# Run a conduit under a concrete patio in a tight space



## jkatcher (Mar 11, 2018)

Hello all! I'm new to this community, thanks in advance for your help and tips!

I have a detached studio, and between my house and the detached studio there is a concrete patio. I want to run ethernet underneath the patio, but I'm not sure the best way to do it. I have seen videos in which people use PVC piping to hollow out a path, but I don't have enough room (I don't think I do) for the appropriate length of pipe. Unless there is a different way (aside from cutting concrete if possible)?

An electrician ran a new circuit for a split A/C under the patio, but I wasn't around when he did it and I'm not sure how he got under there. 

The width of the patio is 122", and there is a small area of dirt / plants that's 72" wide between the patio and the detached studio.

Any ideas are welcome, I'm just in the planning stage - thank you so much for your expertise!













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## Snoonyb (Mar 11, 2018)

There are a couple of general methods employed in drilling under slabs, mechanical with a drill motor and with a water jet, common with plumbers and electricians.

The water jet is call a sidewalk drill at the big boxes and either screws or glues to 3/4" PVC.

And by the way, welcome.


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## jkatcher (Mar 11, 2018)

Thanks so much for your reply!  Is that how you would go about doing this?


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## tuffy (Mar 11, 2018)

Yes I would do the drill method .


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## Snoonyb (Mar 11, 2018)

Yes, unless there is an alternative path, such as under the eaves and overhead, or under the eaves, than down the wall at a place where the under concrete would be shorter, or hidden within a masonry joint.

Aesthetics are important, because you have to live with them, and if under the slab is the choice, because of the limitation you have, you'll need, and I would use elec. PVC, because you never know what the future holds, glue and couplings.

Here is a video of the method; 

Here is the type of drill kit; http://www.truevalue.com//catalog/p...ive={Creative}&ctplacement=533353-43411605939


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## slownsteady (Mar 11, 2018)

It may be too much to hope for, but there may be extra room in the electrician's recent run. I also don't know if that is okay/code for ethernet to follow electricity.


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## tuffy (Mar 11, 2018)

Id go with the drill iv done this in the past and it really does work slick.


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## afjes_2016 (Mar 12, 2018)

If it were me and my patio (which by the way is very nice looking) I would not even consider running anything under the cement slab. I could be wrong but drilling or anything like that I would may cause a "void" under the cement which I would think may cause the cement to possibly crack over time as there is nothing under it to support it. I know the conduit is not very large but I would not even want to take the chance.

Have you considered instead of running conduit for the Ethernet that maybe you should think about something like using a "bridge". My boss used one for our office to the warehouse about 1 block away. At the office he hung on the outside of the building the transmitter and a block away at the warehouse he put the receiver and we were able to get wifi at the warehouse. I don't know much about it but you may want to google it. may be a far less expensive alternative. Just a thought.


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## jkatcher (Mar 13, 2018)

Snoonyb said:


> Yes, unless there is an alternative path, such as under the eaves and overhead, or under the eaves, than down the wall at a place where the under concrete would be shorter, or hidden within a masonry joint.
> 
> Aesthetics are important, because you have to live with them, and if under the slab is the choice, because of the limitation you have, you'll need, and I would use elec. PVC, because you never know what the future holds, glue and couplings.
> 
> ...



Excellent, thanks so much!  That link seems to be broken, would you mind reposting?


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## jkatcher (Mar 13, 2018)

afjes_2016 said:


> If it were me and my patio (which by the way is very nice looking) I would not even consider running anything under the cement slab. I could be wrong but drilling or anything like that I would may cause a "void" under the cement which I would think may cause the cement to possibly crack over time as there is nothing under it to support it. I know the conduit is not very large but I would not even want to take the chance.
> 
> Have you considered instead of running conduit for the Ethernet that maybe you should think about something like using a "bridge". My boss used one for our office to the warehouse about 1 block away. At the office he hung on the outside of the building the transmitter and a block away at the warehouse he put the receiver and we were able to get wifi at the warehouse. I don't know much about it but you may want to google it. may be a far less expensive alternative. Just a thought.


Hmm interesting yeah.  Totally get your point about not wanting to run anything under the slab.  I have considered wireless, and we do have that up and running in the house now between the two structures, but I would really love a hard wire both for data and audio (both running on ethernet).  That's a good thought though, I need to think on that, thank you!


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## jkatcher (Mar 13, 2018)

slownsteady said:


> It may be too much to hope for, but there may be extra room in the electrician's recent run. I also don't know if that is okay/code for ethernet to follow electricity.


Yeah totally, I was thinking that as well.  I know audio and electrical shouldn't be run in parallel and not close in proximity either, but I'm not sure if ethernet falls under those same set of rules.  I honestly am not even sure how the electrician did it.  In the crawl space, he drilled a whole where he fed romex out of the hole into the bell box pictured.  I guess I could just try to feed it (with fish tape?  what would be the best way I wonder) through that hole assuming the electrical + ethernet isn't an issue.


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## jkatcher (Mar 13, 2018)

jkatcher said:


> Yeah totally, I was thinking that as well.  I know audio and electrical shouldn't be run in parallel and not close in proximity either, but I'm not sure if ethernet falls under those same set of rules.  I honestly am not even sure how the electrician did it.  In the crawl space, he drilled a whole where he fed romex out of the hole into the bell box pictured.  I guess I could just try to feed it (with fish tape?  what would be the best way I wonder) through that hole assuming the electrical + ethernet isn't an issue.


Hmm it looks like the electrical would disrupt the field created by the twisted wires of an ethernet cable:
https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-things-you-shouldnt-do-when-running-network-cable/
It's an older article but makes a good point, too bad because that would have been way easier!


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## Snoonyb (Mar 13, 2018)

Hopefully the actual link will post; 

If you are really aggressive with the drill you are pushing thru loose soil and mud, which then solidifies around the PVC, leaving little or no voids.

That didn't work, so I'll try this; www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSGzFeze8dY
Just add https:// to the front.


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## slownsteady (Mar 13, 2018)

... all the links worked on my computer. I wonder if it is a local issue.


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