How does a vacuum trailer work?
Date published 26 November 2021
A vacuum trailer, or trailer-mounted vacuum, is a machine used for Non-Destructive Digging (NDD) and drain cleaning. Instead of breaking through material with a potentially damaging bucket, vacuum trailers use pressurised water to turn soil and debris into a slurry that can be sucked up in a vacuum. This process eliminates the potential harm to sensitive infrastructure and the environment, as pressurised water does not damage utility lines, tree roots, or building materials.
As the name suggests, a vacuum trailer is not a vehicle in itself, but a trailer you can attach to one. Whether you’re towing the vacuum trailer behind a 4WD or another truck you’ve hired from us, your vacuum trailer will prove more portable, maneuverable, and able to access tight spaces than a full vacuum truck.
H2flow Hire operates and maintains a range of vacuum trailers available for dry hire across South East Queensland, including mini vac trailers for extremely tight-access jobs.
Not an experienced operator? No worries! No specific licence is required to operate a vacuum trailer, and the H2flow Hire team are happy to provide any operator training you require. To tide you over, we’ve put together a couple tips for understanding how vacuum trailers work.
Where does all the liquid go?
Once you’ve used your vacuum trailer’s pressure water hose to slurry-up the debris or soil in your way, it’s time to suck it up. The slurry is sucked up through the vacuum trailer’s intake valve into the primary chamber. The primary chamber protects the pump – the part that creates the suction in the vacuum – while work is underway. When work stops, the liquid can enter the tank – the big cylinder you see on the vacuum trailer – for disposal.
The secondary chamber takes any liquid in the event of the primary chamber failing: it’s essentially a backup.
If you remember nothing else from this blog, remember this: air is the only thing that should be going through a vacuum trailer’s pump. If liquid gets in there, it will impact the vacuum trailer’s ability to suck up liquid into its primary chamber. If you think the pump has been compromised, you can use the primary shutoff to stop it. If that doesn’t work, try the secondary shutoff.
If you’re concerned about over-filling the tank, you can use the sight eyes (also known as sight eye bowl) to check its load level.
Tank care
Looking to complete excavation work or drain cleaning without the risk of damaging surrounding infrastructure and environment? Vacuum excavation is the ideal option for you.
H2flow Hire provides vacuum trailers and vacuum trucks for hire across South-East Queensland. If you’re working in a tight access area – including near powerlines – a vacuum trailer might be the best option. If you’ve already got a truck of your own or would like to combo hire a vacuum trailer and truck from us, mini vac trailer hire is the most cost-effective choice. Talk to our team today if you’re unsure about what you need, and we’ll be able to advise you on whether you should hire a mini vac trailer, a large vacuum truck, or anything in between.
Looking for wet hire services? We offer everything from dust suppression to onsite water storage - ensuring your project is supported from end-to-end.
