How To Place Wires Under Driveway For Gate Opener Installation
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- Опубліковано 8 кві 2014
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I wasn't looking for this subject, but ended up watching the entire video. Very interesting, thanks for sharing.
Awesome. I did what he said and did not even need a sledge hammer. I replace the steel pipe with 1 inch PVC and it still worked. Needed wires for a very souped up mailbox with IP camera, light, speaker, WiFi and switches. (I could move in)
Besides the rigid electrical conduit coupling issue, here are a few additional corrections/additions to information in the video. You CAN run low voltage wires in the same conduit as higher voltage. The electrical code simply requires that the insulation on the lower-voltage wires to be rated high enough to be higher than the voltage of the higher voltage wires. However be mindful of inductive coupling noise between the two wires/cables too. It could be that the higher-voltage wires could induce enough noise into the lower-voltage wires to disrupt whatever they are being used for. If this turns out to be a problem, replace the low voltage wires/cable with a shielded cable and ground one end of the shield. And I would use a cap on the "drilling-end" of the pipes with a 1/8-1/4" or so hole to put a little spray power into the drilling end. Overall a great video!
I'm glad you said that about GateCrafters in the beginning....
For the pipe under the driveway deal dig your hole on either side of your driveway and allow an extra depth of 4 in to 6 in to put other a piece of a 4x4 in the hole to hold your pipe up off the ground or 4x6 whichever your preference is I like to use a pipe large enough in diameter so that whatever pipe I am putting under the driveway can pass through if it's a small walkway I can make the hole and then pull the pipe out and put the actual pipe I'm trying to feed through the whole end afterwards but if it's going under a large driveway I generally keep the pipe in place as a sheath and support for the pipe I'm placing in there there are a couple different methods I use depending on the compaction and material that the pipe must pass through under the driveway the harder the dirt is I have a large handheld auger that is geared extremely low and I put a t-bit in it cut a slot at the end of the pipe that I am going to have my auger powering on that end and I have a home built bit that accepts half inch up to 2 in threads for gas pipe the bit is the same but I have adapter caps to fit on the backside like I said if the soil is very hard I auger my sheath pipe if it is a small walkway generally I do the exact same setup procedure by digging a hole on either side one being the entrance point of where my sheath pipe is going and the other being the exit point where I want the pipe to come out on the other side of the walkway allow the depth to be four to six inches deep with depending on what block of wood I used to set my iPhone and use a sledgehammer with a cap on the end I am hitting it with and drive the pipe underneath once I have the pipe it exposed on the finished side I take the cap off of my side and use a rod to push the dirt plug out the other side then feed my pipe in whether it be water electrical or for irrigation purposes and bury my line back once completed
For light sandy soil like in Florida this is a great idea! ... I have lived there. But try that in Georgia with hard clay - especially during a hot summer and you will have to hit the plug/T so hard it will tear up the pipe fittings.
yeah, no way in Virginia either. Have to cut and patch the asphalt.
Those are rigid conduit couplings They are schedule 40,the same size as the conduit. EMT (electro mechanical tubing) couplings are made of cast pot metal and have a set screw on both ends, perpendicular to the long axis of the fitting.
I was an electrical designer for industrial, commercial, and residential for 40 years.
I used this technique and it worked very well. My only revision was to extend the sledgehammer hit point by 12 inches after water insertion point (after I missed with sledgehammer and broke a water insertion point connector and had to buy new parts).
Done this same thing many a time, only difference is using PVC. We usually would dig down much further, 2 to 3 feet on each side, that way we're well under anything placed for the driveway. All you do is crank up the water flow, push the pipe in, pull the pipe back, push it in some more until viola - you hear water gushing in the hole you dug on the other side. Though not easy, I've even done this through Georgia clay before.
I enjoyed watching I appreciate your time 🤩😎
for people going to buy parts, those are NOT EMT couplings. they are RIGID conduit couplings and probably galvanized plumbing pipes, look like 3/4". electrical conduit is standard at 10' lengths. emt couplings have either set screws or compression fittings. this is a threaded coupling for the heavier wall rigid conduit. I might add this works ok in sandy soil. I'm guessing these folks are in Florida or Michigan with all the sandy soil. It will not work in PA with all the clay, rocks. Nice for sandy soil though.
Use a galvanized rigid pipe and put the in as a sleeve.
This sleeve has to be bigger the sealed conduit pipe being used.
The wire conduit will be out into the galv sleeve.
Once the gal pipe is installed
Flush with a hose to get dirt out.
Now install a new threaded galv conduit and pipe right into gate operator motor or controls of cctv splice box or whatever you are doing
The key is to put a sleeve in under the driveway or sidewalk and then put a sealed conduit through that sleeve.
The watertight sealed conduit will be the conduit u put your wires through
If the wire conduit ever fails just remove it and u can easily out another conduit through the sleeve conduit
Fill up both holes with sand and then gravel so it's nice and comfy
Sleeve the wire carrying conduit.
I will always have the ability to replace the conduit bc the sleeve is always there
20' -3/4" sch 40 pvc pipe, angle end with a hack saw, longest point in line with writing on pipe, attach fitting for hose, turn on water, slightly turn pipe back and forth, keeping longest point of angle at the top, hence the reason for lining point up with the writing on pipe, the angle will keep the pipe bumping the bottom of drive and running in the direction you desire, works great on sandy soil, works a bit slower on clays, but does still work, if you have rock or large rocks in abundance, you are out of luck. As for washing out potholes under your drive as the many youtube geniuses have pointed out, it does not. I've added lines many times this way, it is easier and faster than the boring machines you get, and not nearly as messy. If you need to do this and cannot understand what I have explained, you need to pay someone else.
ItsLaneNBama
I'm a landscaper in Phoenix AZ and I attach a brass sweeper nozzle at one end of my 1" PVC schedule 40 pipe and the garden hose at the opposite end of the pipe and, I just push it back and forth, keeping the end with the nozzle slightly painting upward. It's never failed in my 20+ years of experience.
Man, is that nice dirt, soft and easy to work. No way in Az. we put a shovel into the dirt with such ease.
I think you addressed a crowd that knows what they're talking about here. They know tools, procedure and problems that surface when basic principles are compromised.
Must be this is a sandy, not rocky soil . Try this in the Northeast and it'll take a whole lot longer, Guaranteed!
We have competitions at my work of installing water services 20mm or 3/4 inch copper pipe open trench both sides of road with a empty sodacan on a stake pole as the target.
Those who miss buy the carton of beer on the weekend.
Bad idea the water washed out dirt and now the blacktop will settle in the heat of summer and crack. We pound rebar under first then pound pipe under until we get a nice clean hole then install the final pipe run a string in it and pull wire. No weak points for later settling. Your way is easier but good for you creating future work for yourself.
Correction: the couplings used a rigid couplings and not EMT couplings found in the electrical department.
Yeah i understand that and thanks for clarifying but even that won't fly in some of the harder soils!
Those connectors won't seal the pipe and the wires will be wet all the time and the steel pipe will rust out. I do these often, with asphalt just rent a concrete saw and cut a narrow trench across and dig it out and place pvc across the driveway, fill it back in leaving room for asphalt patch on top. Then you have a "sealed" conduit from that won't rust out over time. The difference between half-assed and done right.
As with a lot of things in the long run you will be better off hiring someone with experience in the field to do the work and benefit from their knowledge.
Or you could just do the same thing and use PVC end to end and have an actual sealed conduit without paying extra for rentals, without the extra time of picking up and returning rentals, without cutting the pavement which will lead to more deterioration especially in colder climates with snow and ice as well as looking like a hackjob afterthought with patches requiring extra time and materials.
Thanks, This is cheapest common sense method I have found yet
I pity those that put a thumbs down on this. Great video.
Thanks for the vid. I have hammered my pipe through and found it at the other end. Happy face! Unfortunately, the front four feet are wedged full of rock and clay. The water pressure did nothing to prevent the pipe from jamming up. Probably should have capped the front end in some way. Sad face.
I find that the water pressure is important I think in some circumstances a cap with holes drilled in it could be useful.
I guess i missed the part where the narrator said that once a section of pipe was under the driveway, he would use one of the EMT connectors to connect another section of pipe to the end of the first pipe, then the second pipe etc. in order to continue pushing pipe under the driveway until it reached the other side where it would terminate for the wiring to come out and connect to the electrical of the gate motor mechanism? Just guessing that is what i missed anyway!
from Clark, or you could just use logic. seeing the pipes are NOT 20' long, they are about 4' long. so the obvious, no need to explain, thing to do is connect the pipes together. if you need things spelt out to you like a 4 year old..... you probably shouldn't be doing these kinds of projects.
Except that this is a how to video, and that's a crucial part of this process. All and all, this looks like a really bad way to run wire under an existing drive way.
Also made no mention of what they were putting into the pipe through the Tee. AND nothing about how they kept the trench from filling up.
Please, do provide us with the better manner of performing this task! This is a good starting point, with necessary exrapolation, correction and possible source locations to pick up necessary supplements...
Yeah, on one tough job, I trained a couple dozen sparrows to suspend the wiring OVER the driveway during daylight hours. At night, they would come down and I would feed them. Very elegant solution.
The couplings you're using are not for EMT they are use for IMC (Intermediate Metal Conduit) or (GRC) galvanized rigid conduit. EMT is Electrical Metallic Tubing also know as thin-wall..which can not be threaded. I personally would use 3/4" PVC with a brass sweeper jet nozzle...then push PVC conduit through instead of galvanized pipe. It's cheaper and will never rust.
Thank you for sharing this!
I connected my wires to the water hose but it shorted out my house. what do i do now?
That soil is pretty sandy you could use air to jet it. Use PVC, I like using 20 lengths. With water you could undermine the driveway. Yes I have down it a bunch of times.
"Great informational video. Thanks for taking your time to try to educate people."
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For cleaning the soil out of this trench, cut a hoe to the same width as your trench shovel and use it to PULL the dirt out. Much less bending over.
Yep I did that and it worked fantastic and dirt cheap. Can move a lot of dirt in a trench with a hoe
The way I do it is to use a boring rod on my Ditch Witch. I sometimes use a pneumatic piercing tool.
I also use schedule 40 plastic pipe, and the depth has to comply with code. However, using water can be done if you have no other way. I would think that if a company is in the business of installing electrically operated gates, they would have a better way of boring a driveway. I bore under roads to install water lines and phone lines for a living. If it's too far across, or too hard to get a rod to, I use a directional boring machine.
You can run high voltage and low voltage in the same conduit as long as you use high voltage rated wire for the low voltage power as well
I just used a sledgehammer, and a couple of bags of concrete afterwards.
Nice job!
Thanks that is very smart well presented
Those are not EMT connectors, they are threaded Rigid pipe connectors.
EMT connectors are not threaded and have nuts on the side to secure to a conduit. They fit conduits and would never fit over a galv pipe.
Thank you for a corrective explanation.
Rigid Couplings, not connectors. Definitely not EMT. Overall great technique, probably not for all soil types tho.
You are wrong
Gerald West l
Line Ward has great machines for that with no digging
Thanks for posting
Awful lot of bullsh1t comments by folks who wouldn't know which end of a shovel to hold on to. This will work in most soil types, but will will require a high pressure pump in clay. One could also dig a trench on the opposite side of the drive that is perpendicular to the new underground line so that you don't have to hunt for the pipe end as it penetrates.
There is a unit called a "Bores-it" that uses a 1/2" drill and fittings to your hose with a pointed tip.
That's NOT a cap on the tee fitting; it's called a plug.
come and try that at ours! you wouldn't get that shovel in the ground!
It looked to me like the pipe runs beside the driveway, not under it.
EMT fittings are not threaded. Those are rigid conduit couplers.
All metal parts of a Raceway shall be bonded how do you accomplish that?
Gate opener wires are low-voltage and have a direct burial casing therefore it’s not necessary.
6 months later the asphalt caves in from the cavaty the water created! Lol
There at the beginning he's calling this stuff EMT...but it is actually Rigid conduit......
Wish I had dirt like that, instead of adobe.
20 mins?
"We use them for their narrowness"!?
I think he means, "thinness".
The couplings are thinner than the standard ones.
This is only going to work if you have soil that consists mainly of sand. If you try to drive this pipe through clay soil that has substantial rocks, it will never work.
The only answer in my situation is an under road borer.
120 vac is not High Voltage and it's probably 24 volt dc for control. Running them in the same conduit is perfectly fine by the NEC if the insulation is rated for the higher of the 2 voltages.
And a week later the surface collapses because the water washed to much sand away.
This GRC conduit is not correct for underground. It will corrode and rust out. You are worrying about mixing voltages in the conduit. You are incorrect about that too. As long as the insulation on all conductors has the same rating and is rated for the highest voltage in the conduit you can run differing voltage circuits in the same conduit or raceway. This should be PVC coated rigid conduit running underground under the driveway. But I did like your method of tunneling under.
THAT SAND IS SO E Z.....................
Smart
those couplings aren`t emt couplings. emt couplings have set screws and no threads ! these are called market couplings !
Thats IMC couplings
Just run it over the driveway and cover it with a "speed bump"
A local shopping center owner did that exact same thing when they opened a Starbucks. Instead of trenching under the driveway entrance to the parking lot, they simply ran the electrical conduit on top of the asphalt and covered it with more asphalt and turned it into a mini-speed bump. I don't know how this passed code or how Starbucks approved this what I consider a very dangerous electrical feed to their store. Unbelievable!
hey guys, remember, "driveway". Also DRIVEWAY driveway... driveway.
brother in law did the same way, must be a method taught.
emt is never used in underground installations. those are either rigid or intermediate metallic connectors (IMT).You need to learn what you are talking about.
Thank you for helping with a correction on the necessary supplies.
Running water through a pipe you're about to put electrical cables down doesn't seem that smart.
global001 why not? All electrical pipes that are underground fills up with water at some point. Heck, I've seen a house where the service cable's pipe was spewing water from it. Because the pipe at the street was slightly higher, thus water was coming out at the house.
rich people problems
Looks like sandy soil and that’s the only reason he got that far. Let me see you do it up north.
a long 20 minutes
Solution: Use a single gate.
lair, 20 minutes
he left out adding more metal pipe to go the distance and is very vague about 110vac and other wires, too. Also, wrong is that he is leaving unprotected wires under there, no jacket of any kind. Bad video.
As long as it's rated for underground use it's fine. I prefer conduit though, makes changes later easier
20 minutes my ass!!
All depends on the ground and the distance, in sandy soil or dirt with a standard width driveway 20 minutes is about right.
20 mins my ass
"We have a 20' long driveway...". So what is the task; to tunnel UNDER the width of the driveway, or run under the LENGTH of the driveway? Come on, man. Spend some time to be unambiguous.