# Running water/gas/electric to new patio



## garrett1812 (Feb 3, 2016)

I am having a new concrete patio poured (actually, an extension onto an existing patio) and will be building a large island with build in grill. If feasible for DIY, I would like to run water, electric, and gas to the island. 

The new patio will go right up against my house, though the grill island will a few feet away from the house, so all utilities need to go under the concrete.

Electric I know I can do fairly easily, by running wire out the rim joist, into an electric box mounted on the siding (near where my current water spigot is), then down though conduit under the concrete and back up.

Gas and water I am no so sure about. The concrete contractor said he could drill through the foundation wall and install conduit, which I can later fill in with whatever I need, but he would not patch the concrete of the foundation wall, so there would be a rough hole with conduit coming though, and I worry about water issues. Is this something I can easily seal myself? Too big of a water risk? He did not mention what depth any of this would be done, either.

For the gas line, I know this could also come out of the rim joist, down under the patio and back up at the proper location. I do not have the budget to run the complete gas line, but if I can either run just the outside portion of the gas line now, or at least make it easy to install later, I want to do so. Should I just put in conduit for a future gas line to feed through? Coming up right near the outside wall of the house? What size? Or pour over the yellow gastite type line?

For water, being in northern Indiana, I imagine that running a water line through the rim joist then dropping down into the concrete is not a wise idea because of freezing. Should this go through the foundation as the contractor suggested? Does it have to be below the frost line? This is 42"+ here.

Thanks!


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Simply from a DIYer's perspective, I agree that the electrical is do-able provided the correct type of conduit is used (which I don't know) and it is GFCI protected plus any other code requirements.

I'm not so sure about gas either. I'm not completely sure but I don't think you can run gas under concrete, even in some form of conduit. You might be able to bring it out to a fitting at the rim joist for some future or ocassional use. There must be some type of fixture to make it neat at the siding - perhaps like the hose bib box. An option might be to exit the house at the side wall and bury it in the grass along the edge of the pad then up to your island, but again, I'm not that up on gas.

Water will be a problem because of your freezing. If you come out at the hose bib then drop under the pad you would need a way to drain the buried line and if you go through your foundation below the frost line (a) it will be more expensive and (b) you run the risk of water intrusion into your basement. You would still have to plumb a way of draining the line unless you want to install a yard hydrant which I'm guessing you don't.


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## garrett1812 (Feb 3, 2016)

Thanks, some good points on the water. I could set up a place to drain the water line inside the basement, not near a floor drain but I could use buckets since its only a once a year task not a bad problem. However, less desirable when I go to finish the basement down the road.

Now I am thinking maybe just a large conduit coming up near the hose bib, coming out inside the bbq island. I could put a Y-fitting on the hose bib, to a garden hose in the conduit, and connect that to a small sink. I am okay if its only cold water running out there. I could remove the hose completely in the winter. Maybe put screw caps on both sides to seal it off while not in use. Sounds like the simplest method?

I am also going to have a catch basin set in the corner of the new concrete, for my next project of underground drainage for the downspouts. Now that I am thinking about it, maybe I could also have a drain made inside the bbq island area, so the sink could drain into the same catch basin.


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## TheEplumber (Jul 20, 2010)

I don't know where your gas meter is, but consider running a separate poly line buried 12" deep from the meter to the stove. This way you will have a properly sized gas line fed directly from the meter- try to avoid a wall penetrations, sleeves and gas under concrete- it's doable but there are certain code restrictions involved


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## garrett1812 (Feb 3, 2016)

The gas meter is on the opposite side of the house, but probably would only be a 50-60' trench to do it, so that might be a good option. I would not do it this year, though, because the patio and bbq island are already pushing the budget. But I could put a piece of conduit in the concrete now, just going out into the dirt for now, to utilize later. What kind and size of conduit would I want for this?


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Unconventional but interesting approach to you water issue that would probably work. I would consider some kind of cap for both the conduit (to keep water out - even rainwater during warm weather plus bugs) and the hose that you pull through it (to keep water from draining out of it as you pull it out and lying in the conduit). If you use rigid jointed conduit I would avoid 90 degree bends - consider a couple of 45s or a bunch of 22 1/2s per bend tol make pulling the hose through much easier. and consider a poly 'messenger' line to make it easier.

Depending on your plans for the catchbasin, adding sink greywater may complicate things.

Research you future gas plans- I'm not sure you can run gas under the concrete even if in conduit.


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