Drilling a Hole Under a Driveway

Build the Drill

• 1

  Measure across the driveway at the desired crossing point. Add a couple extra feet to allow for enough room to access the hole on each side.

• 2

  Purchase 1-inch Schedule 40 PVC pipe in the measured length. This pipe will be used as the body of the drill.

• 3

  Purchase a pressure nozzle for drilling under driveways. These are available at home improvement stores in the landscaping section. Thread this onto one of the PVC hose adapters, then twist the hose adapter on to the PVC pipe.

• 4

  Attach a garden hose to the other hose adapter, and twist the hose adapter on to the pipe.

Drill the Hole

• 5

  Dig a small trench perpendicular to the driveway roughly 6 inches deep and 2 feet long. This will provide a starting point for the drill and will leave enough room to flex the pipe slightly as it feeds under the driveway.

• 6

  Insert the pressure nozzle in the hole and hold the pipe firmly in place. Have an assistant turn the water on full pressure, and begin slowly feeding the pipe in.

• 7

  Keep steady pressure on the pipe as the stream from the nozzle bores through the dirt. If the pipe stops feeding under, pull it back slightly and try again. You may have to repeat this action several times.

• 8

  Watch the other side of the driveway when there is only a couple feet of pipe left to feed under the driveway. The high-pressure stream from the nozzle will be putting out a lot of water, so when the ground becomes soggy on the opposite side of the driveway, turn off the water and dig down in that area carefully. Turn the water back on and check the hole. If the nozzle/stream is not yet visible, turn the water off and dig in this area more. Repeat the process until the end of the pipe is located.