasn't anything right for the job until vacuum excavation came along."

Horry Telephone Co-op, Conway, SC, owns one Vermeer vacuum excavator used primarily for drilling fluid clean up.

"We do our own directional drilling and we pick up fluid on most jobs and always in urban or congested areas," says Dale Todd, director of construction services. "We also use it to pothole when job conditions call for exposing utilities."

Utility Exposures & Location Services, Lexington, KY, uses compact Utilivac equipment to do contract locating and vacuum excavation for utility companies, contractors and commercial business clients such as apartment complexes.

"We expose utilities before construction begins and also use air excavation to gather survey information," says Rodney Jones, co-owner of the company.

Vacuum excavation equipment is transported in a truck which also pulls the compressor to operate it. "Everything is on a cart," says Jones. "It's very mobile. We just connect the machine to the compressor and go. There's one hose for the air knife and one for the vacuum. Vacuumed soil is deposited in a container and then put right back in the hole."