When you want to lay a cable in the ground, the most common solution involves hiring a digger and cutting a long trench along the route you want the cable to follow. However, what can you do when there are already utilities buried in the ground, and you don't want to risk damaging them by using a mechanical digger? You could attempt to carefully dig into the ground with spades, but that could be a painstakingly slow process, and there is still the risk that an unwary workman could sever a cable or rupture a pipe, causing delay and significant damage to the project. Often, the most effective solution will be non-destructive digging.

When should you use non-destructive digging?

If you are aware that an area contains cables, pipes, or other underground assets that could be obstructing the route of any work you want to do, then working with a non-destructive digging company could be the right choice. Damaging those assets could be a costly error, so locating them and either extracting them from the ground or working around them is the best option.

How does non-destructive digging work?

When you hire a big digger, you expect it to tear into the ground, cutting through the soil and lifting out chunks of rock and earth. While this approach to digging is effective it doesn't allow the digger to discriminate when it is tearing up the ground, and anything in the way of the digger can be pulled up. With non-destructive digging, the concept is simple. Using either dry suction or high-pressure water the space around the hidden underground asset is cleared away without harming the buried asset.

What are the benefits of non-destructive digging?

The chief benefit of non-destructive digging will always be the ability to locate and expose underground assets without harming them. However, that is not the only reason non-destructive digging is sometimes favoured. Often non-destructive digging is employed in areas where remaining unobtrusive is important. Perhaps, it is vital to keep excavation noise to a minimum, or do you want to avoid unsightly piles of waste materials scarring the landscape? Non-destructive digging is much quieter than other digging methods, and as the machine collects and stores the spoil as the job progresses, there is no waste left to disfigure the surrounding area. The spoil is kept securely until it can be taken away and disposed of safely.

For more information on non-destructive digging, contact a professional near you.