Laying a pipe under a driveway

[Joel/ak]

My dad bought this house a couple years ago. Put in a new driveway last year. Had a flagpole put in last week. He wants a hardwired light system to light the the flag. Unfortunately the silly driveway is in the way.

What's the best DIY way to pound a pipe under the driveway? Is there a machine we can rent? Trying to save the old man money.

 

[paulsharvey]

Driveway material? Concrete, asphalt, gravel? Driveway width? Local soil type?

If the soil is right, a good air compressor, some fittings, narrow drive, and 3/4 or 1" pipe; dig down 30" on either side and work that pipe with air on. It's slow, but you can pass a 16 fr drive with the right soil conditions and 4 hours. Guys also use a garden hose instead, but you run a much greater risk of creating a void.

The 'correct' answer would be find a guy with a pneumatic missile; but that would be more than your wanting to spend.

 

[Joel/ak]

Sorry, it's asphalt.

He said he would rip up a small section, lay a pipe and repair the drive.

Hoping an easier way and save money. He's got it but gotta be a way.

 

[bmaverick]

My dad bought this house a couple years ago. Put in a new driveway last year. Had a flagpole put in last week. He wants a hardwired light system to light the the flag. Unfortunately the silly driveway is in the way.

What's the best DIY way to pound a pipe under the driveway? Is there a machine we can rent? Trying to save the old man money.

Does he own a tractor with a straight blade? I pawed and pawed the top several inches of gravel back, then used the garden walk-behind tiller to loosen the rest up, got down 24-inches in depth. Got the thickest wall PVC electrical pipe for the wire laid it all in the bottom, carefully got the soil back in, the rocks and then the gravel.

The electrical keeps working after 6 years.

My helpers.

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

consider a different approach?

how about a solar flag pole/ flag light. cheap ones go for $25 and can get pretty good ones for as little as $100.

 

[Topzide]

Maybe this as an option; BorZit Systems.

 

[bmaverick]

Sorry, it's asphalt.

Sorry, it's asphalt.

I did this too for FIL. He had a long driveway with asphalt. We cut 16-inches wide, removed the asphalt. Then carefully went at it removing everything 24-inches down. Ran the electrical conduit. Wired in all of his driveway lights, pond lights and landscaping lights.

Placed all the soil & stone back. Then packed and pack and pack for about 30mins. Layered in hot-patch for the asphalt gap. You will need metal hand trowels to work it in and level it too. No humps nor bumps.

Ryobi angle grinder with diamond wheel.

sort of like the trowling tool used.

somewhat what we did, we went the entire way across.

 

[paulsharvey]

Sorry, it's asphalt.

He said he would rip up a small section, lay a pipe and repair the drive.

Hoping an easier way and save money. He's got it but gotta be a way.

The 'best' way is a pneumatic missile, and pull a 2" or 3" hdpe conduit. Can probably hire it for $15/lf (plus pipe), the issue would be Mobilization. Put, if his soil is pretty light sand/sandy-loam, air and 1" pvc will work. The Old Old school way was 4 ft sections of threaded galv pipe, a 2x4 and a sledge hammer. Doesn't work well, and it you would be surprised the ammount of grip sand will have on pipe.

If it was me; I would either A: try the air and pipe; B; saw cut a very thing area, just wide enough to get a narrow pick in, and lay wire, and then use a pourable sealant to repair; or C: call local plumbers/gas installers/irrigation guys, and see if any would missile it for cheap

 

[paulsharvey]

Oh, another approach, either instead of air, or in combination with air, for light soils; a shop vac on the end of a 1 or 2" conduit; not gonna work in clays or rock.

 

[Joel/ak]

It's more of a loamy soil. Mostly sand.