underground water lines, what size plumbing

[J_J]

You could also do 1 in thin or thick wall PVC and blue glue. Thin wall will flow more water.

To measure what your pump flow is, take a 5 gal bucket and fill it up.

5 gal - 60 sec = 5 GPM

5 gal - 30 sec = 10 GPM

5 gal - 15 sec = 20 GPM

If you look in the outlet of your spigot, you may only have a 3/8 hole in it.

A 1 in gate valve from pump flowing into a bucket ,

A 1 in sprinkler valve would work fine. It also has manual control. A transformer and switch will work. A sprinkler timer will make it automatic.

 

[Artisan]

A 1" Schedule 40 PVC water line is what I would use if I only
wanted to turn on one bib at a time. If I didn't care about volumn
I would do it all in 3/4" .

If you buy PVC buy from a supplier that stores it indoors
and NOT in sunlight. Or get UV Resistant brown PVC pipe.
I have seen too many poly pipe failures to use it myself.
Sch 40 PVC will outlive our childrens children when installed
correctly. It is FAST and cheap. If it is PolyEthelen (sp)
it will be better than PVC, I believe it was teh Poly"butalene"
that had issues.

The really thin PVC piping, buy it and you will regret it. A shovel
will go right thru it doing future repairs, you have beeen warned!
Schedule 40 is par, Schedule 80 is insane thick. I think Schedule
120 is the junk really thin stuff.

I do not think anyone has mention'd friction loss, basically
water slows simply by the friction it creates flowing thru fittings and
as it contacts the sides of the pipe itself, the friction slows it down
thus why a larger pipe size helps a lot in very long runs.

Additionally you loose about 1/2 a pound of pressure for every
12" you go up from the pump as well, conversly you can gain
almost 1/2 a pound pressure for every foot you go down too.

If you want GREAT "volumn" install full port ball valves
instead of hose bibs and simply screw a 3/4" MIP x Male Hose
adaptor into the full port ball valve, THAT will give you some
serious volumn, if you have a lot of pressure as well you will
be amazed at the outcome using these parts. Want the water
to shoot maybe 30' or so, screw a brass maybe 5" long tapered
nozzle to the hose. If you think you have need to someday
fight a fire to NOT use full port ball valves is criminal IMO :firefighter:

Use metalic risers, a really cool way to support the risers from
breaking is to drill a proper size hole in a nice semi flat rock,
lay the pipe /w a rider, slip the rock over the riser and bury 1/2
way and then crew on a garden bib or a full port ball valve
after a 90 and adaptor. Looks great, keeps weeds awaydirectly
around the riser as well.

DO NOT USE FEMALE THREADED FITTINGS FOR YOUR TRANSISTIONS!
Use a metalic female couple then use Schedule 80 MIP x Slip PVC
adaptors.

Hose? Sears Craftsman all rubber black hoses are awesome.

Werks fer me!

 

[digger Bob]

Bigger is better!
I run 4 sprinklers that are on 3/4 " and they are perfect. 1/2" from the house into the 3/4 for 75 ft. then the garden starts.
I put the 4 heads on 1 side which is 75 ft. long, on top of the fence (6 ft.)
The garden is 35 wide so to get the whole thing watered I had to put in 2 gate valves. I do 1/2 the garden for ten minutes then the other side for ten more.

 

[rswyan]

Not to hijack the thread but a quick question:

I used 1" 100 psi rated poly waterline to run water out to my polebarn from the house .... it's buried 4' to 5' deep and bedded in clean sandy loam.

Currently I have it temporary hooked up to a hose bib at the house as the supply .... the plan is run it through the basement wall (below grade) - which is solid poured concrete and then tie it into the water lines in the basement. The supply line from the well pump to the pressure tank is also 1".

I have quite a bit of the 1" (100 psi rated) poly waterline left over, unused (it came in a 250' or 300' coil which was more than I needed) ....

Is there any reason why I can't (or shouldn't) use it inside, in the basement, to make the connection to the existing plumbing in the house ? (The well pressure switch is set to switch off the pump at 60 psi ....)

 

[J_J]

You might check with your insurance company using that pipe.

 

[rswyan]

You might check with your insurance company using that pipe.

J_J,

Thanks - good point.

 

[tommu56]

I would use the black poly pipe. Available in large rolls (up to 500' or so) at your local plumbing supply store with pressure ratings from 120PSI up to 200PSI.
I like 200PSI pipe because while it costs more than the thinner stuff, the price difference isn't enough to be worth my time to dig it back up in a couple of years when the thinner stuff fails.
One note, when putting fittings on, a propane torch works wonders to soften the end of the pipe and make the fitting go on easily.

Aaron Z

Im with Aaron on this one 1" polypropylene pipe the only way to go pvc if it freezes will burst polypro will survive (some fittings have issues) but the pipe will be ok.

tom

 

[tommu56]

I would use the black poly pipe. Available in large rolls (up to 500' or so) at your local plumbing supply store with pressure ratings from 120PSI up to 200PSI.
I like 200PSI pipe because while it costs more than the thinner stuff, the price difference isn't enough to be worth my time to dig it back up in a couple of years when the thinner stuff fails.
One note, when putting fittings on, a propane torch works wonders to soften the end of the pipe and make the fitting go on easily.

Aaron Z

Im with Aaron on this one 1" polypropylene pipe the only way to go pvc if it freezes will burst polypro will survive (some fittings have issues) but the pipe will be ok.

Do't neck it down with 1/2 it will be like breathing through a straw!
tom

 

[RobertN]

Intersect the main before it runs in to the house. Don't use the 1/2" line from the house. 1/2" is too small, and limits flow. Make sure to put a shutoff valve on this new water supply line. You most likely have a 3/4 or 1" main coming in to the house from the well...

Check code; a "main" may need to be 18" or deeper, depending on your area, freezes etc.

Don't use the thinwall PVC pipe. Tree roots, rocks, etc will eventually damage it. This is a regional thing, like use of the poly pipe; I have never seen poly pipe use around here.

Never push the friction/flow tables; always go a size bigger on pipe.

Remember, on a well, you want to flow enough water to keep the well on; you do not want your pump cycling(wears the pump)

GET THE BOOK... Get the Rainbird and/or Hunter irrigation catalog. They have EXCELLENT descriptions/tutorials of how to do everything you(OP) are asking. Go to your local plumbing supply. Around here, we have John Deere(not tractors, but landscape irrigation). Those two books hae the info to find out your well flow/gpm/pressure.

Look at these sites:
Selecting a Pump Type - Irrigation Pump Tutorial Page 1

Irrigation Tutorials Homepage and Main Index

 

[Gary Fowler]

RobertN has the best advice so far. Go to the experts and check the design for what you want to do. I had a sprinkler system put in a year or so ago and questioned the guy on using 2" sized PVC for the headers when all I had was a 1" main line meter from city water supply. He said that was the recommended size by Hunter (sprinkler manufacturer) to reduce friction loss in the lines. He then used 1" lines to feed all the sprinler heads that reduced down to 3/4" into the sprinkler head. This was all because he wanted to eliminate the friction loss in the pipe. As designed and installed, I have 10 sprinkler heads on some of the zones and they will all turn a 25 foot radius of water with no problem.
When I built my house and put in the sewer and water I ran a 1" line to my shop and teed off of this to install another freeze proof hydrant in my back yard for other watering use by teeing into the main to th house (2 valves on at this point so I can isolate either or all in case of a leak. The run to the barn is about 150 feet from the meter and city water pressure here is 100 PSI and unrestricted on this line. That 1" line gives me more than enough water land pressure for any hose needs I have.

Some sprinkler installers are not the experts and need to be given a wide berth though. I had one that required me to put in a 2" water main. My water company guy basically refused to do that and told me that was ridiculous idea and that he would swap out the 3/4" meter(standard size for homeowners) to a 1" for a nominal fee and it would work fine. After seeing it work, I have to say, I am glad I didnt spend the small fortune it would have cost to put in a 2" meter.