250' water line: got some questions

[DJ54]

Check for local geothermal contractors. That is who I got mine through. And they were less than through a local supplier. This particular contractor was Amish, so it may pay to check. It saved me enough, it was worth driving 80 miles one way to get it at the time.

 

[FTG-05]

I used a pull cord, take a plastic grocery store bag and tie to the twine. Use a shop vac on the other end and it will pull it through PDQ. Tie a rope to the twine and pull it through the hole. Connect the rope to the poly/pex and pull it through. Cable lubricant works and I like the idea of the soda bottle end.

Tape everything well and do not let anything stick out that may snag in the pipe.

Have one person pull and the other person feel the pipe and goes through pretty well.

When I pulled three 2/0 copper wires 300 feet for my house I used the garden tractor and a couple snatch blocks to route the rope out the crawl space window.

Good stuff, thanks!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Didnt read all the posts. Ive never seen black poly fail in the ground. I remember putting my dads pe line in when i was in my teens, still ok after 40÷ yrs.

I put in 3500' for my geo system.

 

[Haoleguy]

A couple of points about PVC installations. My apologies if I'm reiterating points made above. First is that pipe sizing should always be within the water velocities expected for your application, i.e. how much water/time unit (gpm) at use point. Second is that stay below frost line if keeping water in system otherwise blow it out. Put pipe in bed of sand fill to provide cushion for movement. Schedule 40 is a an appropriate PVC for installs but make sure joints are primed and glued well. Also make sure joints are beveled on surfaces that will mate otherwise you can get a squeege effect and less pipe to pipe contact when cementing together. If you have any significant pipe turns with good water velocity through pipe set thrust blocks at outside of turn. Lastly I believe there is foil backed tape that is used for locating pipes that is less expensive than wire and easy to lay in the trench.

 

[FTG-05]

I've decided to use 1" OD poly pipe instead of PVC, based on info and suggestions from this and other threads on other sites. I've already ordered the 18 ga tracer wire. I plan to use 200 psi pipe and put it inside a 3" or 4" drain pipe for protection against rocks, as discussed in several messages above.

My plan is to use brass fittings with dual (or triple) all SS hose clamps, plus that blue RTV stuff, I forget the name of it. Anyone have any other good suggestions for connecting poly pipe?

 

[MossRoad]

I think they call that blue RTV stuff Blue RTV. :laughing:

 

[LD1]

Anyone have any other good suggestions for connecting poly pipe?

Rent or buy the tools to socket weld/fuse it together.

 

[ishiboo]

I've decided to use 1" OD poly pipe instead of PVC, based on info and suggestions from this and other threads on other sites. I've already ordered the 18 ga tracer wire. I plan to use 200 psi pipe and put it inside a 3" or 4" drain pipe for protection against rocks, as discussed in several messages above.

My plan is to use brass fittings with dual (or triple) all SS hose clamps, plus that blue RTV stuff, I forget the name of it. Anyone have any other good suggestions for connecting poly pipe?

Brass fittings IMO are pretty unnecessary, the nylon insert fittings work just as well. I have several thousand feet now of 1"-1.5" poly buried. With the 1" pipe, I use cinch clamps which are much cheaper and faster than the hose clamps.

Shop Apollo 1-Pack 1-in - 1-in Dia Stainless Steel Full Clamps at Lowes.com

Tool:
Shop Apollo 1/2-in to 1-in Poly Pinch Clamp Tool at Lowes.com

Note the tool gets horrible reviews. That's because people purchased it for installing cinch clamps on PEX, which are a different style. The "$20 more" tool is for that style of clamp.

One thing I've learned is that once the pipe is in the ground and buried, it's ability to move is a lot less and the joints hold up a LOT better than above-ground ones.

If I had unlimited funds, I would use PEX or thicker wall PE/HDPE pipe with $$$ fittings. Water lines to houses are usually those materials with pack joint fittings and they last forever. That is the standard for water lines just about everywhere. I think there is some confusion in this thread with the cheap irrigation poly and slip fittings, and the thicker wall pipe that only works with pack joint fittings. I wouldn't run my home water line with this cheap stuff. But, my line runs to many spigots around my fence, in the middle of the back yard (1+ acre of grass) and behind the barn (~1.5 acres), and 500' from the yard to the road so I have access to water basically everywhere, at a very low cost. No underground leaks in several years and I keep adding to it (3 new spigots this year)... the only problems have been unsecured above ground connections.

 

[Creamer]

I tend to believe in putting together a connection as it was intended not adding a bunch of belts and suspenders which may inadvertantly interat in a negative way with the intent of the design.

that is to say poly hose with barbed fittings seals via an interaction between the barbed fitting and the hose. The external clamps just secure it. Adding something else inside the joint may interfere. Therefore I would go with your idea of brass fittings in poly hose with stainless steel clamps. The poly fittings I had in my waterline failed after 35 years but then the new poly fittings are much better than what they were 35 years ago. Your choice but I would go with the brass and be sure and of course you want stainless clamps because you do not want them rusting away either. Simple, complete as intended and done. No worries!

 

[FTG-05]

I think they call that blue RTV stuff Blue RTV. :laughing:

View attachment 470686

Well that explains why I couldn't remember the name of it!!!! :laughing: