Driveways and Pathways
When you have to lay cable across driveways or pathways you have three choices, laying over, cutting through or tunneling under. Both are time consuming, but sawing through is by far the preferable method. We would tunnel under only when there is a narrow ornamental pathway that you just cannot cut through.
Expansion Joint Method
If you have a conveniently located expansion joint in your driveway you are in luck. You can just lay the wire in that joint, and caulk over to hold the wire in place.
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First you will need to clean out the expansion joint of accumulated debris. An old screwdriver makes the ideal tool for this task. You can also use a high pressure hose. You want to get as much of the dirt out of there as possible so that there is a nice deep trench for your boundary wire. |
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Second, place the wire in the expansion joint, poking it down if necessary with that screwdriver, so that it is as near the bottom of the crack as you can get it. |
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Finally, caulk over the wire with a waterproof caulk. Note that for most caulks to set, the temperature has to be above freezing. So either wait for a warm day, or warm the cement with a torch or similar. |
Saw Through Method
If you aren’t lucky enough to have a convenient expansion joint in the driveway, the saw method is the fastest and easiest way to get across a driveway. You should budget about an hour for a driveway and about half that time for a pathway. The pro’s use this method.
Tools Needed:
- Circular Saw with concrete cutting blade
- concrete repair compound
- caulking gun
First find a location and prepare it to be cut. Look for an expansion joint or seam that is already in the driveway or path. Cutting a concrete driveway or path at the seam will result in a much easier and neater cut, but if there is no convenient seam, you can cut anywhere you please, just be sure to mark out a line before hand to keep the cuts neat. Clean out the area, seams and joints have often accumulated debris over time and may have weeds growing in them. A high pressure washer works great if you have one, otherwise you can use a stiff broom.
For the second step you will need a circular saw. (a cheap $30 model is fine) You will also need a blade for cutting concrete. Cheap masonry blades are available for under $5 and will be good enough for most cuts. But for some tougher jobs, you may need a diamond tipped masonry blade which will set you back about $15. Now use the saw to make your cut. The cut only needs to be an inch deep, although deeper is not a problem. When cutting go slow letting the saw do all the work and take breaks every couple of minutes to prevent your saw from overheating. Always wear safety glasses when making the cuts as debris will be thrown up. If you need to make lots of cuts. consider renting a concrete cutter from you local home improvement store. (about $50)
Next lay the wire in the cut you just made. You may need to clear out some of the debris or poke the wire down. You can do both of these easily with the warning flag poles that came with you dog fence system.
Finally caulk over the wire with a concrete sealant. You can buy cans of quick drying concrete at your local home imporvement store, they will cost about $3 a cannister. We like using Liquid Nails brand Concrete Repair. Cheaper brands are available in the $1.50 range, but we think the Liquid Nails brand is worth the extra in this instance because it tends to be more durable. Most caulks require a caulking gun for use, if you don’t already have one then you can buy one for less than $5 home imporvement store.
When caulk go slow and be neat as the caulk will be visible on your driveway. If you are not confident, use masking tape to cover the driveway on both sides of the cut and remove once you have finished caulking for a neater finish.
Tunnel Under Method
Tunneling under is tougher but neater. You will be creating a passage under the path or driveway. This avoids putting any cuts through the path and may be useful if you later decide to put in a sprinkler system or outdoor lighting. The downside is that it is time consuming, you will need to budget two hours for an average width pathway. Doing a driveway is a labor of love.
On the positive, tunneling under is something you would be unlikely to get if you hired professionals. If you are willing to put in the time, you can get a dog fence with no scarring of your driveway or pathways.
Tools Needed:
- PVC pipe (3/4 inch diameter)
- hack saw
Cut a length of PVC pipe the length of the required tunnel. Now cut the end of the pipe at a 45degree angle to make a sharp point. Dig a hole on one side of the driveway about a foot long and a bit deeped than you want the tunnel to be.
Use the PVC pipe to bore through the soil and create your tunnel. Go only half a foot at a time then remove the PVC pipe by twisting it and empty the soil inside the pipe.
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
One alternative to make the “Tunnel Under Method” go faster is to insert a garden hose in the pipe and allow the water to wash away and expel the dirt as you work.
BTW – great site and great info. I’m moving into a new house soon and will definitely be buying my materials from you!
Just curious if you would leave the pvc pipe underneath the driveway. Also, I have an invisible fence which I am moving to my new property would the wires you have here be compatible and would you recommend 18 or 20 guage? Thanks
Matt – I would leave the pipe under the driveway, it is a useful conduit the next time you need to run something under (e.g. sprinkler system hose).
I would use 20 gauge that all the manufacturers use and recommend. The 18 g is not much thicker, is harder to work with (due to being stiff), and costs more. Our experience is that anything that is going to cut and break the 20 gauge is also going to cut an 18 gauge.
How would you suggest cutting through an asphalt rather than concrete driveway?
Mitch – we do asphalt the same way. Cut it with a circular saw, bury the wire and then patch it with some asphalt compound or caulk.
I’m installing a new asphalt driveway & a invisible fence.
Is there a chance that the current will not go through the drive because it is too thick?
Also, Is there any need to worry about the new asphalt melting the pvc as it is layed over it due to its heat?
Mike, I would put the wire in some PVC conduit to protect it from the heat
(hopefully that will not melt too much). It will also be useful if
you ever need to run anything else through there (sprinklers, etc).
Thickness is not be a problem because the boundary width is
adjustable and if the signal is not getting through you can just
increase the signal strength. Besides, I imagine that you are only
putting down a few inches of asphalt.
I ran mine through an existing corrugated 12″ metal drain pipe at the entrance to my drive. It’s at least 3″ underground. I was concerned about coverage, but it works just fine with a low (3′) boundary width settings. I’ve got a layer of asphalt, dirt and metal with no problems. You should be fine.
I might of miss some information but here are some questions. Does the collar pick up the signal from the wire if the wire is inside plastic conduit? Does regular 18 or 20 guage wire from a home center work or does this wire have t be something special for this task?
ADMIN – Hi Patrick,
(1) The signal will go through plastic/PVC conduit or piping.
(2) Regular hardware store wire wire works fine. Try and get wire rated for direct burial if it is available. This will last longer in the ground. Gauge is not particularly important.
How does heavy snow affect the effectiveness of a system?
ADMIN – Hi Donna,
Heavy snow is not a big deal, you just need to turn up the boundary width dial when it happens to compensate for the extra depth.
Can the wire run through the seam and then be caulked over?
This would seem to me to be the easiest option, yet I dont see it here?
Hi Jim,
Agreed. Running the wire through the seam or expansion joint and then caulking over is a great way to do it. We will add it during the next update. Thanks for the tip.
the property is fenced with hi tensil livestock fence which is electrified. how far
should the wire be kept from this type of fencing to prevent problems.
Admin – Hi Chuck
Ideally you want to keep six feet away from an electric livestock fence. Sometimes you can get lucky and get no interference with just a small separation, which is great because you can string the dog fence up on the same posts that are holding the dog fence and avoid burying. The only way to know for sure how the interference will affect system is to string up a short length and test it.
We are about to move to a house on the lake, we have a fairly small lot, about 100 feet on the lake and we are at the end of a cove with a dock. Would it be possible to somehow put the wire in pvc in the lake to allow the dogs to swim around the dock but not get further out into the lake? We have 2 labs and I would hate to not let them swim. Thanks!
ADMIN – Hi Amanda,
Some folks put the wire in an old hose pipe. This keeps the wire floating at the surface (although you could sink it if you wish, but depending on the depth, the signal may not reach the surface) You can also put the wire in PVC.
1st guestion: when tunneling under the asphalt driveway is there any depht restrictions.
2nd guestion: i already have a 1″ pvc conduit under the drive way for my auto gate controler cable. the existing cable is for 12 volt dc moter that powers the gate moter. useing the same pvc conduit for the fence wire will this efect the performance of the fence.?
ADMIN – Hi Ken,
There is no maximum depth, but the lower you go, the more you are going to have to turn up the boundary width to get through the ground. I would avoid going much deeper than six inches.
I think you could get away with using the same conduit, there is probably no current going through that wire when the gate is not in use so it is unlikely to cause interference. The only way to know for certain would be to test.
Will a cattle guard interfere with transmission.
Hi Bart,
A cattle guard will not interfere with transmission. (I presume you mean the metal grid that goes in the ground that stops cattle walking over it) An electric cattle fence can sometimes cause interference, you have to test a small section to find out — if it does you will need to separate them, usually by about 6 feet.
I’m considering purchasing this unit for my american bull dog who constantly digs under our chainlink fence. I guess I can run the wire along the existing fence but am questioning what to do once I reach the gate which is very wide (allows 2 cars to come onto property) Any suggestions? I really don’t want to cut into the road/driveway.
ADMIN – Hi Sharon,
You have three options if you don’t want to cut.
I live on a lake that is lowered in the winter months. I want to put the wire in the lakebed so the dog won’t escape when the water is down. Installers have told me that I can bury it in the lake bed or even leave it exposed. Any suggestions? Thanks
ADMIN – Hi Glenn,
You can put the wire underwater, either buried in the bed, or just in the water. You want to try and avoid doing any splices in the water, but otherwise it will work fine. Many people put the wire in an old garden hose to protect it, but you don’t have to. One thing worth noting, is that water installation are not always practical just from a liveability standpoint. A good proportion of our water installers end up eventually moving the wire back because the dogs use their new found freedom to swim and then track mud into the house all day long.
I read where others have ran wires through their drive metal drain pipe. Does this really work? Does it need to be ran on the top side of the pipe or is leaving it on the bottom ground sside fine? Also, who deep should wire be buried?
Thx!
ADMIN – Hi Jeff,
Running the wire through a metal pipe usually works perfectly. As always you want to check with the collar to make sure you are not getting any interference or any unintended amplification of the signal. Running the wire along the top or the bottom of the drain pipe does not make a big difference. We usually do the bottom because it is easier.
Generally when burying the wire, you just need it deep enough to avoid getting hit by the lawn mower. Two inches is plenty, but you can go deeper if you wish. One thing to note is that the deeper you go, the more you need to crank up the boundary width so that the signal gets through the ground. This can create problems with the boundary being too wide in other less deeply buried sections of the electronic dog fence boundary.
I have a 25′ metal drain pipe with 12″ diameter which goes under my driveway (culvert). I would love to put the wire through the pipe. Any ideas how to thread or fish the wire? It seems like electrician’s fish tape will not be rigid enough. I am tempted to attach the wire to my little dog and sen him through to the other side, but was hoping there was a less traumatic solution.;)
ADMIN – Hi Steve,
We usually use fish tape. 25 feet should not be too hard with fish tape. If you are having trouble getting it through, put a long ten foot piece of PVC pipe in the drain, then feed the fish tape through the pipe, so that at least the first ten feet is easy for the fish tape.
PS – Tying wire to the dog is inhumane. Generally we tie a thread to the little dog when we send them down the pipe, then we use the threat to pull through wire.
Hi, can I run the wire up to our garage doors then up and around the doors and back down. I know she my be able to get out of the garage if the doors are open do to the height of the doors.
ADMIN – Hi Julie,
Running the wire above the garage doors to get across the driveway works. When you lay out the wire, just check that aren’t getting any unwanted signals in the garage. Sometimes metal garage doors will amplify the signal in that local area and create an unwanted signal near the entrance to the garage.
I have an opposite problem to most of the question here about burying the wire. To create a loop, I have to run the wire under an areas where I WANT my dog to be able to pass WITHOUT getting a correction. Is there any way to insulate it to keep the wire from tripping the dog’s collar? Perhaps I have to bury it so deep it won’t reach the collar? Any ideas here?
ADMIN – Hi Russ,
There is no good way to insulate the wire. You can go deep down below the area. The depth you need depends on how wide you have the boundary set up, but a word of warning you will usually need to go very deep (e.g. 3+ feet). It is usually easier to change the layout. We can usually achieve the same ends by playing with the layout.
I want to contain the backyard only and use the entire back of my house as a natural fence. The dog will need to pass in and out of the sliding doors, how do I cancel the signal across the patio doors?
ADMIN – Hi Maria,
You cannot cancel the signal in part of the loop. Instead run the wire up a downspout, and across the gutter over the sliding doors. The vertical height over the doors should get you enough separation so the dog can go in and out through the doors. Alternatively you can run the wire tight around the front of the house. For a lot more layout information, check out the “Installation –> Planning” section of the website.
I am making an assumption here but….I already have an existing fence that my dogs dig under, it is a chain link fence….can I just run the wire through the bottom of the fence instead of burying it since that is the boundary that I want my dogs to have? Will my dogs be able to go right up to the fence then? Also, will that electrify the fence in any way? I do not want to hurt any wildlife of it happens to shock the dog when there is a bird or squirrel on the fence if they activate it.
ADMIN – Hi Jen,
You can run the wire along the fence instead of burying it. You can run it along the bottom of the fence, but I prefer to run it a little higher to keep it away from any errant weed whacker!
The boundary wire is completely safe, it will not electrify the fence, the boundary wire does not deliver any correction, that is done by the collar. Similarly wildlife crossing the boundary will not activate the system, the system is only activated by the collar crossing the boundary.
We are in the procees of laying out the wire. There is an area in our yard that the wire will run thru that we cross with our tractor regularly, also our driveway is a hard pack gravel driveway which could have heavy traffic. These two areas I am planning on using either electrical plastic conduit or small diameter pvc pipe. Is this ok, will the plastic pipe degrade the signal from the wire ? How deep should the wire/pvc pipe be buried in these areas ?
Thanks, Clint
ADMIN – Hi Clint,
Conduit is a really good idea with a gravel driveway – otherwise the sharp edges of the gravel can be very abrasive. We usually use flexible irrigation piping or hose pipe, but PVC conduit works fine too. The signal goes through the PVC or plastic just fine. We usually bury it just below the surface (about 3 inches), but you can go up to about a foot down if you wish.
What about running the wire on top of the driveway then putting a little sealer/tar/caulk over that so its not completely open but i dont have to cut. – thoughts?
thanks, Dan
ADMIN – Hi Dan,
That works, you really just want to stop the wire moving around and creating a tripping hazard for your guests. If possible find an expansion joint but if not, your coudl do it as you suggest – the wire is suprisingly resilient to being run over.
We ran the wire right up along side the driveway on one side. Obviously I can’t put flags into the driveway to train her where the boundary is and where she will start hearing the warning beep. I was thinking of drawing a chalk line to mark the boundary line along the driveway. Do you think the dog can be trained to the chalk line just like the flags?
ADMIN – Hi Page,
Any visual marker will aid in training your dog. We usually just drop the flags on the driveway, and the dogs usually figure out that it means the same as a flag that is stuck in the ground.
Is there anything wrong with triple twisting wire for areas I want my dog to be able to pass without correction? I live in a split-level duplex and want to avoid running the wire on the unit. I thought that if I came out of each side of the transmitter with one wire of a twisted wire and layed the twisted wire out where I want my dog to be able to cross without correction. At the end of the twisted wire run, splice the twisted wire together. Then come back to the transmitter where the other wire of each side is located and splice a single wire to this end and twist that wire to the already twisted wire and run this single wire (which will ultimately become the boundry wire) around the boundry. Once the single wire is run beyond the now triple twisted wire, will that work as the boundry wire?
ADMIN – Hi Billy,
I’m not sure I’m following your description. However, I may still be able to answer your question. In order for the system to work, the boundary wire must go out from the transmitter, make the boundary and come back to the transmitter and plug into the second terminal. Twisted wire cannot be used in any part of this loop. Twisted wire is used to only connect the transmitter to the main boundary loop or to connect one main loop to a secondary loop.
Here’s an illustration that helps explain twisted wire:
http://www.dogfencediy.com/installation/plan/twisted-wire/
Here are some other installation methods you can also consider when designing your layout:
http://www.dogfencediy.com/installation/plan/
I hope this answers your question.
I have an existing fence that has not worked for a couple of years. The wire got so green and corroded over the years that it quit working. I got tired of splicing in new areas of the wire. My old dog got used to the boundary and did not need it. We now have a new dog and I need to put in new wire. I used the wire that came with the Pet Safe Kit originally. Any suggestions for wire that will last longer?
ADMIN – Hi Jim,
You want to use a wire that is “direct burial” rated. The insulation on this type of wire is reistance to soil acid and tends to last a lot longer than regular household wire.
Sometimes soil can be very corossive and nothing will hold up well. I suspect this is the problem, since the wire in the current PetSafe kits is direct burial rated and should have held up around ten years. This is rare, but if you think that is what is going on, then you can put the wire in irrigation tubing or an old hosepipe before burying it and that should fix the problem.
Is there any way, other than twisting, to suppress the RF for a 25 foot portion of the run? Have you ever tried a triple twist, that is like a flattened “Z” ? Do you think that would be worth trying? Thanks Frank S.
Hi Frank,
Unfortunately, there is not good way to suppress the signal for part of the loop. A triple twist does not work, nor does shielding.
Usually, you will try and design around the problem. Go high up above that section, go down underground below that section, or make a C-shaped loop doubling back on yourself.