TopVac Services
Integrated Solutions for Civil, Commercial, and Residential Projects in South-East Queensland
Top Vac Services is South-East Queensland's premier provider of specialised vacuum excavation, utility locating, and site support services. Headquartered in Munruben, we are strategically positioned to serve a diverse client base across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Ipswich, and the surrounding regions.
Our commitment is to deliver unparalleled safety, efficiency, and reliability on every project, from complex civil engineering works to essential residential maintenance.
At Top Vac Services, we understand that modern construction and maintenance demand more than just raw power. They require precision, intelligence, and an unwavering commitment to protecting underground assets and the environment.
Top Vac Services' state-of-the-art fleet, operated by highly trained and certified technicians, is equipped to meet these demands head-on. This document provides a detailed overview of our core services, each designed to offer a superior solution and integrate seamlessly to provide our clients with a single, reliable point of contact for their site works.
Expert Solutions for Every Project
Here at Top Vac Services, we provide the following services:
- Vacuum Excavation (non-destructive digging)
- Vac Truck Hire
- Underground Locating Services Hire
- Backfill reinstatement & Tipper
- Major Unit
- Contaminated Waste
- Digger
1. Vacuum Excavation (Non-Destructive Digging)
Vacuum Excavation, also known as Non-Destructive Digging (NDD) or hydro-excavation, represents the pinnacle of safe and precise excavation technology. It has become the industry-standard method for any digging required in proximity to underground utilities, offering a fast, clean, and significantly safer alternative to traditional mechanical excavators or manual digging.
The Process
Our process utilises highly pressurised water to gently liquefy the ground material (soil, clay, gravel) into a slurry. Simultaneously, a powerful industrial vacuum hose sucks this slurry away into a purpose-built spoil tank located on the truck. This method eliminates the risk of blade strikes, piercing, or tearing of sensitive and often critical underground assets such as fibre optic cables, electrical conduits, water mains, gas lines, and sewage pipes.
Key Advantages
1. Asset Protection
The primary benefit is the virtual elimination of costly and dangerous utility strikes. Repairing a severed fibre optic cable or a high-pressure water main can cost tens of thousands of dollars and cause significant community disruption. Our method prevents this.
2. Enhanced Safety
By removing the need for mechanical buckets or manual digging in high-risk areas, we protect site personnel from the dangers of striking live electrical lines or gas pipes.
3. Precision and Control
Our operators can excavate holes of precise dimensions, from small potholes for visual inspection (potholing) to narrow trenches for new conduit installation. This surgical approach minimises the excavation footprint and reduces the need for extensive backfilling and reinstatement.
4. Efficiency
For many applications, particularly in congested or sensitive environments, vacuum excavation is significantly faster than manual digging, reducing labour costs and project timelines.
Common Applications
- Potholing / Service Proving: Visually identifying and confirming the exact depth and location of underground utilities before major works commence.
- Trenching: Creating narrow trenches for the installation of new pipes, pits, and conduits with minimal ground disturbance.
- Debris Removal: Cleaning out blocked culverts, stormwater pits, and other structures..
- Pole and Sign Installation: Excavating precise holes for footing installation without damaging nearby services.
- Site Cleanup: Removing spills or contaminated materials from sensitive areas.
Top Vac Services is your trusted expert for all non-destructive digging needs across the SEQ region, ensuring your project proceeds safely and without costly delays.
2. Vac Truck Hire
To support the diverse needs of contractors, plumbers, civil engineers, and project managers, Top Vac Services offers a flexible and reliable Vac Truck Hire service.
We provide both “wet hire” (including a fully-certified, experienced operator) and “dry hire” (truck only, for clients with their own qualified personnel) options to suit your specific project requirements and budget.
Our fleet consists of modern, well-maintained vacuum trucks with varying capacities, ensuring we can provide the right machine for your job.
Whether you need a smaller, more agile unit for a tight-access residential site or a larger-capacity truck for a major civil project, we have the resources to assist.
The trucks we offer for hire are:
3000L Vacuum Excavation Trucks
6000L Vacuum Excavation Trucks
Common Applications
- Liquid waste removal (e.g., drilling mud, sludge, wastewater).
- Cleaning of pits, tanks, and gross pollutant traps (GPTs).
- Emergency spill response and cleanup.
- Support for plumbing and drainage projects, such as clearing blocked lines.
3. Underground Locating Services Hire
Excavating without knowing what lies beneath is a significant risk. While the “Dial Before You Dig” (DBYD) service provides a crucial starting point with plans for registered utilities, these plans are often indicative, not precise.
Our Underground Locating Service is the essential next step to physically verify and mark the exact location of all detectable services on your site before any ground is broken.
We employ two primary technologies for a comprehensive survey:
Electromagnetic Locating (EML)
This technology is used to find conductive utilities like metallic pipes (copper, steel) and power or communication cables. An EML device consists of a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter induces a frequency onto the target line, which is then detected by the receiver, allowing our technician to trace its path and mark its location on the ground surface with high accuracy.
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
GPR is a complementary technology that is indispensable for locating non-conductive utilities. It works by sending radar pulses into the ground. When these pulses encounter a change in material (like a PVC pipe, a concrete structure, or even a void), they are reflected back to the receiver. This allows us to identify services that EML cannot, such as poly water pipes, PVC conduits, septic tanks, and other subsurface anomalies.
By combining EML and GPR, we provide the most complete picture possible of your site’s subsurface environment. This service is a critical component of risk management, preventing dangerous utility strikes, avoiding project delays, and ensuring compliance with workplace health and safety regulations. We provide this as a standalone service or, ideally, as the first phase of any vacuum excavation project.
4. Backfill and Reinstatement (Tipper Services)
A job is not complete until the site is made safe, clean, and properly restored.
Top Vac Services provides a complete end-to-end solution with our Backfill and Reinstatement services.
Once excavation or cleaning work is finished, we manage the entire reinstatement process, ensuring the site is returned to its required condition.
A job is not complete until the site is made safe, clean, and properly restored.
Top Vac Services provides a complete end-to-end solution with our Backfill and Reinstatement services.
Once excavation or cleaning work is finished, we manage the entire reinstatement process, ensuring the site is returned to its required condition.
The Major Unit boasts superior technical specifications, including:
- High Airflow (CFM) and Vacuum Pressure: Provides extreme suction power for lifting heavy materials, working at greater depths, and operating effectively with extended hose lengths.
- Large Spoil Tank Capacity: Allows for longer operating times on site before needing to transport and dispose of waste, maximising productivity and minimising downtime. This is crucial for large-volume debris removal or extensive trenching projects.
- Advanced Filtration System: Protects the machinery and the environment, essential when dealing with fine dust or potentially hazardous materials.
Ideal Projects for the Major Unit:
- Major Infrastructure Projects: Supporting work on highways, railways, pipelines, and large-scale utility installations.
- Deep Excavations: Safely excavating for deep footings, pits, or shoring applications.
- Industrial Shutdowns and Maintenance: Rapidly cleaning tanks, silos, and conveyor systems in mining, manufacturing, and processing plants.
- Emergency Environmental Response: High-capacity removal of contaminated materials or liquids from large spill sites.
When your project demands maximum power, capacity, and performance, our Major Unit is the definitive solution.
6. Contaminated Waste Management
Working with contaminated waste requires a level of expertise, licensing, and compliance that goes far beyond standard excavation. Top Vac Services provides a specialised Contaminated Waste Management service, ensuring that regulated and hazardous materials are handled, transported, and disposed of in strict accordance with Queensland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations.
Our team is trained to manage a range of contaminated materials, including:
- Drilling mud and slurry.
- Soils contaminated with hydrocarbons (fuel, oil).
- Acid sulphate soils.
- Sludge from industrial processes.
- Other regulated waste streams.
Our process is meticulous, ensuring “cradle-to-grave” responsibility and providing you with complete peace of mind and a documented chain of custody. We conduct a thorough assessment of the waste, use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and ensure our vacuum trucks are correctly configured for the material being handled. The waste is then transported under license to a certified disposal or treatment facility, and all required waste tracking documentation is completed and provided to you for your records. Choosing Top Vac Services for your contaminated waste needs mitigates your risk and ensures your project remains environmentally compliant.
7. Digger Hire
While vacuum excavation is our specialty for sensitive areas, we recognise that many projects also require traditional excavation. To provide a more holistic site service, Top Vac Services offers Digger Hire, including modern mini-excavators.
This service is a perfect complement to our vacuum fleet. We can use the digger for bulk earthworks in areas clear of underground utilities, for loading our tipper, for site preparation, or for trenching in open ground. Our mini-excavators are ideal for tight-access sites, common in residential and urban commercial settings, where larger machines cannot operate.
Like our vac trucks, our diggers are available for both wet hire (with a skilled operator) and dry hire. By offering both vacuum and mechanical excavation options, we can tailor the most efficient and cost-effective earthmoving plan for your entire project, using the right machine for the right application.
Your Integrated Project Partner
From the initial underground locating scan to the final site reinstatement, Top Vac Services is your single source for a safer, smarter, and more efficient project. We pride ourselves on our professionalism, our technical expertise, and our dedication to serving the South-East Queensland community.
Contact our expert team today to discuss your project requirements or to receive a detailed, no-obligation quote.