The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Sat Oct 26, 2019 2:52 pm**

Hi Guys.

I have a new build house that has an undated Tarmac driveway. I have put up two street lights opposite and now need to get a cable over to them. I was planning on getting a man with a mole in but he cant mole it as it turns out the Electric supply is under the drive (we dont know how deep).

Ive see a few video's of Americans water jetting under a drive, anyone ever tried it in the UK? Does it work on our heavy clay soils?

My last resort is to cut a channel across the drive to drop the cable into. I just cant work out how to finish it. If I try and patch it presumably it will look like a patch. Was thinking about a line of granite setts laid into it hiding it.

Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks for you help

rog

Posted: **Sat Oct 26, 2019 5:53 pm**

Could you use a cat and genny to detect the electricity supply and then chose a route to avoid it?

My last resort is to cut a channel across the drive to drop the cable into
Rather than go straight across can't you go around the perimeter it'll be easier to disguise.

Posted: **Tue Oct 29, 2019 11:41 am**

The water-jet method is a bit hit-and-miss. I remember watching trials with the Gas Board 30-odd years ago in Blackpool and they had no control compared with the accuracy that was being achieved with the pneumatic mole....and that was in fairly simple soils!

A clever 'trick' for just this sort of problem is to cut an accurate trench, say, for arguments sake, 250mm in width, right across the ex. blacktop, drop in a duct, thread through your cable and a draw rope, and then backfill with lean-mix concrete.

When you get to the surface, top it off with a particular block paver that is, as luck would have it, 240mm in width, and the whole job looks like a deliberate decorative band across the surfacing rather than an awkward imperfectly reinstated trench!

Posted: **Wed Nov 06, 2019 11:10 am**

Thanks Guys.

Unfortunately I canâ€™t go around the perimeter itâ€™s too far and would go onto my neighbour propriety. I canâ€™t reroute either as the cable runs the length of the drive I need to cross.

I thought about a row of pavers set into the drive. Could look ok. My latest thought was to cut a narrow channel say 30mm wide. Put the cable through a 22mm plastic pipe. Top it with concrete and then finish the joint with something! If it looks poor I can still cut the channel wider and put a paver in etc in the summer.

Any ideas on what to fill a narrow channel with? Some sort of hot pour tar? Cold kind of sealant?

I was trying to add a photo but canâ€™t work out how to do it.

Posted: **Sun Nov 10, 2019 8:48 am**

30mm of hot-melt pitch or cold-pour sealant will be too soft. If the width of the cut channel is an issue, cut it at 50mm and embed slices of PCC flag or edging kerb on a mortar or concrete bed, but, TBH, the wider block paver methjod is the simplest, easiest and most effective method I've either seen or used.

The Brew Cabin

Help cable under drive