• Potholing - Vacuum Excavation



    Vacuum Excavation, or Potholing, is the practice of exposing an underground utility for the purpose of identifying its positive horizontal and vertical location. You can also identify the type of material and utility size.

    When to Pothole




    Potholing is beneficial in all phases of construction. The data collected can be used during predesign to determine valuable infrastructure information. Not only do you get a positive underground location, you get the size and material the line is made of. You get visual confirmation that can be counted on for planning.



  • Mapping
  • When C Below conducts a typical utility investigation, the first step is to identify horizontal and vertical location of all lines in the project area by means of Electromagnetic Locators, Ground Penetrating Radar, , CCTV Pipe Inspection or various other proprietary methods. Next we identify which locations we need additional information from to provide our client with a complete analysis. We then remove a 1' x 1' area of the hardscape covering the location we need additional data from. Based on soil conditions or the scope of the project, C Below will choose to use air or water create the pothole. Once the utility is exposed and documented, the hole is filled and an appropriate patch is put in-place, restoring the surface.

  • survey

potholing f.a.q's

Is it better to use Air or Water?

It is commonly believed that water can slice through or damage a utility and air is the best option. This is not entirely true. While air offers advantages of easy backfill using the same material and may pose less stress on the utility, a skilled technician can dig a pothole with water, through a harder surface, in less than half the time than with air. Technicians are trained to operate around live utilities and the risk of injury or damage to the utility itself is equal for both air and water. For larger jobs, water is preferred. This holds true for sensitive lines as well such as fiber and communication lines.

How long does it take?

Holes per day is a common question asked when coordinating a project. Progress can range from 5 to 40 holes per day for a single crew. It is necessary to factor in soil type, method, documentation necessary, hole depth, backfill, surface and site conditions when estimating. Most projects land somewhere in the middle. A typical 8 hour day will yield between 8 and 20 standard potholes depending on the conditions previously mentioned. A standard pothole is 1' x 1' x 5' deep.