Digging under frost for a new electric service

Digging a short trench for a electric service for a new house in the winter with frozen ground. Running the conduits and backfilling the trench.
Music:
Prod. Rich LeFloor; Sleep Walking
Prod. Rich LeFloorl; 80s NEM

[@denicefithian1328]

I knew when I saw the tunnel that Andrew HAD to crawl thru it lol! 😂☺️he's an old wise soul and a silly kid at the same time! I love it!!! 💟💜

[@leebastion]

I need to start at your first video, as I've been working back from the latest and watching this property slowly get unbuilt is entertaining to say the least lol

[@dougcorrigan9677]

Andrew, I have just recently discovered your videos and I want to complement you on having some of the finest videography I’ve seen. Your use of angle, perspective and lighting are excellent. I really enjoy the way you integrate the use of the drone mounted camera and the panoramic views at the end of many segments. Looking back at a couple of older videos, I would like to offer what I did with similar challenges. I was annoyed by tractor tires repeatedly going flat from locust tree thorn punctures. My local commercial/ agriculture tire dealer was able to fill them with foam for a fraction of the cost of solids. Haven’t had a flat in three years. As for your comment about needing a toothed bucket for your compact track loader. I purchased a great tooth bar for my 85 hp ASV CTL and now with only 2 bolts on/off I have it either way. Really improved the breakout capabilities of the bucket for only $350. Replaceable teeth make maintenance a snap.

[@AndrewCamarata]

Thanks for the complement, and thanks for the tips.

[@jeffhall2958]

My first comment, and it is only to help. Buy a canvass tent large enough for your equipment and tent at least one. Use conduit to make the frame. Leave an entry and exit in it with a flap to cover those for the night. In those cold arse mornings when things are frozen, put a bullet blast heater, (Propane Blast Heater), towards one opening and open the other side to allow for the heat to dissipate slowly. Heat your equipment for an hour and it should not only start, but move as well. Rinse and repeat for all your other equipment. Once you have one piece going, the day isn't lost, and in hours the rest will be functioning. Just a tip from an old guffa' from Maine. Good luck son!

[@prattsgreenhousefarm9473]

Good work once again. Cold weather always makes things about 10 times harder. Don't sweat the criticism you have done enough to know what's practical and what's not.

[@stiks676]

it's very interesting to watch your work! hello to you from Russia

[@AndrewCamarata]

Thanks

[@jorgeantonioromeroespinola2514]

. Hello, from Paraguay... . We have now, 37° C... .

[@davidswezene1102]

As always Andrew, I enjoy watching your videos and explanations of what you're doing and why that come with it. There will always be trolls That berate one thing or another that others are doing well at. Just ignore them unless there's something to learn from them, which is often to ignore them. Spot on videos, very very instructional in nature.

[@johnscally255]

HARD but thorough worker does it again.Thanks sir.

[@chrisbarr1359]

Always great music!

[@johnquinn3035]

5:51 osha approves

[@luacreskid]

Spent most of my adult life in PA and MI...frozen ground is a reality. Now live in Willamette Valley, Oregon. Utilities are down a foot or so and these folks just shake their heads when I talk about 48" utilities Good job

[@artm5294]

Didn't see any yellow "buried cables" warning tape installed when you filled in the trench. Another good video!!!

[@Simonelectricfl]

Andrew that is most likely a 200 amp squar d homeline with a feed through buss bar. Because they do not make a homeline 200 amp breaker that will fit in 2 standard size breaker slot. Also they will probably remove that temporary service eventually aswell and just couple the 2" pipes together below grade. I would remind the electrician to leave a few feet of slack in the 2/0 cu thhn wrapping around the inside of the panel so they won't need to re-pull the whole run and it will make it all the way to the transformer pad it will be short if they don't do this. That would suck to waste 50 feet of 2/0 because it is a few feet short.

[@tltsw]

Andrew brother you do know how to run a mini and skidstear. Again thank you taking us to work with you again. Im just starting out to be a operator and I've gotten pretty good on our mini excavator and loaded.

[@joeyoliver579]

Two things: where was Inspector Levi for the tunnel, and there had to be a lot of settling after the ground thawed.

[@Military-Museum-LP]

That was a first for me! Tunneling.... good job.

[@AndrewCamarata]

Yeah, me also, thanks.

[@scottsmith8546]

Great job brother! Next time, tell them it costs double past November 15th. :0) PS - the home owner should hire you again to place that giant bolder you moved earlier from the foundation dig, in front of the transformer on the high side in case somebody goes a sliding down the driveway.

[@AlejandroLapeyre]

In spring there will be more demand and the price rice too 😀

[@bsm6776]

Queue the KZbin “master” builders with their holes up comments. Andrew does this for a living! He knows what he is doing.

[@MrHayabusa54]

Andrew, impossible is done immediately, wonders take a little longer 👍🇩🇪

[@davidgenthnerjr4995]

Seems like the engineers and that picked a crappy time for you to be doing earth work. Usually during the winter months due to the ground freezing mos general contractors in my area will not do any earth work once the ground hardens up.

[@AndrewCamarata]

Yeah, I agree. Its was suppose to start much earlier in the year. But everything took longer than it should have, so I'm fighting the cold now. Its in pretty good shape, for the winter now though.

[@user-nw4di3pf3g]

Sometimes they dig a grave in the frozen ground to the full depth. Who will be lucky.

[@SantaClaw]

You shold really get yourself a basic ripper-tooth for your excavator to deal with the frozen ground more easily :)

[@TruckDynasty]

Better than letsdig18

[@tamenui-nuseb8758]

I digg your musical tasre on all your videos Budd. Its like the corresponding to each video.

[@leol1682]

Good job Andrew like it specialy the tunnel .

[@AndrewCamarata]

Thanks, yeah, that was cool.

[@treeclimbing7798]

That’s one way to skin a cat so to say. Thinking outside the box Determination Wins again.

[@twofeathers6540]

thanks for the video

[@aldimore]

BRRR. I am glad we don't see freezing like that down south. Ij am learning a lot watching you. I hope to get a small excavator to play around on soon.

[@dansbrown1313]

No yellow caution tape Andrew?

[@chinaski2020]

Guess it's not necessary as it's obvious the wire's running from the box to the house.

[@scott5747]

Did I miss something or did you not back fill the tunnel?

[@CPguyinON]

Once the ground thaws it will sink and he can fill on top of it

[@glenngoodale1709]

You sure know how to use your machine to get the job done !! Must be really cold there....

[@josephpulse2537]

I love how no little thing like a frozen track stops him.

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you ,Andrew

[@stillX2]

You have the ability to endure hard work

[@rustrtal]

That is most likely a pass-through panel where there won’t be any additional breakers for the house. The house will go on and off with the main.

[@KiotiTractorNL]

Amazed at all the ignorant comments Andrew, people should watch and learn and if they have only negative things to say they shouldnt say anything at all. Great Channel, one could only hope to have all his own equipment and be his own boss like yourself, for me being a excavator operator and alot of my fellow co workers that is the dream. Keep up the great work man

[@AndrewCamarata]

Thanks, yeah allot of "want to be building inspectors" on here.

[@brendaphillips4550]

'Bout froze my toes off trying to watch this series. Kept having to stop and go make hot chocolate. I live in South Texas. We don't get frozen like that. Brrrr!!

[@smokinjoesmoyen1899]

Your a good operator. Cool tunnel.

[@mysurlytrucker7510]

Hope you dont mind me saying but when your digging your blade is better at the back it makes your machine more stable.

[@mussellnz8640]

bro that wos epic digging under that frost iv never sean any one do tht with a digger ,

[@Billsbob]

The frozen track shuffle makes it look like your excavator has worms.

[@terrybryan1932]

Putting the at the back gives you digging power my friend

[@bjbeardse]

I'd belike FUKIT! Im moving to DIXIE!!!!!

[@Oceanism]

What if you hook a tube fram the exhaust pipe, and let it blow exhaust on the frozen track?

[@cat637d]

Nice job Andrew, especially the novel way you got around the frozen ground! Also there are way to many armchair engineers in the comment section, just ignore them!

[@1944chevytruck]

thanks 4 video..... be kind.................

[@Chicagoman36]

They should sealed that wall before back filling with that black stuff... Even if its middle winter!!! that spot can still leak...

[@jaycahow4667]

I noticed that a well, seems like a waste to seal the whole foundation and then punch a whole in it, roughly patch it up and then not reseal it. The hole they patched around the pipe is the most likely spot to leak in the basement.

[@davecalvo1939]

That's very cool Andrew, you always find a way which makes you successful in your career. As a licensed electrician in CT I know what a bitch it is trenching in the winter time.

[@TF856]

Can't hear the tractor. All I hear is that music. 😟 Have to turn the audio off until the music stops. I wish you could signal us somehow to let us know that the music has stopped so that we could turn the audio back on. 😁

[@rjlandscaping7853]

Hey what's going on my name is Rocco I really enjoy your videos Im from CT don't exactly know where you are located in NY must be upstate your videos remind me of working with my dad doing different projects that had to be done. Well keep the videos coming we all appreciate them thanks Rocco

[@JeffLT3030]

Nice work! Awesome channel!!

[@DustyBiscuitFilms]

Do you own all this equipment?

[@robhenderson9320]

Brilliant worker and great videos, but so unsafe. Imagine if that tunnel collapsed and he was underneath

[@johnm.evangelis693]

You know Andrew you have to invest in a Jackhammer digger for the Yanmar so it will help you dig better!!!

[@Ramdodge582]

125 amp max sub panel breakers if i am not mistaken. it's a small house so that should be OK.

[@randallhutchcraft4039]

Is Jesse Muller your friend, he does the same thing you do, I can watch him sometimes, I've seen most your videos, so far except the very first one's I suppose.

[@South_Texas_Fail]

I have a couple of questions. 1: Do you place bids on these projects, or people come to you? I'm under the impression that you are an independent contractor, and not a subcontractor. 2: Where do you find all of the music that you use in your videos?

[@AndrewCamarata]

People usually call me, lots of repeat people. Mostly the KZbin audio library, but these came from here: soundcloud.com/wreckagerecords/sets/free-instrumentals-d

[@South_Texas_Fail]

Cool, and thank you for responding to my questions!

[@jorgeantonioromeroespinola2514]

. Me imagino, que esa casa habrá costado una fortuna, para hacer todos esos trabajos, y construir totalmente terminada... . No es para cualquiera, una casa de esas, no señor... .

[@nedloh17]

No marker tape over the conduit

[@AndrewCamarata]

No one is going to dig that up. You can see the conduits going into the ground on the house and on the meter pad. But ill make sure to always use tape to set a good example. The reason why its been left out in the past is because people don't want to pay for it, and keep talking me down on prices. I am going to be more firm and try not to deal with cheap customers any more.

[@jdub229r]

Nothing in the NEC about caution tape over secondary (post utility transformer). I'd bet the utility company requires tape over the primary. In NC, most of the local utility providers bring direct burial cables to the transformer. Contractor only has to install twin 6" sleeve under pavement.

[@paulwhited117]

Another well done video. Check out Wain Roy quick change system. I have that on our Excavator and has been amazing. 3’ bucket with no teeth which we use the most but not for digging. And then a 2’ and 1’ but I’ve also made forks, a rake and 20’ boom. Just is sweet to pull one not greased up pin and change.

[@TrailTrackers]

That tunnel was AWESOME Andrew. I've never seen that done with an X before. Have you thought about renting or purchasing a hammer for your X? I live in Utah and we have frozen ground here too during the winters. When I dig in that I've rented a jack hammer attachment and it works really good.

[@jlf9999]

Place concrete cover type mats over you entire rig when you know it going to freeze hard and then place a 40 watt light bulb mounted to a piece of scrap wood under the oil pan. Ask your concrete guy if he has some old ones or they are available at the construction supply place.

[@AndrewCamarata]

Cleaning the tracks out keeps them from freezing.

[@jaywillow9927]

You need a ditch witch dude. A ditch witch with a trencher and plow blade. Get a ride on. They are the bomb for digging trenches. They'd have dug the trench 5 times as fast as the excavator and the frost would have been no problem.

[@AndrewCamarata]

Think so? I rented one once and I was not impressed with it. It was a 2 wheeled walk behind machine, and mobility was much of the problem. Maybe if it was a skid steer attachment instead.

[@mysurlytrucker7510]

Good work especially considering the climate your hammer if you had it at the time would be useful in the winter.

[@marioprzepiora]

Try using the pushblade behind the excavator. Lower it and you'll use the total weight of the machine to dig.

[@swampwhiteoak1]

As far as frozen tracks are concerned, I would deal with it properly or stop until spring. Actually, i would do both.

[@MegaBait1616]

I had to put on the chipper to break up the frost line about 8 yrs. ago putting in a 1" water service 4' below the ground was sooo frozen . lol. Then back to the bucket to remove the chunks. The town wouldn't let me fill with the frozen dirt even with copper tubing so had to bed it in sand and wait till soft again to refill. Also had to tamper the ground every foot with a jumping jack. Held up everything 6 weeks :(

[@MegaBait1616]

and i'm only 2 hours south of you.............

[@rusosure7]

I've seen dogs do that when their butt glands get clogged lol

[@jerrysparks1308]

wait till summer when your tunnel caves in lol

[@nicholasbausman999]

No sand on top of that pipe or red caution tape...

[@williamlvanstralen]

Sure doesn't seem to mind workin' in the cold...

[@paagronomoff2]

Why don't you spin both tracks at the end of the day or clean them with a steam cleaner?

[@DVTY1]

Try hammering those tracks with a sledge hammer

[@iiFoogie]

Over where I live, they out there electric meter on the house and put the breaker inside.

[@cat-pd1di]

Hydraulics are awesome!

[@Hatya05]

I borrowed a ripper tooth for my 60 mini ex today, its on my must have list now.

[@AndrewCamarata]

For doing frost? Did it help much?

[@Hatya05]

Andrew Camarata Its was very helpful I had about 12” of frost in some areas, it was a chore but it was a job that had to get done. I think it would work great on 4-6” of frost, 12” of frost on hard clay took me quite a while to work thru. I finally got the hang of it and realized if I scraped a line over and over until it broke free I could move over and scrape another line about 8 - 12” to the side and it would break up after about 6 scrapes. I would say 12” of frost was too much for my 12k lb machine. I borrowed this one from a fellow excavator friend, my dealer priced me a new one at 1100, i will be looking for a used one.

[@AndrewCamarata]

Ok, good advice, I few people said the same. I might have to pick one up. It would be much more fun having different accessories for that machine if it had a quick change bucket. Its a little annoying to change that bucket by removing pins.

[@paulwhited117]

Wain Roy quick change system would be an amazing investment for you in the long run. Check them out. I have it on our excavator and has been wonderful to have. But as always everything costs money so I understand that.

[@buelowexcavating]

I started in an asphalt road then ripped thru a good 7' of frost with my John Deere 710 backhoe with a frost tooth on it in about six hours for a sewer line repair. I have a coupler on the hoe so I would rip about a foot of material then remove it with the bucket. A bucket won't even touch that kind of frost. When have time I will put a ground thawing machine on to make it easier on the machine. I also have a vee bottom frost bucket that I use, the frost tooth is much more aggressive than the frost bucket. I also have a Ford 655 with a ripper tooth, It probably could have cut thru that frost above your tunnel in about 1/2 hour or less.

[@JuhisTube]

Buy a ripper on that excavator. Really good with icy ground and wood stumps.

[@edwardgarea7650]

JS 81 Andrew is the type that will make his own ripper. Why buy when you know how to weld?

[@HughzieTube]

Have you tried a bit of insulation around the idler sprocket to try and prevent freezing? Should throw a Tarpaulin over each track when you finish to reduce the exposure and it might be less of a ball ache when you start on a morning.

[@AndrewCamarata]

It just needs to be shoveled out at the end of the day.

[@rasmAn2]

is it mainly the drive gear on the tracks that gets gunked up and freezes? or is it more the idlers and the entire track? in the first case, diverting the flow to the motor and running it trough a couple of bulky restrictors might make a good heater for it. steel tube next to the track after a restrictor might do it for the track to, but i'm guessing not so much. coolant's better but you'd have to plumb it trough the swivel, which would be a can of worms i'd leave closed. no such worries for the skid steer though. seems like it's costing you a lot of time each morning now, might be worth the effort. pipe chasing might do the job to, but that's lacking the power to get you running quicker than you are now methinks, hydraulic heater gets you all the power you normally drive with.

[@briangardiner1015]

Andrew, have you considered at rpper tooth for your excavator? I used to live in Tucson Az and saw a contractor tunnel under sidewalks and driveways installing a water line. Back then they could water jet to compact the soil. They used a long steel pipe with a valve on one end. Then they would push the pipe into the ground and turn on the water and push the pipe as deep as it could go. Now they do lifts and compact.

[@jonathanbartron3658]

"It's hammer time!"

[@marlenesmith6002]

you should have used a jackhammer like you do for big stones to break the frozen dirt

[@zzz13zzz17]

I live in Russia. The depth of frozen earth where I live after winter is from 1 meter 20 centimeters to 2 meters. So don't worry, be happy.

[@johnpaterson8104]

I love watching your videos Andrew, but the choice in music would make an onion cry.

[@PatrickWagz]

m u t e button

[@0778drz110]

I wonder why they didn't move the electrical meter to the side of the house? I would've though that temporary pole was going to get ripped out when they finished. Seems kinda half-assed and an eye sore.

[@MaverickandStuff]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@arkansas1336]

0778drz100 --- The power company's transformer is/ends in that area. Just hide it, landscapers need jobs too.

[@jwg19444]

Could be part of a larger plan like adding a back up generator with automatic switching; keeps the noise away from the house. Could also be an electric utility requirement since the meters are now using a wifi type mesh network for recording usage data.

[@odc43054]

In my area it's driven by how far the utility will extend a line and transformer off their "main" line. They have a limit. If you go further, they require you to pay for the whole thing. If you can get them to extend it as far as possible, saves a lot of $$ in buried line costs.

[@tux1968]

Not to mention anyone can just shut off all your power from outside with the simple flick of a switch.

[@chris18228]

I would take the whole entire breaker box and put it inside I would not have it outside

[@ZacVaper]

You forgot to bury the electric underground warning tape.

[@Miles-mf9kg]

when he installs the pipe he buries it with the tape. If the electricians are installing the pipe its their responsibility i think.

[@toddreynolds8875]

First put back a foot and half or so of dirt then lay tape out and finish covering it. It dont do know damm good if its down near yhe conduit. But thats how most yhe idiots that dont know no better do it.

[@tmoomoo42]

Just wondering how you filled tunnel in?

[@AndrewCamarata]

When the ground thawed it collapsed, than more dirt was added on top.

[@Kharnellius]

@@AndrewCamarata Sounds safe, lol.

[@OpenSesame001]

Funny, 0:15 reminds me of my dog dragging his butt across my carpet..

[@WAVETUBE84]

You can DIG!

[@kirkschellhammer6593]

Cool 😎

[@waynep343]

i can't imagine not running the tubes all the way to the bottom of the ditch all the way to the ends instead of sloping them in. coming up within a foot or so of the foundation wall so you could get your ells in. and how do you keep the water out of the open ends and filling the middle of the tube runs with water or ice..

[@morgansword]

I seen the one you refer to installing service to site. Its amazing how fast a building goes up in any weather, any condition that is humanly possible for mankind to go forth. Husband team working on service... possibly home owner as it is your responsibility to do after the breakers. Short fast and sweet

[@excavatorfun6265]

how many hours do you have in a excavator seat? nice job!

[@AndrewCamarata]

Thanks, how many hours, that's a good question. I bought that first one in 2010. I would have to say 4000+ hours.

[@tux1968]

I hate how easy it is for someone to walk up and shut the electricity to the house off. Seems like those outdoor meters are very common in your area though. Here they're all in the basement with electronic readings collected remotely. Only in case of a dispute does someone have to come in and actually look at it.

[@jaycahow4667]

Actually the trend will be to put your power panel outside in the future. This is so the fire department o emergency worked can kill the power before they spray water in case of a fire. How would you like entering a live building being flooded with with water that conducts electricity real well. I too have issues with the panel being outside but I think some places require it already.

[@latheman23]

I can't understand that in such a cold climate, that the electric is on a breaker panel outside. Why isn't it inside on the basement wall or even upstairs in a utility room? Also why didn't you bury the electric line before you backfilled the footer on that side ? You dug up the gravel then backfilled with dirt. i realize that's the high corner but still?

[@henrythompson7595]

won't that tunnel cave in when the dirt thaws?

[@seantap1415]

Funny how driving over the ground makes the frost so much deeper.

[@AndrewCamarata]

Well it was because the snow was plowed off that area, and there was no snow there to insulate that spot, so the frost was deeper.

[@seantap1415]

I live in the land of frost and your right the snow can insulate the ground against frost but nothing can make it go deeper than driving on it...

[@oby-1607]

Where I live, the frost can go 8 feet deep if you drive on it. That digging in frost is hard on a machine, like breaking up difficult rock. Good camera work. Loved the tunnel.

[@nanathannvw]

I was under the impression that frost lines go deeper due to the air pockets being squished out from the soil. Making it worse for insulating. I’m not sure how much truth there is in that but it seemed like a plausible explanation.

[@stanpatterson5033]

This might seem sort of like a dumb question, but with that rubber track setup on that Yanny, couldn't you use the arm to prop up the "frozen" side, then use a hammer/prybar to beat the track loose from the frozen spots, or is the problem all right there around the drive sprocket?

[@AndrewCamarata]

I tried that, it didn't reach. I just need to clean it better.

[@AdolfKitler]

Yoga pants walking around with hands in pockets --- FIRED!!!

[@RipVDub]

From 7:10 on...I feel like I’m listening to a scene from the 1979 classic movie, “ The Warriors.” Nice. Did you fill the tunnel?