Cutting a concrete pool deck to bury a pipe for slide

[slickrock22]

We purchased our home about a year ago and the previous owners had installed the slide with a Mickey Mouse attempt to get water pumping down the slide. See photo. Thankfully I had access to a stubbed in water return about 55 feet away. I dug a trench and ran a 2 inch pipe 55 feet to stubbed in right behind the slide. What I am trying to decide now Is do I rent a concrete cutter from Home Depot and cut a channel approximately 2 1/2 inches wide by about 2 feet long by 3” deep so that I can get the pipe just below the inside of the slide. I would assume that I would need to either cover the pipe with concrete and repair with knockdown coating or place some type of cover over the channel. My preference is to concrete and repair. It needs to look professional.

Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Well, since you said all suggestions are welcome, have you considered trying to tunnel under the slab? You can dig as far as you can go, then use high pressure water through a capped and drilled pvc pipe to get you where you need to go. A digging bar would be helpful as well. You can rent a concrete hole saw to bore a hole for the pipe. I've used this method of excavation to run sprinkler lines under a 4' slab in the past.

 

[slickrock22]

Well, since you said all suggestions are welcome, have you considered trying to tunnel under the slab? You can dig as far as you can go, then use high pressure water through a capped and drilled pvc pipe to get you where you need to go. A digging bar would be helpful as well. You can rent a concrete hole saw to bore a hole for the pipe. I've used this method of excavation to run sprinkler lines under a 4' slab in the past.

Wow...didn’t even consider. I will need to see how thick the slap is. Thanks for the input.

 

[kevreh]

Once you rent a wet drill with a bit from a rental center thats easy. The bit may be expensive to rent since they have to factor wear and tear. Once the hole is drill under the slide its just a matter of using a narrow shovel to dig the 2' horizontal to the hole. A variation of what Rancho said is to use a pressure washer to blow the dirt under the slab.

 

[CJadamec]

You will never be able to make a cut in the concrete and have it look the same again. It will always stand out.

Tunneling that short distance sounds like a good solution. A clean core bored hole for the pipe coming up will look neat and professional. Then simply grout or use a concrete repair caulking to fill the gap between the pipe and the hole. Try to tunnel as little as possible or the concrete slab above the tunnel will likely crack and brake. If you can re fill the tunnel with some thing after the pipe is in there it would be better.

 

[Dirk]

Well, since you said all suggestions are welcome, have you considered trying to tunnel under the slab? You can dig as far as you can go, then use high pressure water through a capped and drilled pvc pipe to get you where you need to go. A digging bar would be helpful as well. You can rent a concrete hole saw to bore a hole for the pipe. I've used this method of excavation to run sprinkler lines under a 4' slab in the past.

Ding it, I got all excited after reading the OP's question. "Oh, I know this one! Me, me, call on me!!" And then Rancho steals my thunder!!!

Dig, or water jet under, don't cut the slab. If they laid the slab on sand, as some are done, you'll have an especially easy time of it. Dig if it's soft enough, use water if not. Alternately, Home Depot sells a 3" auger. I used a couple of those to get under a slab, because I didn't want to fill the trench I had dug with water (from the water drilling). I went 2' in from one side, and then 2' in from the other and met in the middle closely enough to shove a couple of 2" PVC pipes through. Water jetting for 2" would have used a significantly larger volume of water, and I would have had to stop often to bail out the trench. I only saw $60 augers just now at Home Depot. But I remember paying more like under $20. I had to buy two, because the first one broke. You get what you pay for. You can always repurpose a good one later, to justify the expense of a better one. Attach it to a cordless drill and do some weeding or planting in the garden. It's a nice tool to have if you go that route.

The trick in your case will be leaving yourself enough room to work in the elbow, either from the hole you drill through the slab, or the hole you drill through the dirt. It'll be tight, but I definitely wouldn't cut the concrete. You'll be cutting through a metal grid and/or rebar and weakening the slab...

Man, would my kids love a slide!

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

I figured if I threw the bait out there (no avatar pun intended), Dirk would be by to finish it up with details.

 

[Razorhog]

That's a very short distance. When I had to go under my sidewalk for speaker wires, I took a length of 2" PVC pipe and cut the end at an angle to make it dig easier. Dig a trench long enough and the depth you need out from the concrete. Use a rubber mallet to hammer the pipe into the dirt. Pull out the pipe and use a broom handle to force the core of dirt out. Put the pipe back in and repeat until you have the distance you need. I would cut the hole in the deck first so you can visually see when the pipe is positioned correctly.
Hmm. The more I think about this, the hard part will be getting the 90 degree elbow up through the hole in the deck. Probably the best bet would be to dig out a big enough hole under the deck and put a pre-made length PVC with 90 already in it. Then pack the hole with dirt.

 

[Dirk]

I figured if I threw the bait out there (no avatar pun intended), Dirk would be by to finish it up with details.

Ah, you know me too well! ​

Hmm. The more I think about this, the hard part will be getting the 90 degree elbow up through the hole in the deck. Probably the best bet would be to dig out a big enough hole under the deck and put a pre-made length PVC with 90 already in it. Then pack the hole with dirt.

That's how I'd do it, then just pour in sand from above, and pack it in from the side, to fill the dig as best you can.

 

[Razorhog]

Another option that might be worth considering would be to run the pipe into that flower bed around the tree. Then drill a hole trough the flower bed wall for a flexible hose to the ladder. Might put a splitter/valve in there as an option to water the flower bed/tree if needed.

 

[Dirk]

Another option that might be worth considering would be to run the pipe into that flower bed around the tree. Then drill a hole trough the flower bed wall for a flexible hose to the ladder. Might put a splitter/valve in there as an option to water the flower bed/tree if needed.

That'll be work to dig down far enough (possibly around roots), but you wouldn't have to drill cured concrete, which won't be fun. Six'a'one...

Or just run the pipe up and over the wall, which won't look as nice but won't require any drilling.

But I think the water will be pool water, yes? Not fill water, so no watering the tree with that, I would think...

 

[Killer95Stang]

Under the slab is your best bet... now... 2"? That's a lot of water!!

 

[tstex]

Well, since you said all suggestions are welcome, have you considered trying to tunnel under the slab? You can dig as far as you can go, then use high pressure water through a capped and drilled pvc pipe to get you where you need to go. A digging bar would be helpful as well. You can rent a concrete hole saw to bore a hole for the pipe. I've used this method of excavation to run sprinkler lines under a 4' slab in the past.

This is exactly what I did to tunnel 3/4" PVC under a 3 ft sidewalk. What you can do is take your 2" pipe, hammer it under the deck where you want it to go, then pull it out and knock out the dirt...the put the pipe back in the target area and take your hose w strong spray nozzle and spray into pipe and your an official hydraulic earth mover

Once all completed, take a 3/4" sch 80 w a cap on it[grey thicker pvc] and use it to pack-in your dirt - you don't want a hollow place under the decking. I replaced 244 ft of 1948 galvanized pipe and that was a job !!!!

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

I have never tried to core through cured concrete. That will be the biggest challenge.

Let us know how it works out.

 

[proavia]

I'd be tempted to bring the supply pipe up in the planter with the tree in it. Go under the sidewalk directly under the plastic expansion joint. Dig down in the planter to connect the 90 and vertical pipe. Cap it off with an on/off valve in the planter and connect to slide with a flex pipe. And no need to core drill the concrete.

Using the pipe and hammer idea from above posts you probably wouldn't need to worry about backfilling the horizontal area under the concrete either.

 

[slickrock22]

Amazing responses! Thank you for the detailed explanation! I would never have thought of the flower bed approach either. I was sure the only approach was to cut the concrete with a saw and create the channel. This really goes to show that all of us are smarter than one of us. When I get home tonight I will assess the flower bed suggestion.

Also I do not intent to run 2” all the way. The current flexible pvc connected to the slide is 1” I think. I think that should be sufficient. Make it even easier to choose either under or in the flower bed.

Thanks again!

Ryan

 

[Dirk]

Just curious...

How much water are you after? A trickle, just to keep it lubricated? Or a raging waterfall ride?

That's a skimmer we're looking at? Like 2'+ down below its cover? How does that work? Any issues? Just a long reach down to the basket? Never seen that before...

So what, like 3' from slide to water? Fun!!

 

[Arizonarob]

As soon as I read the OP, I knew the hair on the back of Dirks neck was standing up!!

 

[Dirk]

TFP should offer something like the Roller Coaster Club (whatever it's called), where we all band together and travel the planet to visit, swim in, work on, and otherwise enjoy an international set of pools!!

No pool too big. No pool problem too big. No pool floatie too big. No pool drink too big!!!

unkrock::splash: ::

 

[slickrock22]

Lol...Good eye. The skimmer basket is about 3 feet below the pool deck. It came with this extra long handle so I can reach it. It’s especially fun when it is full of debris as the pool is surrounded by trees. I will pull the basket out of the hole and all of the debris that is backed up in the entrance immediately goes into the hole and the only way to get it out is to get in the pool and stick your hand in and pull it out. I wondered if there was some type a solution like putting a net in front of the entrance to the skimmer basket so that no large debris could enter. It’s a hassle.

Sorry forgot to answer the last part about the amount of water. Just enough to lubricate the slide is fine with me.

You should see the look on kids faces on their maiden ride down the slide when they drop four extra feet at the end of the slide before hitting the water!! [emoji13]