Excavating done with a suction excavator is referred to as vacuum excavation. Suction excavators produce powerful suction through a wide pipe as big as one foot in diameter. The suction inlet airspeed might be as fast as 220 miles per hour. There may be two handles on the suction nozzle for the operator to hold. Those handles might be a rotatable collar that uncovers suction-release opening that has grilles over them. These are uncovered to release the suction and make the suction nozzle drop anything too big to go inside the tube that it has picked up.

Vacuum excavation uses compressed air to disturb the soil, which is then vacuumed up into a debris tank. Air excavation is used to safely expose underground utilities and then allows you to backfill with dry material. Vacuum excavation is used for various utility projects, such as for underground electric wires and broadband cables as well as sewer and septic lines. Vacuum excavation is a very beneficial approach used in construction today.

Operating A Suction Excavator

To safely and professionally operate a suction excavator, you will need to undergo extensive training. There are training programs where you can learn these skills. These training programs include classroom training as well as hands-on experience. ATS offers specialized training programs for various machinery and equipment as well.

While programs are available for individuals needing training, there are also programs available for employers to train their employee’s new skills. Employer training grants are available. We offer a field training module for utilities, which gives participants the chance to apply the knowledge that they have obtained during the training.

Salary Expectations for Vacuum Excavation

The average salary for someone who operates a vacuum excavator or who works in hydro excavation is about $74,175 per year. There is a need for additional workers in this career field, so it is a great job to consider when making career decisions. To learn more about vacuum excavation operator training and other specialized training programs available, call ATS at (800) 383-7364 today. ATS has been offering customized training programs since 1959. Become an alumnus of this established training school.

Now here is an unusual vehicle and an unusual truck driving job – operating a vacuum truck. As the name suggests, it is a truck that has a vacuum attachment and just like your home vacuum, it is designed to clean up dirt. Instead of vacuuming carpet, the vacuum truck cleans up after an excavator has been hard at work – you could say it was an excavator’s best friend.

Excavators are good at what they do – excavate. There are a lot of different devices that can be attached to excavators, unfortunately some of them make life a little harder. There are specialized drill attachments. These are great for drilling holes but leave behind all the drill castings from the hole. Rather than change back to a bucket to remove these castings, a vacuum truck works with the excavator sucking up the dirt as it is removed from the drill hole.

Of course, excavators themselves can only do so much. Their buckets can dig trenches and remove a high percentage of the dirt, however, the remnants often need removing by hand, or by vacuuming. Imagine removing sand from a child’s sand pit using a bucket and spade. Eventually you will be left with small amounts – too small for the bucket and spade to be effective. You could use something smaller, like a teaspoon to get at that last little bit – or a vacuum cleaner to do the job quickly – the same is true in construction.

Are there special skills require to operate a vacuum truck – not really, just a commercial drivers license. It’s an unusual job but one that does what would normally take several men many hours to do using hand tools. If you’re ever at an excavation site – keep your eyes open to see if they are using a vacuum cleaner on wheels – the vacuum truck, an excavator’s best friend.