SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

For more info on using Boriit or Borzit, search for thereads using Borit in the subject line.

Jeff

Just take a 1 inch pipe put a 1 inch cap on it and take a sledge hammer and wack a way, here in texas we have clay and thats what we do.

The Borit tool really saved me! Quotes from sprinkler companies (if they ever showed up..) were about $1,000 for a 14 ft driveway, no obstructions. For that price I could cut and cover and repave the whole driveway. I bought a Borit from the manufacturer on their Ebay site. Using the trench previously made by my ditch witch rental, we lined up the Borit, combined a 10 and 4 ft section of 3/4 inch pipe, and a 3/4" right angle drill from Home Depot rentals and in about 20 minutes we reached the other side. At first we hit a gravel lense in the subbase so I lifted the pipe a bit and dove under the gravel coming out through stiff clay about a foot lower on the other side which for the sleeve insertion didn't affect anything. Used a 3" inch Borit bit which allowed for a 2" sch 40 PVC sleeve. This sleeve had room for a 1 1/4" supply line and controller cable to be run under the drive.

The Borit didn't fit the 1/2" industrial B&D drill I first rented, and that drill was too wide for the 4" trench. The 3/4" right angle drill had more torque and the right angle feature kept the motor above the ditch and water backflow. We dug a short and deep side trench hole at the bore site to capture the water backflow and it helps to have someone bailing that hole with a half gallon milk jug while drilling is underway. It took about 20 minutes! The Borit is well worth the investment even for a one time use!

Now that my system is running several neighbors are planning theirs and I am sure I can sell the Borit to one of them.

I just made it under my 12 foot driveway. It was a tough job, but only took 6 hours.

There was no way that you could beat anything under the concrete because of the large aggregate.

I used a 0 degree tip on my 4000 psi pressure washer. This would allow me to go a few feet, after which I would have to connect a 1.5 inch pipe to my shop vac to suck out the rocks.

Unless you were to use a diamond drill bit, there is no way any other option would have succeeded in my opinion.

For all who see this page, the original post was in 2004. Today there is a very cheap way to make this bore. please see www.originalbonehead.com It's like a having a boring machine in your tool box.

orbit makes a do-it-yourself water tuneling kit that has a jet nozzle that you put on a piece of pvc and hook up a garden hose. It may take a while but could save a few hundred bucks.

geotexZ71 which supply houses rent the Borit Kit?

This is a late addition to this thread, but I can attest to using a Borit tool for crossing under large slabs. My father was an electrician and treasured his! We (the kids) were always the weekend and summer apprentices. [8D] With his HEAVY 3/4-inch drill and the Borit running conduit under driveways was fun (plenty of mud)! Even the tightest pavement sub-base could be penetrated with a little more "lean" put into it! [] Longest crossing I personally was involved with was 38 feet, which I recall took about an hour to cross. Beats the heck out of pounding black pipe for hours on end! Do be sure you keep the drill pipe level for the first ~4 feet or so otherwise you will loose it and angle deep missing your target.

You can often rent a Borit kit from a larger electrical supply house.

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to bore under a driveway or sidewalk try our "Horizontal Earth Boring" tool. We are the original designer of this tool and for just over $200 you get the complete kit. Tool, 2" Bit, 3" Bit, & 4 3/4" Backreamer in a custom case backed with a lifetime warranty.

as Hoo says encase it with sand if you can. Be sure to use schedule 40. The thicker the wall the better to withstand crushing