Excavation instructions for the connection of lot lines

Agreeing on the water and sewer connection work of the property is possible when the following documents are in order in the connection portal:

You have received a connection point statement
You have signed and submitted the connection and usage contract
In the case of a new connection, water supply and sewage (KVV) plans submitted to the building supervision department of the location city and marked with the building supervision department’s stamp have been submitted to connection services
The building supervision department of the city where the property is located has approved the customer’s water supply and sewage (KVV) site manager
You have filled in and submitted a work order form for the connection work to connection services

The piping supervisor responsible for the network connection work agrees on the date that the work will be carried out with the customer’s water supply and sewage (KVV) site manager.

How to ensure occupational safety and smooth connection work

The customer is responsible for obtaining the necessary excavation permits and for the excavation work.

The client ordering the connection work and the possible main contractor are also responsible for the occupational safety of the connection site, such as the excavation. HSY Water Services is only responsible for the occupational safety of its own connection work.

Due to reasons of occupational safety, the language used at the connection worksite is Finnish. The client ordering the work is responsible for ensuring that the instructions provided by HSY Water Services are understood at the connection site.

The customer is responsible for arranging adequate lighting for the site.

In addition to occupational safety responsibilities, the client ordering the connection work must take care of supporting or sloping the excavation as well as ensure the minimum dimensions for piping work. These should also be agreed on in writing in the work contract with your excavation contractor.

Excavations must be compliant with instructions and fully completed to be reviewed by HSY Water Services at 12 noon on the business day before the planned connection work.

If the excavation work has been carried out inadequately or the safety requirements for the excavation are not met, HSY Water Services will charge an additional visit fee for the cancelled work in accordance with the service charge price list. In addition, the agreed connection time will be placed last in the connection queue, i.e. 1–4 weeks away depending on the current queue situation.

How to make a safe excavation

In order to verify the elevation information in the connection point statement, excavation work should be started at the connection point.

Excavations are to be protected in accordance with the instructions of the party responsible for street maintenance in the area, and at a minimum by using heavy barriers on the vehicle traffic side and light barriers on the light traffic side.

Excavations must be sloped or supported in accordance with official guidelines. Before starting work, familiarise yourself with the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health’s instructions and the Danger Lurks Underground guide.

Excavated soil must not be piled on the edge of the excavation.

The customer must take care of keeping the connection excavation dry. The excavation must be dry at the agreed connection work date.

With sewer work, the customer or a representative of the customer must be present at the time of the connection work and indicate the desired connection elevation. The desired connection elevation may also be clearly marked on the side of an excavated manhole, for example.

Minimum dimensions for excavations

The minimum dimensions for excavations are shown in the following figures.

Minimum dimensions for a pipe excavation

The supports in the figure are for reference only and the actual support is planned by the client’s designer. If the excavation is not supported, it must be sloped in accordance with official guidelines.

Minimum dimensions for piping work when installing/removing a T-branch

Space for connection:

Below: 20 cm
Behind: 30 cm
On the sides: 50 cm (Side measure from T-branch sleeve points)

Branching a new lot line from an old lot line

Minimum dimensions for piping work involving a saddle joint

Space for connection:

Below: 20 cm
Behind: 30 cm
On the sides: 50 cm

The figure shows the minimum dimensions at the smaller (DN 40-63) so-called saddle joints of the water pipe.

Minimum dimensions for piping work when installing a manhole in the sewer line

How to backfill the excavation

The excavation and pipes must not be covered before they are mapped. The mapping is ordered by HSY Water Services and it is carried out immediately after the connection work. In exceptional cases, the mapping may be slightly delayed. The mapping ensures that the pipes of the property are marked on public maps and for the information of other excavators.

Excavations are backfilled in accordance with the instructions of the party responsible for street maintenance in the area, i.e. the issuer of the excavation permit. In street areas, street structures must be restored to a level corresponding to the street class.

The customer is responsible for the necessary frost insulation and its installation.

Manhole covers and shut-off lids should remain on the surface in asphalted and paved areas; in gravelled areas, they should be 5 cm below the surface.

HSY water services rates

The water services connection fee is determined as based on the property’s floor area and purpose of use, in accordance with the building permit. The connection fee is charged separately for water, wastewater and stormwater. The connection fee covers the construction costs of the network built in the area. The area’s network has been built to serve the properties in the area.

A fee for connection work is charged for actual connection work in accordance with the current price list. The work is invoiced in accordance with the price list as total invoicing or subsequent invoicing with larger connections. A so-called construction fee is charged in areas where the property’s connections have been completed to the borders of lots in connection with the construction of utilities.