digging a trench for cable run
 

I need a trench dug (about 750' long) down to my place for a cable run. I hear I could rent a ditch witch and do it myself. Is that even reasonable to contemplate?

The trench needs to be 18" minumum depth.

If you've had experience with this sort of thing, any advice would be appreciated. There's always the option of hiring a contractor to do it. Any idea of the cost?

Thanks in advance.

Grab a tile spade and start slingin! :D

OK, maybe not. However, I would have everything underground located before trenching.

It all depends on how much work you'd like to do. Trenching can be a real PITA, even with a ditch witch. The ditch witch will make the job far easier, but soil conditions, obstructions, etc can make for a very long weekend. Sometimes you know exactly what you're in for, like if the area has been graded/landscaped and you know that the 750' is mostly made up of topsoil.

Additionally, depending on the area, you absolutely should "Call before you dig", your state should have a number to call so you can verify that there are no underground lines that you might contact.

I can't comment on the price since it can vary widely but most times it's far better to hire someone (and believe me, I am among the last people to pay someone to do things which I myself can do).

ah so...

Hey thanks! This is the sort of advice I was seeking.

Anyone have an idea about costs of having this done per foot or some ballpark figure I may be looking at?

Beware of nearby trees with roots that may extend in the future to said area and watch out for seepage too.
Proper insulation is the key.

Hope that helps.

WHOA, people! Do it yourself!

I'm a short, skinny weakling and I've used the almighty Ditchwitch for a couple of projects. ART, I dug a 150' ditch about 18" deep in less time than it took to go rent the dang thing.

You can do it yourself for a lot less than hiring someone to do it.

dang, clavus.
I was gonna forget about the DIY alternative till your comment.
Hmm...
Well, one thing for sure.
If I do attempt the feat - I have now been duly reminded to call before I dig!

Not sure where you're located, but have heard of requirements for permits due to inspection/zoning issues when digging trenches as well, at least in the suburbs that I used to live in.

It all depends on the area you're digging. Sometimes it's like cutting through butter and then sometimes it's like cutting through stone, literally.

WarWagon, the new place is so close to being off the grid that all the utilities that make it out to our property end at our property. They go out to our place and just stop dead - that is, the ones that do make it out to our place at all. The cable run stops one property short of our place - hence the need to create a connection there from scratch.

Rent the machine and do it yourself. It's really not that hard at all to operate. 750 feet will cost a fair amount if you hire a contractor to do it for you.

Make sure you take pics for the waiting crowds.:)

Please, please, CALL! I lost an uncle when he was using a gas powered post hole digger and went into an electrical line. Also in Stillwater, OK the home of Ditch Witch a couple of their own guys were testing a piece of equipment and hit a high pressure gas line that was unmarked. Tragic results ensued. Don't even risk it, call.

There are possibly commercial and government lines that you may not know about.

Definitely call to be sure.

I don't know if you want to think about the cost for 750', but In case of future digging, it's advisable to put it through CPVC or PVC conduit pipe.

I whole-heartedly agree with this. If you do accidently end up cutting something, you won't be held responsible for it if you called first. (Unless, of course, you dig where they told you not to!) Once my dad was using a ditch witch and hit a massive telephone trunk that litterally connected two cities together. They were out in a field in the middle of no where and the local telephone company didn't even know about it. Some one had to come out and hand splice thousands of tiny wires to repair it...

I'll check with my Dad tomarrow on a price for this. He's done it a number of times before. I've even run the dang thing to dig it. It does depend as was mentioned on the kid of soil you have. Clay can be ok. Rocky can be nasty. He just rented a trencher. They aren't hard to use. Hey my brother even used it when he was 14 on our property.

Definitely CPVC. Regular PVC can break down when it's outside.

Also, Art, where do you live? If you live in the northern parts of the US, you need to dig it to 24 inches. 18 isn't deep enough because the permafrost will push the cable back up in a few years.

We (military) go 36 inches for cable but we use the BIG ditch witches..and its Canada ...you know how cautious we are!

Stay on target...stay on target....

Luke! You've switched off your targeting computer! Is everything alright?

Ohh...sorry. Not that kind of trench run.

So Art, how did this turn out?

What is CPVC?

Yes I have dug a trench/ditch type of thing my grandpa had a leaky pipe so my dad,brothers,uncle and I had to dig until we found it lol so relatives would be an easy way to get it done lol.