I’ve started my project to add running water to the guest house. After getting the propane and electrical lines marked, my first step was to purchase the required PVC pipes (3/4″ inch for the supply lines, 3″ inch for the waste water to the septic system) and to lay them out on the ground under which they will eventually be buried.
The primary purpose of this was to allow me to make sure that my projected route was straight, and possible given 45 and 90 degree turns in the pipe. By also loosely connecting the pipe, I could also run water through it and insure that the grading was correct.
The next step is to rent a ride-on trencher, and to dig a 4+ foot deep trench to bury the pipes. I’ll hand dig around the well, the septic system, the guest house foundation, and obviously near the propane lines. After that, I’ll bury the pipes and have a plumber hook them up and verify that everything is solidly connected before pouring dirt back over the pipes. I’m planning on renting the trencher from United Rentals, something like this:
The ride-on trencher will provide enough depth to get below the frost line, and will also be a fun excuse to play with construction equipment!
I ran a trencher for years for the City of Madison traffic engineering. Very handy machine.
I just had 300 feet of 2″ HDPE conduit installed for a fiber connection to the house.
Hired Tri-state direction drilling. Too many trees in the path. Plus, had to go under a freshly paved driveway and 60′ of brick pavers.
Most of it went in at 3′.
$3.00/foot.
Awesome! I may hire a directional driller for two potential trouble spots, but for the most part my route is tree and pavement free so the trencher will work pretty well.