The Economical Advantages of Hydrodemolition

HydroDemolition is one of our favorite techniques for concrete removal. It’s an efficient, state-of-the-art process that allows for precision cutting – all via a remote-controlled robot. We have been using it extensively for years across a wide variety of projects, giving us first-hand experience on how effective it is.

But it’s not only about the cool robot technology or how precise it can cut through concrete. HydroDemolition offers unique economic advantages over other types of concrete removal and demolition.

Reduces Labor Cost

The first economic advantage of HydroDemolition is easy to see: it requires fewer workers.

A HydroDemolition robot can be operated by fewer people than a traditional crew. That means a smaller labor force is required to be on site. Workers are now free to work on other tasks on-site, instead of focusing solely on the targeted concrete removal area.

Overall, HydroDemolition allows for projects to be completed on time, without missing deadlines or having the goalposts constantly moved. This predictability and reduced labor cost saves clients money. 

Prevents Costly Injuries and Equipment Damage

There’s another key way HydroDemolition can save you money, and that’s by creating a safe work site. No one wants to experience an injury on the job, which is why we always take safety seriously. Keeping the work site safe prevents costly injuries to employees and prevents expensive damage to equipment. 

HydroDemolition can be used anywhere there is concrete or refractory material. Piers, piles, airports, power plants, roads, bridges, tunnels, and many industrial and manufacturing locations may all be suitable locations.

In many cases, areas of these sites would be difficult to access or even dangerous. However, by removing the need for a larger crew, a single operator can remotely control a HydroDemolition bot, getting the job done without putting themselves or others in danger.

Construction sites are also high-risk locations for inhaling silica, a mineral commonly found in concrete, stone, block, and other construction materials. When concrete becomes crushed, sawed, drilled, or otherwise damaged, very small particles of silica called silica dust can be inhaled. These particles are small enough to be inhaled deeply into the lungs. 

Inhaling silica dust can lead to serious health problems such as lung cancer, kidney disease, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It can also cause silicosis, an irreversible scarring of the lungs. 

Fortunately, inhaling silica dust can be prevented. Applying water to the cutting or grinding point minimizes the amount of dust created. HydroDemolition, when paired with other safety recruitment such as respirators, protects workers from serious adverse health conditions. 

Healthy workers are more productive, use fewer sick days, and are able to complete tasks on time.

Preserves Existing Structures

HydroDemolition preserves the existing structure around the targeted work. For many projects, only a certain portion of the concrete may need to be removed. The rest may still be intact, as well as the rebar underneath it. HydroDemolition allows for precision concrete cutting and removal. 

It may sound unintuitive that using water to blast away concrete would be precise. However, with HydroDemolition, the concrete isn’t blasted away and destroyed indeterminately. Instead, a HydroDemolition robot features water jets that allow for accurate, precise concrete cutting. Water is specifically directed at the target area. Its focused, high velocity allows for portions of concrete to be removed without destroying or damaging the rest of the structure. A specific depth can also be targeted, making it possible to only remove a specific portion of concrete from the surface of your targeted area. 

This allows for concrete to be removed without damaging the structure or surface underneath. This is vital for repair and restoration purposes since the base material can be preserved and bonded with the repair material.

Unlike other methods of concrete demolition and removal, HydroDemolition does not cause vibrations that lead to microcracking. Microcracks are small networks of cracks, invisible to the human eye. Microcracking can lead to the development of larger cracks, which can harm repair efforts and reduce the lifespan of repairs. Many concrete removal techniques that involve crushing or breaking the concrete can lead to microcracking, and eventually, the development of larger cracks. Jackhammers and boom-mounted hammers, for example, can contribute to microcracking due to the vibrations they cause.

HydroDemolition also allows for the concrete around embedded materials such as rebar, pipe conduits, or anchors to be removed without damaging the embedded materials. These materials can be preserved and used for future use, preventing the need to spend time and money replacing them.

Minimizes Interruption 

As previously mentioned, HydroDemolition reduces dust. It also reduces noise pollution. Unlike other concrete removal techniques that are noisy and produce vibrations, HydroDemolition is much quieter. 

It’s also fast. Faster projection completion means the work site can return to normal operation as soon as possible. As an example, a previous HydroDemolition project of ours was completed in only one week – a third of the time it would have taken using other concrete removal techniques. 

The time saved means the work site can return to normal operation sooner, minimizing revenue that would be lost due to a closed location. 

HydroDemolition: Cost-Effective and Efficient 

Our experience with HydroDemolition has repeatedly saved our clients money, while simultaneously delivering expert results. With our HydroDemolition techniques, there’s no trade-off between cost and quality – you can have both, as we previously proved when we repaired the Highway 59-Interstate 69 Bridge in Humble, Texas. It was more than a simple bridge deck repair. Piers had to be replaced and the bridge rebuilt: deck, caps, beams, and barrier walls were all rebuilt. With our HydroDemolition expertise, this emergency repair project came in under budget and ahead of schedule. Our client TX DOT was happy, and traffic flow returned to normal.

We have many examples of how our HydroDemolition techniques have benefited our clients. If you would like to hear more or are wondering if HydroDemolition is right for your project, contact us to learn more. We would love to discuss our HydroDemolition process with you and advise you on how it can benefit you.