When Roots’ Paul Kearney and Erik Ellevog visited hydrovac and directional drilling company Elite HDD at their facility in Sherwood Park, they made a huge discovery. Elite HDD uses two Foremost Hydrovac trucks, one equipped with the Roots 827 DVJ blower in the RAS‑DVJ series and one with a competitor’s blower. Both trucks were at the facility, and the client gave Paul and Erik the opportunity to carry out a direct comparison of noise levels under real hydrovac operating conditions — a scenario commonly addressed in the truck vacuum pumps guide.
The quiet 827 DVJ Roots blower
The Quiet Truck
"Graham at Elite HDD could not emphasise enough how impressed he was with the new truck, and specifically the new blower" explains Erik. "He specifically brought up how quiet the blower was, but also said that the flow was impressive." At full operating speed, the truck with the competitor’s blower measured 98 dBa, while the truck with the Roots 827 DVJ blower came in at an impressive 91–92 dBa. That is a massive 6–7 dBa lower. Both trucks were placed nose to nose, with the noise measured using the SkyPaw Decibel 10th app on an iPhone 5S. The device was held in the exact same position on both trucks. Mechanically identical, the trucks’ blowers are the only components that have been changed. “The operators of the truck were not the only ones who have picked up the noticeable difference in noise level between the two trucks," adds Paul. "Graham told us that several of their customers, or the true end users, are now requesting that Elite HDD send the ‘Quiet Truck’." The truck in question was built, tested and sold to Elite HD at the end of April, after its manufacturer Foremost in Stettler, Alberta was asked to put a blower on one of its trucks as part of Roots’ field-testing of the 827 DVJ blower.
More orders
Foremost has now also become aware of the significant reduction in the truck’s noise level and Roots has received an order from Foremost for another Roots blower. "When we met with Robert Curtis of Foremost, we asked why they had placed the order, since they have indicated that they would like to see a few more months of run time on the 827 DVJ before considering making a change of blower suppliers" says Paul. "Robert said it was because of the low noise level; a client in Saskatchewan had requested a 'quieter truck', and for the truck size in question, the 827 DVJ was the perfect fit. The noise of these trucks is becoming more and more of an issue when operating in urban locations," adds Erik. "The benefits to the environment and for surrounding communities are significant." For fleet operators focused on long‑term reliability and operating cost control, best practices covered in how to protect your blower and your bottom line can help maximise performance and reduce unplanned downtime.
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