Capabilities / Vacuum Trucks / Dry Vacuum Excavation
Dry Vacuum Excavation in Sydney
Ready Group provides dry vacuum excavation across Greater Sydney and NSW using a combination dry vac and hydro excavation truck, supplied with an experienced operator. Our dry vac truck excavates without high-pressure water, producing dry spoil instead of slurry. That means lower disposal costs, no water demand and a cleaner site.
- Hydro and dry excavation in one truck
- Dry spoil, often reusable as backfill
- No water needed in dry mode
- Supplied with an experienced operator
What is Dry Vacuum Excavation?
Dry vacuum excavation removes soil and material by suction alone, without the high-pressure water used in hydro excavation.
Like all vacuum excavation, it is non-destructive. Material is loosened and drawn away rather than dug with a bucket, which greatly reduces the risk of damaging live underground services such as electricity, water, gas and telecommunications.
Dry vac is well suited to potholing and exposing services. It also suits sites where water supply is limited or water restrictions apply.
Why Dry Vac Reduces The Cost Of A Job
Hydro excavation mixes water with soil, and the result is slurry. Slurry is liquid waste. It has to be carted off site and disposed of at a licensed facility, and the client pays for both.
Dry vacuum excavation avoids that step. The spoil stays dry. In many cases it can be returned to the excavation as backfill on the same site, subject to the project specification and ground conditions. There is no slurry to cart, no disposal fee, and no clean water to source or transport.
Ready Group also operates a liquid waste division, so we see the true cost of slurry disposal first-hand. Where the ground suits dry excavation, we will tell you, and we will help you plan the works around it.
Hydro Excavation
- Water and soil
- Slurry
- Carted off site
- Disposal at a licensed facility
Dry Vacuum Excavation
- Soil only
- Dry spoil
- Often backfilled on site
One Truck, Hydro or Dry
Ground conditions do not always match the plan. Heavy clay, compacted fill or wet ground can slow dry excavation, while hydro excavation handles them readily.
Our dry vac truck is a combination unit. It carries both a dry vac system and a hydro excavation system with its own clean water supply, so the operator can switch methods on the spot. If conditions change part way through a job, there is no need to stand the crew down and mobilise a second truck. The work continues, and your programme stays on track.
Built For Tight Sydney Sites
Our combination truck is sized for metropolitan work. Its boom lets the operator reach the excavation from a single set-up, which suits laneways, CBD streets, footpath works and constrained road corridors.
Safety and Environmental Standards
Quality
Our ISO 9001 quality management certification governs how we plan, deliver and record every job.
Occupational Health and Safety
The truck’s safety systems put our ISO 45001 certification into practice. They include an integrated shutdown system, three emergency stops, a pneumatic handrail and maintenance walkway with a harness point, front and rear beacons, work lighting and UHF radio.
Environmental
Dry vacuum excavation supports our ISO 14001 certification directly. No slurry is generated, no water is drawn from mains or hydrants, and less waste leaves site.
Read more about our integrated management system on Why Ready Group.
Plant and Operator, not Dry Hire
The word “dry” here refers only to the excavation method. Our dry vac truck is supplied with an experienced Ready Group plant operator. We work with state and local government, Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors and utility providers, and we are familiar with the site inductions and safety platforms those clients use. For our full range of vacuum excavation services, see our vacuum trucks page.
Book Dry Vacuum Excavation
We operate one dry-capable combination unit, so we recommend contacting us early to confirm availability for your programme. Tell us about the site, the services you need to expose and the expected ground conditions, and we will advise whether dry vac, hydro excavation or a combination suits the job.