What Is Underground Conduit and Why Does It Matter?
Underground conduit is a protective pathway — a durable tube or pipe installed beneath the surface — that houses and shields electrical wires, fiber optic cables, communications lines, and other utility infrastructure. Think of it as a tunnel for your cables. Rather than burying wires directly in the ground where they're exposed to moisture, shifting soil, root intrusion, and accidental damage from future digging, conduit provides a sealed, organized channel that keeps everything safe and accessible.
At Sloan Underground Construction, we specialize in installing underground conduit using horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology. Our Ditch Witch equipment allows us to bore precise pathways beneath driveways, roads, parking lots, and landscaping throughout Greenville, SC and the greater Upstate South Carolina region — without tearing up the surface. Whether you need a single conduit run for a residential electrical feed or a complex multi-duct system for a commercial telecommunications project, The Boring Guys have the equipment and expertise to get the job done right.
Types of Conduit We Install
Not all conduit is created equal. The type of conduit you need depends on what's running through it, the soil conditions, the depth of the bore, and local code requirements. Our crew is experienced with every major conduit type used in residential, commercial, and municipal utility projects across the Upstate. Here are the most common types of underground conduit we install:
- Electrical Conduit — protects underground power lines and electrical feeds for residential services, commercial buildings, parking lot lighting, and generator hookups
- Communications Conduit — houses telephone, cable TV, and data lines, keeping them organized and shielded from environmental damage
- Fiber Optic Conduit — purpose-built pathways for fiber optic cables, designed with smooth interiors and gentle bend radii to prevent signal loss and cable damage
- Multi-Duct Systems — bundled conduit configurations that carry multiple utility lines through a single bore path, maximizing efficiency and minimizing surface disruption
Benefits of Professional Conduit Placement
Installing conduit during your initial bore is one of the smartest investments you can make in your underground utility infrastructure. It protects your cables today and gives you flexibility for tomorrow. Here's why conduit placement matters:
- Protects cables from damage — conduit shields wires and cables from moisture, soil pressure, root intrusion, rodent damage, and accidental strikes from future excavation
- Allows future cable additions without re-boring — need to pull new fiber or add another circuit down the road? With conduit in place, you can add or replace cables without drilling a new bore
- Organizes underground utilities — conduit keeps multiple lines separated and identifiable, reducing confusion during future maintenance or repair work
- Various materials for every application — we install PVC, HDPE (high-density polyethylene), steel, and flexible conduit depending on your project requirements, soil conditions, and local code specifications
- Meets code requirements — many electrical and telecommunications installations require conduit by code, and our crew ensures every installation meets or exceeds local standards
- Cost savings over time — installing conduit now eliminates the need for expensive re-boring when you need to add or upgrade utility lines in the future
Our Conduit Placement Process
Every conduit placement project starts with a thorough assessment. We evaluate the bore path, identify existing underground utilities, determine the right conduit material and diameter, and plan entry and exit points to minimize disruption to your property. Our Ditch Witch horizontal directional drilling equipment allows us to bore precise, clean pathways at the exact depth and trajectory required for your installation.
Once the bore is complete, we pull the conduit through the underground pathway, verify proper placement and depth, and restore the entry and exit points. For multi-duct installations, we bundle and install multiple conduit runs in a single bore to maximize efficiency. The entire process is designed to get your conduit in the ground quickly, accurately, and with minimal impact on the surface above.
Whether you're a homeowner running a new electrical feed to a detached garage, a contractor installing fiber optic infrastructure for a new subdivision, or a municipality upgrading communications lines across the Greenville and Upstate SC area, Sloan Underground Construction has the equipment, the crew, and the experience to deliver professional conduit placement you can count on.