Conduit and pipe can be installed in many ways: through pipe bursting, hydroexcavation, air excavation, directional drilling and trenching, just to name a few.
Right now throughout North America, electrical lines are starting to move from those pesky electrical poles above ground to underground, and fiber-optic lines are being laid as fast as ever. This provides ample opportunities for contractors to stay busy year-round.
No one method works better than the rest; it’s just a matter of what area you serve and what you’re the most comfortable with doing. The two contractors featured in this issue work on opposite sides of the U.S. and have very different ways of installing underground utilities and pipes.
Coastal Cable Construction in Ormond Beach, Florida, specializes in directional drilling and does work throughout north-central Florida. The company prides itself on work done at Daytona International Speedway. Owner Jay Flositz has been doing directional drilling since the 1990s and has developed his company into a well-respected operation that continues to secure both short-term and long-term projects.
Accurate Trenching, based in Bakersfield, California, can usually be found in the agricultural fields putting down irrigation pipe with its giant wheel trenchers — it’s pretty tough to miss those giant pieces of equipment.
As the economy slowed down on residential trench building, owner Jim Stevenson knew the company needed to diversify to survive. He figured that if his crews could dig trenches for residential buildings, they could dig straight-line trenches in the surrounding fields.
MORE TIPS AND INFO AVAILABLE
This issue is full of tips to help you as you head to your next job site. Matt Timberlake talks about the importance of identifying soils in this month’s In the Trenches column.
The Machine Shop this month highlights pipe fusion machines and what you need to know about maintaining them to make sure they remain profitable. The last thing you want is for one of those to break down, stopping work for the day.
If you’re looking for some products that you might need for installing pipes and conduit, look no further than Product Focus. It highlights vacuum excavation machines, directional drilling and pipe bursting tools, and more.
Some equipment shown in Product Focus could also be on display at the 2017 WWETT Show Feb. 22-25 in Indianapolis.
COME VISIT WITH US
Speaking of the WWETT Show, COLE Publishing will have a booth with several editors available to talk to each day in Indianapolis. Don’t be a stranger. Come up and share your story with us. We’ll be in booth 2371.
If you are not going to the WWETT Show this year, I would still enjoy hearing from you. You can call me at 800/257-7222 or email me at editor@digdifferent.com.
Enjoy this issue!
