# Easy way to go under a concrete sidewalk?



## FCR1988 (Jul 10, 2011)

I asked my journeyman and he said he's heard about a machine you can rent that will burrow under concrete but he's never done it. So I thought I would ask here. 

So essentially: Is there a way to go under concrete (3 ft wide) instead of tearing it up?

Thanks.


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## rnichols (Apr 19, 2011)

http://www.icmcorp.net/CablePro_Underground_Tools.htm

available here:
https://www.budcocable.com/Search/?t=C&id=271&q=Sidewalk+Bore+Tool

I've used these for installing coax and phone lines .. even some irrigation piping, so I would assume you could use it for just about anything...


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

Adapt a garden hose to some PVC, cut a 45 on some GRC and ram that through with a hammer, a borzit tool, get a well point and put that on some pipe, there's a bunch of ways.


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## MarkyMark (Jan 31, 2009)

A piece of rigid pipe and a big sledge hammer. I've bored close to 20' before with this method. A 3' sidewalk should be a piece of cake.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

3' is very easy. Dig down a foot or so and you should be below the compacted fill. Dig just over a foot on each side and you should be able to "poke" through the last eight or ten inches with just a separate piece of pipe.

Just be aware that sometimes utility companies bury their crap under the middle of a sidewalk. :thumbsup:


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

As Mark said, 3' is nothing. You don't even need rigid for that. Hammer the end flat on a piece of EMT, drive it through, then cut both ends off when you're done. Perfect to slip UF through and get under the sidewalk. I've even hammered the ends down and chucked a 10' piece in a 1/2" drill and "bored" through.


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## Cletis (Aug 20, 2010)

*Method*

That's our method as well. Don't forget to bond the EMT when your done.


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## garfield (Jul 30, 2009)

FCR1988 said:


> I asked my journeyman and he said he's heard about a machine you can rent that will burrow under concrete but he's never done it. So I thought I would ask here.
> 
> So essentially: Is there a way to go under concrete (3 ft wide) instead of tearing it up?
> 
> Thanks.


We have dug a hole beside the sidewalk with a hoe then bored horizontally with a fence auger. We then sleeve it with a piece of 4 inch pvc.


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## Ricochet (Aug 13, 2011)

Holes on both sides.. Just use a ground rod sledge it 3 and half feet till it goes through tap it to loosing it then pull it back out easy... Done


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## Ricochet (Aug 13, 2011)

...assuming small uf cable


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Hell, I've hammered PVC (cut off on a 45 degree angle) under 3' sidewalks. Dig down a foot or so on each side and hammer under whatever you have handy. Three feet ain't nothing.


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## Voltech (Nov 30, 2009)

Sometimes a power washer and some 1/2 emt will do wonders. But it will be muddy.


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## 10492 (Jan 4, 2010)

1/2" rigid with a point on one end, Hilti with a ground rod attachment. 

Done.


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## FCR1988 (Jul 10, 2011)

Thanks for all the advice and help. I think I'm going to try the emt or ground rod first. Seems easy enough. I just need to move a bunch of big rocks now. 

Question though, this was a Do it Yourself question... so is this type of question appropriate?


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## leland (Dec 28, 2007)

I did it at my house,bought the fittings at HD.
Basically it is a 3/4 plastic jet nozzle with a 3/4 coupling attached. 
and a coupling with a hose adapter-(2 pcs) put that on my hose and some 3/4 pvc- 10 min for a 4' walk.

I did have to dig down 12" and out about 2' to get the correct angle. But worked well.


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## kalexv12 (Apr 23, 2009)

mcclary's electrical said:


> As Mark said, 3' is nothing. You don't even need rigid for that. Hammer the end flat on a piece of EMT, drive it through, then cut both ends off when you're done. Perfect to slip UF through and get under the sidewalk. I've even hammered the ends down and chucked a 10' piece in a 1/2" drill and "bored" through.


This is what worked for me I was just running some landscape speakers for Eric Moulds when he played for Buffalo. I had 5 locations to do this, the cool part was when Eric got down in the dirt and started swinging the sledge to help me out it was very hot out that day.


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## oww-is-that-hot? (Jun 26, 2011)

kalexv12 said:


> This is what worked for me I was just running some landscape speakers for Eric Moulds when he played for Buffalo. I had 5 locations to do this, the cool part was when Eric got down in the dirt and started swinging the sledge to help me out it was very hot out that day.


Man you got a 3 time pro bowler down in the dirt with you swingin sledges? That would have been something. When I was in my young teens I used to do drywall finishing work with my dad and I just so happened to be a huge cowboys fan, not surprising at the time, and we got called to do an aquarium for 3 time super bowl winner Dixon Edwards. Man those rings were huge. I happened to have my dallas coat on, he signed it, and gave me a free aquarium with a damn pet shark. That was probably the best day of my young life. 
Shark died pretty quick though.


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## kalexv12 (Apr 23, 2009)

oww-is-that-hot? said:


> Man you got a 3 time pro bowler down in the dirt with you swingin sledges? That would have been something. When I was in my young teens I used to do drywall finishing work with my dad and I just so happened to be a huge cowboys fan, not surprising at the time, and we got called to do an aquarium for 3 time super bowl winner Dixon Edwards. Man those rings were huge. I happened to have my dallas coat on, he signed it, and gave me a free aquarium with a damn pet shark. That was probably the best day of my young life.
> Shark died pretty quick though.


Man all I got was 3 worn out deflated footballs not even signed. Oh well he didn't have to give me anything but he did.


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## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

FCR1988 said:


> Thanks for all the advice and help. I think I'm going to try the emt or ground rod first. Seems easy enough. I just need to move a bunch of big rocks now.
> 
> Question though, this was a Do it Yourself question... *so is this type of question *appropriate?


...not really, you should call a licensed electrician to come out and take care of this for you! . Any appropriate question is welcome, that is how one learns.


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## oww-is-that-hot? (Jun 26, 2011)

kalexv12 said:


> Man all I got was 3 worn out deflated footballs not even signed. Oh well he didn't have to give me anything but he did.


Ha at least he gave you a helping hand. And remember I was a kid. Let that be a lesson for you, if you have a kid, bring him with you next time. If not, borrow/kidnap a neighbor's kid.


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## MF Dagger (Dec 24, 2007)

Yeah 3 feet is nothing at all. If I'm running PVC I will first try to just duct tape the end and just slam it through, if it's tricky back out and hose it a little bit at a time, then cut off the end you hammered on and glue onto it. If UF i just do the same thing but slightly bigger. If that doesn't work I have a long flex bit that has long since dulled that I try to drill through with, works once in a while.


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## kaboler (Dec 1, 2010)

How about some tricks to go up a building wall after the 3' of sidewalk? As in, you can't access the other side.

Still need to be 300mm below the concrete sidewalk as per CEC code, I think. 450mm - 150mm for cement over (in a raceway).


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

kaboler said:


> How about some tricks to go up a building wall after the 3' of sidewalk? As in, you can't access the other side.
> 
> Still need to be 300mm below the concrete sidewalk as per CEC code, I think. 450mm - 150mm for cement over (in a raceway).


Stop it with that silly metric stuff.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

FCR1988 said:


> I asked my journeyman and he said he's heard about a machine you can rent that will burrow under concrete but he's never done it. So I thought I would ask here.
> 
> So essentially: Is there a way to go under concrete (3 ft wide) instead of tearing it up?
> 
> Thanks.


Yes there is.


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

kaboler said:


> How about some tricks to go up a building wall after the 3' of sidewalk? As in, you can't access the other side.
> 
> Still need to be 300mm below the concrete sidewalk as per CEC code, I think. 450mm - 150mm for cement over (in a raceway).


I had a job where the sidewalk met a house brick wall. I core drilled straight down for a meterbase underground feed. Then dug under the sidewalk to meet my core hole. No easy way to do that.


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## Ricochet (Aug 13, 2011)

mcclary's electrical said:


> I had a job where the sidewalk met a house brick wall. I core drilled straight down for a meterbase underground feed. Then dug under the sidewalk to meet my core hole. No easy way to do that.


Sure there is ...helpers.lol easy no problem.


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## yrman (Jun 12, 2011)

*We use a "mole"*

We have a tool called a mole. You hook it to a compressor and it burrows under concrete. It works great.


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## ce2two (Oct 4, 2008)

They even mud jack from one side of the freeway the other side,i see it done all the time,they are known as mud jackers, were talking 2 and 3 inch ridgid pipe!


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## sparky723 (Jul 22, 2008)

try this:


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

*Mole*



yrman said:


> We have a tool called a mole. You hook it to a compressor and it burrows under concrete. It works great.


 
*Mole*

I knew a guy that used to do that all the time, till his worker hit the POCO's conduit ! Just about killed the guy. The guy I knew left the state on the run. I heard the POCO hit him up with a big repair bill. He also had no WC on the worker. He told me he would cross the streets.
*He used to call dig alert, I don't know the details on this one.


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## yrman (Jun 12, 2011)

dronai said:


> Mole
> 
> I knew a guy that used to do that all the time, till his worker hit the POCO's conduit ! Just about killed the guy. The guy I knew left the state on the run. I heard the POCO hit him up with a big repair bill. He also had no WC on the worker. He told me he would cross the streets.
> *He used to call dig alert, I don't know the details on this one.


My husband hit an ATT line last year. They sent us a $2500 bill. . 1k insurance deductible. It sucked. But stuff happens we just spent hideous amounts on major vehicle problems. Cost of doing business......


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## McClary’s Electrical (Feb 21, 2009)

yrman said:


> My husband hit an ATT line last year. They sent us a $2500 bill. . 1k insurance deductible. It sucked. But stuff happens we just spent hideous amounts on major vehicle problems. Cost of doing business......


 

Were there locate marks off? You're supposed to habd dig within 5ft of the mark. I hit a verizon line and took out a subdivision's phone and internet, but the marks were off by more than 10ft. I covered my trench back up and went home:laughing:


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## mattdolan16 (Sep 23, 2011)

FCR1988 said:


> Thanks for all the advice and help. I think I'm going to try the emt or ground rod first. Seems easy enough. I just need to move a bunch of big rocks now.
> 
> Question though, this was a Do it Yourself question... so is this type of question appropriate?


I read it and learned something so yes. It's appropriate.


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