paulsharvey
Elite Member
I would give the air and elbow grease approach a try. If you use water, you run a very real risk of getting carried away, and then you'll have a dip and cracks at the pipe crossing.
Laying a pipe under a driveway
- Thread starter Joel/ak
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ponytug
Super Member
Have a chat with your local rental tool place and ask about "moles" and what they have to rent for getting conduit under a driveway. Around here, there are lots of choices.
You can get a 100' pipe cleaning snake from Amazon that fits onto a pressure washer. I have one that has four jets; one large one forward and three pointing in reverse, and it is quite good at pulling itself along pipe. Thread it through a 3/4 or 1" PVC and push it under, but you need a deep enough feeding pit to guide the pipe level and straight. Lots of videos on YouTube.
Ripping into asphalt would be really low on my personal list. I think that it never looks right again. I would put in some solar panels and a light first before tearing up asphalt.
Just my $0.02...
All the best,
Peter
grsthegreat
Super Star Member
I have that unit, it works great….within reason. Large rocks or real long distances mess with it. Hard to prevent it from going too deep, but works ok.
I had to replace a water line that crossed an asphalt driveway. I elected to route the line next to the garage door. That way I only had to make one cut. It also meant I didn't have a patch in the middle of the drive, which I figured would never be quite right. The patch I did make was the transition from the drive to the concrete garage floor.
Doug in SW IA
Doug in SW IA
OP
Joel/ak
Platinum Member
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That's an idea. Cut where the asphalt meets the concrete.
I tried to talk him into solar but all the ones he used before don't last long.
ponytug
Super Member
I would try a bigger set of panels and a large battery. Basically, I oversize the solar side of it to get through the inevitable ten days of grey weather. The cheap solar that I have seen use low efficiency/quality solar panels, low quality batteries, and yes, they don't last worth diddly. We run solar for a few things, and I have found that a 20-50W panel and an automotive battery in a case with the charger to be pretty solid, and low cost. You can use sealed lead acid or lithium, but they are more expensive. If it were me, I would start the plan from the wattage on the light, and your winter sun levels, available at PVWatts
If nothing else, it would buy you a few years to sort out the best route for you under the driveway.
All the best,
Peter
Rockbadchild
Veteran Member
Cutting the asphalt and resurfacing it will never be the same, it will inevitably show, if there is a way around it or above it despite of the distance I would go with that... the slice in front of the garage or along the sealing of the house is a very good idea.
JPRambo
Platinum Member
Dig a short trench on each side of the driveway. Hook a garden hose to a lenght of 3/4" pvc and turn water on. Push it under the driveway in trench on one side aiming to the trench on the other side.
DarkBlack
Veteran Member
I second the vote for solar.
Not a little flagpole unit, but a setup like used for RV’s. They can be had for a couple hundred bucks. Clamp the panel to the pole, or a frame, and set a battery in a plastic battery box next to the pole.
You’ll spend almost that much just in wiring , conduit, not even factoring in the labor.
I’d take the solar, external battery route all day, every day over messing with digging trenches, and messing with a new driveway.
Not a little flagpole unit, but a setup like used for RV’s. They can be had for a couple hundred bucks. Clamp the panel to the pole, or a frame, and set a battery in a plastic battery box next to the pole.
You’ll spend almost that much just in wiring , conduit, not even factoring in the labor.
I’d take the solar, external battery route all day, every day over messing with digging trenches, and messing with a new driveway.