If you need to install cables or plumbing underground, you’ll need the services of an experienced excavator. Trenching is the process of digging a narrow space deep underground to install pipes, cables, and other utilities. Once the utility or plumbing installation is complete, machinery is used to refill the trench with soil. Learn more about the methods of trenching and uses for this specialty excavating in the guide below.

What Is the Trenching Process?

There are three trenching methods for plumbing installation. Excavation contractors most commonly perform open trenching: digging deep to install or expose existing pipes so they can be placed, repaired, or replaced. Trenches are deeper than wide, and never wider than 15 feet across.

Directional boring is a less invasive method that involves drilling a small hole along a set horizontal path, which is then enlarged to accommodate piping or cables. Thrusting is another process that uses a tool to push its way through the soil while pulling the pipe behind it. In all methods, the ground is returned to its undisturbed state after plumbing installation or repairs are complete. 

When Do You Need Trenching?

Trenching is frequently used to install gas mains, telephone lines, fiber optics cables, plumbing, and sewer lines. It is a preferred strategy for installing easily damaged or vulnerable infrastructure because burying sewer lines and other service pipes underground protects them from weather, collisions, animals, and vandalism. Trenching also allows access to lines or pipes damaged by age or accidental punctures. For example, if a tree’s roots push through underground pipes in a plumbing system, an excavator will need to replace those pipes through trenching. 

Whether you need sewer line repairs or plumbing installation on the Big Island of Hawaii, you’ll find excavators experienced in trenching at Sewer Solutions in Hilo. With more than 10 years of experience, their plumbing experts are fully licensed and insured and available for repairs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call (808) 430-2323 or visit them online to request their services today.