Water line under drive?

[MarkV]

I know we had a discussion about running a PVC pipe under an existing drive and I can’t find it with a search. I need to get a ¾ PVC pipe under an eight foot concrete drive to tap into the county water line. Can anyone tell me how that is done using water to jet the pipe through? What I can’t remember is the fitting that is used on the end of the pipe.

MarkV

 

[Farwell]

I used a 1/2 in copper pipe with an angle cut on the tip and a brass nut soldered to a brass washer soldered approximately 3/16 of an inch back from the lower part of the angle. On the other end of the pipe I soldered a copper threaded fitting that a garden hose fitting would adapt to.
You will have to dig a working trench on each side of the slab to have room to slide the copper pipe under the it.
Another way to do it depending on your soil, is to drive an inch and a half schedule 40 pvc pipe under the slab with a sledge. You will still need the trenches on each side. Using a saw cut saw like teeth on the end of the pipe and hammer the pipe and rotate it after several hits with the hammer. Withdraw the pipe and remove the dirt. Re insert the pipe and start all over again. I went under an eighteen foot wide slab in about one hour this way, but my soil was mostly sand/gravel mix.
Farwell

 

[EddieWalker]

Look in the lawn sprinker section at Home Depot or Lowes for a tip you glue onto the end of the PVC pipe. I know they have 3/4 inch, but not sure of any other sizes. It will look like a small funnel that slides over the end of the pipe on one end.

I forget if it comes wtih a male end for the hose on the other end or not. If not, you can buy a 3/4 to half inch male fitting for it.

dig a hole deep enough and long enough to feed the pipe through so you can keep the pipe level. You need holes dug on both sides, but only the entrance side needs to be long enough for the pipe to fit in it.

If your on a hill, try to create a way to get the water out of the hole while it's running. One side might be better to start on than the other. Just a small trench will make a huge difference if you can.

If not, you will be working under water, which isnt' that big a deal, just do it on a warm day!!!

How deep you go is also up to you. If your area freezes, that should be taken into consideration, but what ever the depth of the rest of the line is should be good.

No need to force it through too hard, the water will do all the work, just keep feeding it in until your through.

Eddie

 

[goaliedad]

I will second the plastic glue on tip- also buy some extra couplings so you can re-use the tip and hose end connector. It works very well- try to keep the pipe as level as possible and start under the gravel road bed- it makes it much easier to push the pipe thru if you can avoid any stones. If you do, just pull it back a little bit and go at it again- unless the stone is really big it will eventually fall out of the way. good luck,- and don't forget a change of clothes!

 

[MarkV]

Thanks for the help, the descriptions were excellent. I understood the trench needed on both sides, just could not remember how to do the business end of the feed pipe.

Appreciate the help.

MarkV

 

[mudcat]

Like Eddie said don't force let the water do the work. We were installing some conduit for some site lighting and had to cross a brand new asphalt driveway. We started jetting it under. It was moving right along till about halfway,itcame toa hault. We pulled a little and tried it again. We tried this three or four times. No progress. Finally, it stared moving. It went about a foot and a half before it popped up through the brand new driveway. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I don't think we made much $$ on that little project. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Live and learn.

 

[mudcat]

Like Eddie said don't force let the water do the work. We were installing some conduit for some site lighting and had to cross a brand new asphalt driveway. We started jetting it under. It was moving right along till about halfway,itcame toa hault. We pulled a little and tried it again. We tried this three or four times. No progress. Finally, it stared moving. It went about a foot and a half before it popped up through the brand new driveway. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I don't think we made much $$ on that little project. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Live and learn.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Most of the guys running lines under drives take advantage of the sand base that's between the concrete and the subsoil. The downside on this method is you expose you new line to being cut by things as simple as someone edging the drive with a power edger with a new blade. Guys running telco or cable drops are infamous for doing this. And most of your sprinkler system installers would go broke without doing it.

In the brass fittings section at your box store you will find a double male piece that has an end for three quarter inch pipe and a standard hose bib fitting on the other. You can fit the pipe end into a pvc threaded female fitting and attach a hose jet nozzle to the other side. On your water supply side you find a brass fitting that's a male or female pipe fitting and a female hose fitting. With this you can attach a hose as your water supply.

Use schedule forty pvc. If you can get two pieces of pipe through your bore do so. That way you have vacant duct if you need it.

I'd try to go through with three quarter and then attempt to pull back a one inch or larger. If you use the jet nozzle it's easy to pull it off, slide a piece of rope through the hole, tie a big knot on the inside of the nozzle, and then re-attach it to the pipe. Then you pull back your pipe and have a line to pull back in your new bigger conduit.

Hope this helps.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Most of the guys running lines under drives take advantage of the sand base that's between the concrete and the subsoil. The downside on this method is you expose you new line to being cut by things as simple as someone edging the drive with a power edger with a new blade. Guys running telco or cable drops are infamous for doing this. And most of your sprinkler system installers would go broke without doing it.

In the brass fittings section at your box store you will find a double male piece that has an end for three quarter inch pipe and a standard hose bib fitting on the other. You can fit the pipe end into a pvc threaded female fitting and attach a hose jet nozzle to the other side. On your water supply side you find a brass fitting that's a male or female pipe fitting and a female hose fitting. With this you can attach a hose as your water supply.

Use schedule forty pvc. If you can get two pieces of pipe through your bore do so. That way you have vacant duct if you need it.

I'd try to go through with three quarter and then attempt to pull back a one inch or larger. If you use the jet nozzle it's easy to pull it off, slide a piece of rope through the hole, tie a big knot on the inside of the nozzle, and then re-attach it to the pipe. Then you pull back your pipe and have a line to pull back in your new bigger conduit.

Hope this helps.

 

[MarkV]

Thought I would let you know that we got our pipe under the drive. Ended up using the glue on nozzle from HD and made it through 10’ of our red clay about 18” below grade. Did hit a root that I thought was going to stop us for awhile until the nozzle slipped around it. Took about an hour of fun in the mud and I sure am glad Eddie Walker mentioned digging a diversion trench for the water. Without the diversion trench I believe we would have needed the scuba gear to finish the project.

Just so you know miracles do happen. We ran 400’ of new water line with three hose bibs and tapped into the county line without a single leak. OK, that might not be a miracle for some but my plumbing history is not one to brag about. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Thanks for all the ideas everyone offered for jetting under the drive. It was very helpful.

MarkV