Underground Wire Tunnel Video
First, create a small trench perpendicular to the sidewalk to create some working room for the pipe. Once the trench has been cut, use a sledge hammer to drive the PVC pipe a few inches into the ground. Twist the pipe to break off the dirt and remove the pipe. The end will have dirt in it from under the sidewalk. Take another small diameter pipe or rod and drive the dirt out of the chiseled pipe. Continue driving it in a very inches at a time until you have reached the other side.
You now have your tunnel to run the cable or wire under the sidewalk. If you leave the PVC pipe under the sidewalk, it will serve as a nice conduit if you need to run another wire at a later date.
Tim received an email from a reader about a water line under a foundation. Read about the solution in the September 6, 2011 AsktheBuilder Newsletter.
Tim,
That method looks pretty sweet. My question is how long of a tunnel and how big a diameter do you think you could do with this method before it becomes impractical?
I think I need to run a drain for a gutter downspout underneath my driveway, and I am trying to find an affordable way to do it myself.
Thanks.
No limit to diameter or length. Think of the Big Dig in Boston.
Thanks for your straight forward video. I'll use this method rather than others I've seen, particularly water pressure, since we're trying to reduce excess water usage in CA.