Today the city installed a new gas line into our brick house. I was sure they would have to dig a ditch to put the gas line in. To my surprise - they didn't.
The gas line runs 36 inches deep. It has to go more than 100 feet from the street to the house.
The city used a horizontal drill - very similar to the way they dig oil wells today. Simply - the drill sections are 10 feet long. Using water as a lubricant - they push the drill into the ground on an angle. They can steer the drill - left - right - up - down - by controlling a rudder type device on the drill bit end. The rudder causes the drill bit to slip into any direction you want it to go. While one man operates the drill - the other man uses a meter to gauge where the drill head is. He directed the operator as the drill bit snaked through the trees. Finally - the bit popped out of the ground like a gopher - just a few feet from the house.
Next - they attached a gas line to the bit - and pulled over 100 feet of pipe back through the tunnel. Tomorrow - they will put a gas meter on the house and attach the pipe to the main in the street.
All was done in less than an hour. Your tax dollars at work.
