Potholing utilities
See it before you hit it
Locates paint a line on the grass. Hydro-vac shows you the actual pipe, its depth & its direction. Every bore crossing & every dig near gas or electric starts here.
Trenchless excavation with water & vacuum
Hydro-vac excavation
Pressurized water loosens the soil, a vacuum pulls it into the tank. No bucket swinging at a gas line, no trench across the yard, no guessing where the water main is. The faster, safer way to find underground utilities & reach the spots a backhoe can't.
- KCMO Master Plumber #014780
- MO Advanced OSWTS Installer #30617
- Insured
- Serving Kansas City since 2008
What we hydro-vac
Four jobs the truck does better
Grinder pump & valve box cleanouts
Grit out, parts in
Basins, valve boxes & meter pits fill with grit & mud. We vacuum them clean so the check valve, the floats & the curb stop can actually be worked on.
Tight & sensitive spots
Side yards, roots, patios
A 4-foot side yard, a line under a mature tree's roots, a repair next to a foundation. Places a machine can't reach or shouldn't.
Bore pits & slot trenches
Small, clean, exact
Entry & exit pits for a directional bore, narrow slots for a short conduit run, exposing a sewer tap for a connection.
Why it's worth it
Faster to dig, less to put back
A backhoe near a gas line is a slow, nervous operation, & a hit shuts the job down for a day. The hydro-vac exposes the line in minutes without touching it, so the bore or the repair goes ahead on schedule.
On a finished property the difference is what's left when we leave. A vacuumed hole is a hole; a bucket dig is a strip of torn sod, a cracked walk & a pile of clay drying on the lawn. We dig what we need, fix what we came for, backfill with clean material & grade it.
Most of our hydro-vac work rides along with a grinder pump repair, a water service or a bore. If you only need the truck, that works too.
Before we show up
- Call 811 is on us. We request the locates.
- Move vehicles off the work area.
- Tell us about private lines: irrigation, dog fence, lights.
- Water access helps but isn't required; the truck carries its own.
No mystery math
Three prices are public. Everything else is quoted on site, in writing, before we start.
- Service call
- $195
- Plumbing labor
- $180/hr
- Annual or pre-purchase grinder pump inspection
- $375
After-hours rates apply. Parts & bigger jobs are quoted on site.
Related work
Where we use it most
Directional boring
Bores for pipe up to 5 inches in diameter & 300 feet long. Under streets, driveways & yards, no trench.
See the serviceGrinder pump emergency service
Repair, replacement, maintenance & annual inspections on every brand: E/One, Liberty, Zoeller, Myers, Barnes & more.
See the serviceWater service lines
Water service installation, main taps, meter pits, frost-proof hydrants & custom designs for pressure & volume.
See the service
Straight answers
Hydro-vac questions
What is hydro-vac excavation?
A truck with a water wand & a vacuum hose. The water breaks up the soil, the vacuum lifts it into a debris tank. It digs a precise hole around pipes & cables without touching them, which is why it's the standard way to expose utilities before a bore or a dig.
When do you use it instead of a backhoe?
Any time something is in the way: gas, electric, fiber, water, a neighbor's sewer, tree roots, a fence, a tight side yard. Also to clean grit out of a grinder pump basin, valve box or meter pit without pulling everything out of it.
Does it damage the yard?
Far less than a bucket. The hole is only as big as it needs to be & the spoils go in the tank instead of a pile on the grass. We backfill with clean material & grade it.
Can you hydro-vac in winter?
Yes, with heated water. Frozen ground slows it down but it still beats breaking frost with a bucket next to a live line.
Do you offer it on its own?
Yes. Contractors hire us to pothole crossings, daylight a line for a repair or dig out a tight spot. Tell us where & how deep.
What's going on?
Tell us what you're smelling, hearing, seeing. Your request goes straight to our scheduling board.
- Faster by phone888-936-9377
- Usually within 24 hoursWithin 24 hours is our norm, outside of Sundays.
- HoursMon–Fri 7:00am–6:00pm. Sat 9:00am–4:00pm. Closed Sundays. After-hours rates apply.
Request service online
Prefer to talk? Call 888-936-9377. If the form doesn't load, open it here.
Smell something?
Hear something?
That's our cue. Call now or request service online.