Vacuum method for field installation of pipes and casings in sandy soils

Soil moisture-monitoring equipment is difficult to install in poorly consol idated sand or sediments using hand tools because the loose material tends to collapse. The technique described herein uses a 5,5-hp wet/dry vacuum cl eaner, powered by a portable gasoline generator, to remove the soil white a n operator pushes a conductor pipe or casing into the profile. After initia ting the hole using a hand bucket auger, an open-ended metal pipe or polyvi nyl chloride (PVC) casing is inserted vertically into the shallow hole. A s maller tube, or stinger, attached to a wet/dry vacuum is inserted into the pipe to extract loose material while downward pressure is applied on the pi pe. Once the casing is installed, instrumentation such as lysimeters, gypsu m blocks, or tensiometers can be placed at the desired depth and backfilled with native soil. The casing is then raised and the soil allowed to collap se around the equipment, or the pipe can be left in place for neutron probe access. Measurements of soil water content after an infiltration experimen t demonstrated uniform downward movement with minimal preferential now or s oil disturbance as a result of the vacuum installation of gypsum blocks and a neutron access tube.