How to Dig with a Turbo Nozzle

Thanks for taking the time to post this hydro-drilling. This saves buying or renting equipment. As an engineer, I've used hydro-drilling to undermine an 8' x 40' x 5" deep concrete patio to remove and replace a broken sewer pipe followed by flooding the dig with a low psi slurry mix of concrete to permit future digs if something goes wrong. This saved me from ripping out the patio or having a patched surface. With that said, I was planning to install a privacy fence in the method you demonstrate. My plan will be to use a tube to create the hole shape as I hydro-drill the dirt past my needed depth. I will bore all 18 holes and allow them to dry. The next step will be to fill the bottom with stone to allow water drainage to extend the post life and set the elevations. I will then place the post, fill hole 1/3 or so full of water, pour in Fast Set concrete, stir and add water as needed. I will have a removable ring or frame above ground to help elevate the concrete to keep surface water off the post as well. Thanks again for the post. I hope our suggestions will help others in their tasks.

Thanks for showing how bad that concrete set.

"See this is hard cemenet." Right after you broke some with your hands, lol.

A 60 Liter (16 gallon), 6.5 H.P. ShopVac can be used to suck the water out of the hole for a dryer hole to work with or to reduce the mud slurry around finished landscape. The ShopVac will usually be adequate for one 4 ft. deep fence post hole, without emptying the vac. The City of Toronto has a campaign to replace all the electrical/utility poles with 100 foot poles, which are buried 12 feet deep, throughout the city. The City has HydroVac Excavator Trucks that utilize a combination water jet nozzle and vacuum to remove the slurry as it digs. They complete a 12 foot deep X 30 inch diameter, almost dry hole, in about 5 minutes. The pole is then positioned and plumed into the hole and the surrounding voids are backfilled with a yard of fine limestone screenings from a bulk bag. One crew can replace poles for a 1,000 feet of street in a single day and the linemen are installing the new lines and wiring the next morning. My six year old grandson sat and watched the crew and the machines work for 8 hours. lol.

Put a 18"x18" foam block on the shaft so that it doesn't blow dirt into your eyes.

It’s like a plasma cutter for soil

Try using a 20 gallon shop vac with a length of galvanized pipe of the size you want attached to the hose (duct tape or hvac tape). It's a bit slower than water, but leaves the hole empty and workable.

Could you imagine the mess you would make doing an entire fence.

I'd love how well it works in a rockier environment. Here in my area, it's rocks, rocks, and more rocks.

Wow this is really going to help in replacing my mailbox post. Thanks!

This could be a huge time saver in removing old fence post from chain link fence. Thank you for the demo. What ball gate valve are you using in your demo ??

When removing a post, I'm sure you don't have to go all the way around. Half should be sufficient, and maybe 1/4 is enough to loosen it. AND the reason you were able to blast the concrete off the post is that you used very dirty water to create that concrete. All considered, I've used this method even for digging trenches. The problem for me is I'm in rural Arizona and water is far too expensive here. I have to have it hauled to me.

Wow! This is the way to go. Thank you for this info.

I like where you head is at , kind of a flamethrower vs snow shovel mindset

Whoa, perfect ! Thanks

I've been using a garden hose and flush nozzle to do this kind of work since the early 90's. No one else on the job back then would give it the time of day. Now I see that professionals use this technique.

Nice in sandy soil, how is it in rocky soil?

Great in some situations but empty the hole. That "concrete" was mud mixed with cement. Read the instructions on a bag of cement, it tells you to use clean water.

Brilliant 👏

interesting idea i wonder how it would be for digging trench through roots and rocks to put in drainpipe across yard might have to cut out roots with a sawzall but it seems a lot easier than a shovel.