Digging pipe under small concrete slab/brick walkway

Hi All,

I'm a new to this forum, found it whilst googling for some help turned up https://terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18644 . That isn't really what I need so I thought I'd ask you helpful folk.

I'm doing some gardening, and am about to put a dripper system in. Whilst doing it, I want to run it to another garden bed that is on the other side of a brick path on a concrete slab. I have a couple of (large) pictures here to give an idea:

http://www.colebatch.com/IMG_1241.JPG
http://www.colebatch.com/IMG_1242.JPG

The first shows the path from above, the second is looking through where I'd like a pipe. The trowel gives some context.

My mother in law suggested I get a steel pipe and sledgehammer it through. Given I have neither I figured I'd see how far I could get by hand (less than 1ft). Does anyone have any suggestions - or is my mother in law's advice the way to go?

Thanks in advance,
Dim

 

Further to this - it seems that on the other side of the path from where I started, there is more brickwork that obstructs where my tunnel would come out. Is there any reason why I shouldn't break this up with a mattock and do what my mother in law suggests?

Cheers,
Dim

 

So, digging further, the "brickwork" is in fact a slab (here's a bit that broke off: http://colebatch.com/IMG_1246.JPG). I'm now stuck - any ideas?

Cheers,
Dim

 

Sorry, that URL should be http://colebatch.com/IMG_1247.JPG

 

And some more pictures:

http://colebatch.com/IMG_1244.JPG
http://colebatch.com/IMG_1245.JPG

 

I've always used a water pressure - a piece of PVC with a hose attachment and high pressure nozzle on the end and drive it through.

Looking at the picture, is that more brick under the walkway?

 

Or a piece of rigid pipe and a sledge hammer.

 

I'd suggest the water method to jet the hole you need.

 

There are some really nice tools that those of us in the industry purchase that make this go a little easier. But I wouldn't recommend them for you.

It's fairly simple to accomplish what you are after. Just get a stick (10' or 20' section) of 2" Schedule 40 PVC pipe (or Sched. 80 would be even better, if you can find it) from Home Depot or any plumbing place. Cut it down to about 4' long. Then stick some duct tape on one end of it, so the pipe doesn't get clogged with dirt as you pound it through (that will slow things down). Next, place this 4' section off pipe into the small hole you've created and start pounding on the open end with a sledge hammer. Don't worry, SCH 40 or SCH 80 pipe can take a pounding without breaking.

After 15-45 minutes, you should be through. Once it's through, just leave it there and cut it off right below the walkway on both sides. Now take off the duct tape and you have a nice 2" conduit to send your other irrigation pipe through. Viola!!!

 

very easy to do.

Get a length of 1/2" PVC pipe. Get the fittings you need to hook a hose fitting to one end and leave the other end open.

dig a relatively small hole on either side of the sidewalk (I'm assuming you don't need to go below frost since you'll blow it out with compressed air every fall).

Hook the pipe up to a hose and turn on the water. The water spraying out of the open end of the pipe will make a good tool for jetting your way through the dirt from one hole to the other. Just keep gently pushing until you see the pipe pop out into the other hole. Should take 1 minute, 2 minutes tops. You can then use the PVC to pull your poly line through or just leave it in place and put fittings on each end.

Very easy to do, fast, simple.

 

Did you work on my advice?

 

Just stumbled across this again - figured I should answer the outstanding questions (sorry for bumping in the process).

Yes - I did get this going. Didn't use PVC, instead used a bit of pipe (metal of some description) that used to be part of a dog bed. Followed the same process, duck tape and a sledgehammer. Worked a treat - thanks all.

Cheers,
Dim