Though we offer water knifing services as well, we have found compressed air to be the gentlest way of dislodging material from the near surface without damaging underground utilities. Water knife units can potentially rupture piping and cable insulation. Water can be problematic during the wintertime due to freezing conditions. Water knifing generates mud. Mud can obscure utilities along the perimeter of the borehole.

Air knifing (above the water table) returns material which can be easily vacuumed or swept away. This is critical for locations where splattered muddy messes are unacceptable. Simply put, air knifing allows one to quickly and neatly assure that it is safe to drill a location.

Equipment

Our air knifing rig consists of a high-cfm diesel air compressor to dislodge the material, and a vacuum unit to remove and store the material for later containerization (if required). 

The small size and high maneuverability of the air knife unit enables us to operate in very small work areas (even indoors), and in high-traffic situations. We require only about 200 square feet of space to safely clear a hole.

History

Remington Technologies has avoided scores of incidents for our clients by identifying unmarked or underground hazards. In the last two years, we have successfully cleared several hundred holes at various locations including the following:

• Active / Inactive gas stations
• Oil field / pipeline locations
• Public right of ways
• State Highways
• Residential properties

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