How do you bury the wires?

trench (noun): ditch with steep sides; long deep hole dug in the ground, usually with steep or vertical sides.

In our industry, we get this question all the time. Our primary clients are those who have estate properties with well-manicured lawns and landscapes. The thought of us coming in with a trencher and cutting ditches all over their yard is enough to cause some major anxiety.

Not a good idea for your lawn

Although running a trencher in the yard might be a lot faster, there are some major draw backs to it. First, most obviously, is the damage to the lawn itself. Not only does it leave a pretty large ditch, it’s also almost impossible to fill back in completely and will leave a pretty good indention in the yard after the grass does finally grow back in. Also, there is the nearly guaranteed damage to the irrigation system. Trying to repair all of the cut water lines would be a nightmare, and one would pray those repairs won’t leak afterward. Plus, there’s usually some kind of wiring that was not buried deep enough, and it gets cut and needs to be repaired. Finally, trenching can cut tree roots causing permanent or sometimes fatal injury to the trees.

Despite these potential traumas, sometimes a trencher is required, however. That is when the client, usually in a commercial situation, requires high voltage lighting. According to the National Electrical Code, the wiring necessary for this lighting must be installed at minimum 18” depth. When long ditches need to be that deep, then the time saved over digging the trench by hand more than makes up for the repairs that might need to be made. If it’s just a short distance, though, hand digging may still be best.

This edger is similar to the custom made edger that we use

But what is the best way to lay low voltage lighting wire in the ground? Well, I’m old enough to remember the days before the ever present string trimmers (weed eaters) that we are all used to seeing now, and are used to trim the grass along sidewalks, driveways and other hardscape items. Back in the day, we used a flat edge spade to do this work. It just so happens that this is also the perfect tool for laying low voltage wire to a depth of 6” - the depth required by the National Electrical Code. By stepping onto this spade and gently moving it back and forth, the installer can create a small cut in the ground which will be virtually undetectable when the job is finished. This is the way we install all of our underground wiring to avoid damage our client’s lawn.