12x8 Core Drill and 8x8 Wet Tap Back-to-Back

Some jobs require two different skills working in close sequence - and that's exactly what this one called for. We ran a 12"x8" core drill followed by an 8x8 wet tap, with only 10 feet separating the two connection points. That kind of tight spacing demands planning and precision up front, or you're going to run into problems fast.

Here's what most people don't think about with jobs like this: when two major utility connections are that close together, sequencing matters just as much as execution. Get the order wrong, or rush the setup between steps, and you risk misalignment, leaks, or worse - a shutdown on a live main. We scope the whole job before the first drill turns.

The core drilling portion cuts a clean, precise opening through the existing pipe wall. No rough edges, no guesswork. From there, the wet tap assembly goes on while the main stays live. That gate valve you see seated above the flange - that's what allows us to make the connection under pressure without interrupting service downstream.

Doing both scopes back-to-back on the same job also means the site stays tighter and the timeline stays short. One crew, one mobilization, both connections made the right way. That efficiency matters on jobs where downtime has real costs attached to it.

Wet taps and core drilling look straightforward from the outside, but the tolerance for error is basically zero when you're working on a pressurized main. We do this work every day, and that repetition is exactly why our connections come out clean and hold long-term.