How Do I Manually Bury a Cable?

Shut off the electricity to the home, if the cable is already connected to it.

Walk along the ground where you want to install the cable to remove any visible obstructions. Open a can of spray chalk and draw a line on the ground designating the path of the cable.

Ask your local utility company to come to your home and locate any underground gas or electric lines.

Place a wooden stake into the ground on one side of the chalk line and wrap a string around it. Stretch the string all the way to the other end of the chalk line and insert another stake into the ground. Tie the other end of the string to the second stake to provide a guideline for digging.

Walk to one end of the line and begin digging down into the soil with the spade. Start by digging up the top 3 inches of soil to remove the grass, then dig to a depth of 18 to 24 inches. As you dig, expand the trench out to the same width as the shovel, approximately 5 to 6 inches.

Continue digging along the chalk line until you reach the other end.

Measure the entire length of the trench. Lay a piece of PVC conduit on the ground and transfer the measurement to it. Put on safety glasses and cut through the conduit, using the power saw.

Thread the cable through one end of the PVC conduit until it emerges from the other end. Pick up the conduit and place it into the bottom of the trench so the cable can emerge from both ends.

Fill in the trench by placing all of the removed soil back into the hole. Stamp on the soil to pack it down tightly.