Earth excavation services differ a lot depending on the type of equipment used. However, not all of them are suitable to achieve the same objective. Some methods provide some advantages over others, but they might also come with a few drawbacks that you need to accept before you consider using them for your next project.

As you can understand, you need to fully understand the type of project you need to complete before you are able to find the best type of excavation service for it. In order to provide some help, listed below are a few of the most common excavation methods used nowadays, including their main advantages and a few of their disadvantages, so that you can make an informed decision when contacting your contractor.
Conventional Excavation – This basically stands for all sorts of excavation work that is performed in a conventional manner, using mostly mechanical devices. Since the use of manual tools would limit effectiveness and productivity, heavy machines like earth excavators are mostly used these days for all industrial purposes. Advantages of this method include its relative availability (any firm will take you up for it) and its high precision. Due to this, it is often used for small-scale tasks such as laying foundations for private homes and small commercial buildings. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to perform in tight places, and the time taken to complete large-scale projects can be huge.

Vacuum Excavation truck – This is intended to replace traditional excavation procedures whenever possible, so it has a different set of advantages that might make it suitable for certain projects. It can be split into two different categories, based on the medium used for excavating:

• Air-Based – When vacuum digging is done using air, a high-pressure air jet is used to excavate or dig the earth. One major advantage of this method is its high cost-effectiveness and the ability to maintain the natural composition of the soil around the excavated area. Another plus point is the fact that the excavated soil can be quickly reused without major drawbacks. Therefore, it avoids unnecessary wastage of resources. Despite this, air excavation tends to lag behind water-based processes when it comes to speed.
  • Water-Based – Instead of air, water can also be used to dig up the earth in a similar fashion. Unlike air-based methods, the higher precision can make it suitable for many different types of projects. Another thing to keep in mind is that the usage of water reduces the chance of causing damage to nearby infrastructure, which is why this is often the most preferred option by firms undertaking construction projects these days. Unfortunately, excavated soil cannot be reused like in air excavation.
    While some people argue that one method may be the best one out of all available options, the reality is that you should factor in things like the climate, environment and even the firm itself when choosing a type of excavation service. Do so wisely and you shouldn’t have any regrets later on.