Vacuum Excavation & Potholing

Stop Guessing at Depth. Expose the Line.

Locating tells you where a utility runs. It does not tell you how deep it sits, what it is made of, or whether the record drawing was right. Vacuum excavation opens a clean test hole and puts eyes on the actual pipe before your crew commits to a bore path or a trench line.

Send the Address & Scope Call 512-968-5660

SiteTwin vacuum excavation truck opening a test hole beside marked utilities

Locates Give You X and YA test hole is the only thing that gives you Z

Test HolesDepth and material confirmed

Non-DestructiveAir and hydro methods

Same DayTypical mobilization

Same-day or next-day mobilization

PDF maps & KMZ deliverables included

Private utility locating beyond 811 coverage

Why Potholing Exists

A locate is a horizontal answer to a vertical question.

Electromagnetic locating and GPR tell you where a line runs across a site. Neither one measures true depth reliably. Depth readings from a locator are estimates, and they drift with soil moisture, congestion, and signal bleed from parallel lines.

When a bore has to cross under an existing line with a required separation, or a trench has to thread between two utilities, an estimate is not enough. A vacuum excavated test hole exposes the actual utility so depth, diameter, material, and condition get recorded as measured fact instead of an inference.

True depth to top of pipe
Pipe diameter and material
Line condition and coating
Clearance between crossing utilities
Confirmation that the located line is the line you think it is

A locate narrows the risk. A test hole removes it.

Open vacuum excavation test hole with spoils contained beside a marked utility corridor

When It Gets Called For

Where a Test Hole Earns Its Cost

Potholing is not required on every scope. These are the situations where skipping it is where projects get expensive.

Directional Bore Crossings

Bore paths that cross existing utilities need verified clearance at the crossing point, not an estimated depth from the surface.

Congested Utility Corridors

Where several lines run parallel and signal bleed makes locator depth readings unreliable, exposing the line settles it.

Design and Preconstruction

Engineers who need measured elevations for a utility conflict analysis get surveyed test hole data instead of assumed cover.

Non-Destructive Digging

Air and water. Not a backhoe bucket.

Vacuum excavation breaks up soil with pressurized air or water and lifts it into a debris tank, so the utility gets exposed without the strike risk of mechanical digging.

Send the Address & Scope

How It Runs

From Locate to Verified Depth

Potholing follows the locate. It does not replace it.

1

Locate and Mark First

We run EM and GPR across the work area and mark what is there. You cannot safely pothole a line you have not found.

2

Agree the Test Hole Points

We confirm with you exactly where depth matters, usually at crossings, tie-ins, and design conflict points, so you pay for holes that answer real questions.

3

Excavate and Expose

Pressurized air or water breaks up the soil and a vacuum lifts it clear, exposing the utility without contacting it.

4

Record and Restore

Depth, diameter, material, and position get recorded and tied to GPS. The hole is backfilled and the surface restored.

EM+GPR

Dual-method locating on every scope

PDF/KMZ

Maps & GPS data included

5 Metros

Austin, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio

5.0★

Average Google review rating

Common Questions

Vacuum Excavation Questions

What is the difference between potholing and vacuum excavation?

They describe the same work from different angles. Potholing is the goal, which is a small test hole that exposes a utility. Vacuum excavation is the method, which uses pressurized air or water plus a vacuum to remove soil without mechanical contact.

Why can't you just use the depth reading from the locator?

Locator depth is an estimate derived from signal strength, and it degrades in congested corridors, in wet or high-clay soil, and where parallel lines bleed signal. It is useful for planning. It is not a measured elevation.

Does vacuum excavation damage the utility?

It is called non-destructive digging because air or water removes soil without a blade or bucket contacting the line. It is the accepted method for exposing live utilities.

Do I need a locate before potholing?

Yes. A test hole confirms a utility you have already found. Excavating to search for an unknown line is the situation potholing is meant to prevent.

How big is the hole and who restores it?

Test holes are kept small, typically wide enough to expose the line and read it. We backfill and restore the surface as part of the work.

Can you tie test hole depths to survey coordinates?

Yes. Test hole data can be recorded with GPS position and delivered alongside your utility map so the elevations sit in the same file as the horizontal locate.

Have a bore crossing you need verified?

Send the address, the scope, and where depth matters. We will come back with a test hole plan.

Send the Address & Scope

Get in Touch

Ready to schedule vacuum excavation?

Send the address and scope. We will come back with a test hole plan, a mobilization date, and what to expect on site.

512-968-5660

Austin, TX & statewide Texas coverage

Same-day / next-day mobilization

Test hole data delivered with your utility map

Austin Dallas Houston Fort Worth San Antonio