Subsoiler for burying PEX

boggen · Oct 27, 2014

Threepoint said:
Yep, local codes rule. In Fairfax County, VA, in addition to the minimum depths, the electrical and water lines must have a minimum of 12" of separation of dirt, either vertical or lateral. They can be in the same trench so long as that separation is maintained. But running the water line directly below the electrical cable creates a huge headache later if you need to access it! If one trench is absolutely desired, the better practice is to use a 24" hoe bucket and lay the lines on either side. Or a narrower bucket and create a ledge for the electrical.

problem in same trench, is i like to "snake" both electrical and hose lines within the trench, so if there is some frost heave, "more so settling" the wire and/or hose. has some slack to move. vs stretching and breaking / cracking / splitting.

when i say "snake" more of a WWWWWWW back and forth through the trench. (if the W's were one constant line)

digging up old lines, i have found a noticeable difference between say someone taking a potato plow / middle buster, and just pulling wire/hose in one constant tight line/trench. vs weaving / snaking the wire/hose into a trench. the stuff that was put in as one straight line, has more nicks in it, and for wires the insulation was discolored in some places (stretching of the insulation happened) or you could take your fingers to the insulation and almost roll/rub it off. and like doings with plastic hose water lines and LPG copper line.

budepps3760 · Oct 27, 2014

I need to run about a half mile of 2" pex for a water main for a house I am going to build in the woods. I wonder if the same setup will work for that project?

Attono · Oct 27, 2014

Frost line doesn't ever get below 18" here, so I am pretty comfortable that it won't freeze. Matter of fact, most hydrants folks install around here are at 24".

Sodo · Oct 29, 2014

I like this, thx for posting!

Great tip about the "W" I never woulda thought of leaving room for stretching. If you are going to bury one line of 12-2, add a spare, it gives the option of running more power out there if necessary. That's a long run for 12-2, I hope you have worked out your amperage / voltage drops.

Charlesaf3 · Nov 2, 2014

It works, but Agri supply sells them for around $80, not including subsoiler. Hooked it up to my old tractor supply Company subsoiler without much problem pulled in a bunch of sprinkler lines

Charlesaf3 · Nov 2, 2014

Also I haven't really been able to bury below 6 inches starting from Grade, which is fine for sprinklers but.. On the other hand I think I could get it lower by digging a starting hole down so I'm not trying to pull down, just straight.

I was originally going to pull pex but decided 160psi poly was cheaper and made more sense.

Attono · Nov 2, 2014

Charlesaf3 said:
It works, but Agri supply sells them for around $80, not including subsoiler. Hooked it up to my old tractor supply Company subsoiler without much problem pulled in a bunch of sprinkler lines

Looks good, but I'm not sure it would bolt up to the Fred Cain subsoiler I found. ASC says it works with 3 Point Subsoiler-Subsoiler Attachment | Agri Supply #73410

Anyhoo, finished up all the backfill today. All the water connections are dry and all the electrical works fine. I did take the added precaution of putting GFI plugs in both circuits.