Slot Trenching · Kitchener
Hydrovac Slot Trenching in Kitchener
A slot trench is a trench only as wide as the pipe needs, cut across ground where a backhoe would have to stop every metre to hand-dig around a crossing.
Slot trenching is hydrovac used horizontally. Instead of a hole, the water and vacuum cut a narrow trench, commonly 150 to 300 mm (6 to 12 in) wide, to the depth the new service needs, along a line that may cross several existing utilities. Where a mechanical trencher or backhoe would have to be stopped at every locate mark so someone could hand-expose the crossing, the hydrovac simply continues through, and each crossing is exposed intact as part of the same pass.
Where it is used in Kitchener
- New service connections from the main at the street to the building, across a boulevard and sidewalk that already carry hydro, telecom and sometimes an older abandoned service. Common on infill and additions in the older neighbourhoods and on the commercial strips along King, Victoria and Ottawa Streets.
- Conduit for EV chargers, lighting and secondary electrical across a driveway or parking area, where saw-cutting a slot and hydrovacing beneath disturbs far less than open excavation.
- Irrigation and drainage lines across established lawns and gardens, where the narrow cut heals quickly and nothing else is disturbed.
- Tree root zones, where the City's or the owner's requirement is that roots be exposed and preserved rather than cut. Water removes soil from around roots without severing them.
How a slot trench job runs
The route is marked and the locate completed. If the trench is in the right-of-way, the City of Kitchener work permit is in place with the required notice. Paved surfaces are saw-cut to the slot width first. The trench is then cut in sections, with the spoil to the debris tank and crossings exposed as they are met. The new service is laid by the trade doing the installation, and the trench is backfilled with the specified bedding and granular material and compacted. Surface restoration, whether sod, asphalt or concrete, is agreed at quote stage, since it is often done by a different trade.
Limits
Hydrovac trenching is slower per metre than mechanical trenching in open ground with nothing in it, and in that situation a trencher is the right tool and we will say so. Where the trench is long and only parts of it are congested, the practical answer is often a trencher for the open sections and hydrovac for the crossings. Depth beyond roughly 2 m (6.5 ft) and length both increase slurry volume and disposal loads, which is the main driver of the quote along with saw-cutting and restoration.
Frequently asked questions
How narrow can the trench be?
Down to roughly the width of the wand plus working room, which in practice is about 150 mm (6 in) for a small conduit. Wider trenches are cut where bedding requirements or pipe diameter call for them. Narrow is cheaper to restore but slower to dig deep, so the width is matched to the pipe.
Do you install the pipe?
No. The trench is dug and the crossings exposed; the gas fitter, electrician, plumber or irrigation contractor installs their own service to their own standards and inspections. Many jobs run with both crews on site the same day.
Who restores the sidewalk or asphalt?
It is agreed up front. On a contractor job the general contractor usually carries restoration. On a homeowner job we can arrange it or leave the trench backfilled and compacted ready for a paving or landscape contractor. Work in the City right-of-way is restored to the City's standard as a condition of the permit.
Serving Kitchener and surrounding areas. Contact us for a no-obligation quote specific to your property.