$11,000 Water Bill

Toyboy · May 14, 2017

I've never heard of PEX being that large. I've only seen it used for indoor water/heating systems (my home) replacing copper. You'd have to check to see if that size is available and suitable for in ground installation.

Slowpoke Slim · May 14, 2017

OP,

This still boils down to a contractor problem. I don't care if he used unicorn intestines for water pipe.

You've had several leaks on this same pipe run.

You are still under warranty from the original builder.

This is All. On. The. Builder. To. Fix.

On his dime.

Get your base legal office involved. This is EXACTLY the kind of thing they are there for. I used them several times for legal help back when I was in.

Either way, builder fixes. Full. Stop.

Builder pays the water bill. Full. Stop.

This is what the court system is designed for. Take him to court. Sue for a damage multiple (if such thing is allowed in your area).

Make sure the new line gets inspected properly before you allow him to bury it again.

The rest of this is all about how many pixies can dance on the head of a pin.

Rustyiron · May 14, 2017

Nailed it Slim:thumbsup:

EddieWalker · May 14, 2017

TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark said:
Never heard of one. It's all that is used around her for probably 50 years. Mine has been in the ground since 73. The pipe has not failed, and I don't see how it could. It's probably good for 400psi, though it's rated at 200. It's so thick and tough you can't put a barbed fitting into it without soaking it in hot water first. Once it's back at room temp, you can't get that fitting off without cutting it off.

I think you must be thinking of a different kind of pipe.

I have no doubt that there are plenty of cases where black poly is used without any problems. The shorter the run, the less likely you are to have problems. You didn't mention how long your water line is? To clarify, when I said that I would never use it and that it has a terrible history of failure, I'm talking about over a long distance and just guessing, probably a one or two percent failure rate. For me, that's too much and it's why it's not allowed anymore. The longer you go with water lines, the more movement you have on it.

TNAndy solved the movement problem by running his pipe inside another pipe. This way his water line is never affected by the movement of the earth. Think of ice cubes popping out of the tray. The ground gets saturated, it freezes, and it expands. This destroys foundations, it moves fence and telephone poles, and it breaks water lines.

Since you are in Virginia, I googled what they use for water lines there. From the links I found, DR21 and DR18 are used for anything 1 1/2 inch and up to 4 inches. Then you go to something like C900

Look at page three. https://www.loudoun.gov/documentcenter/view/105795

There is only one pipe to use for this long of a run. All other suggestions are just guys being helpful without knowing what else is out there and what is the best product to use.

Oldoak · May 14, 2017

All other suggestions are just guys being helpful without knowing what else is out there and what is the best product to use.

I believe that goes without saying about anyone in any internet forum group.

While people are trying to be helpful and give their input, still, nobody knows everything about anything.

Beside that, technology, materials, and engineering are constantly changing what we use and how we use them.

rgr33 · May 14, 2017

Interesting to me that posters on this thread report problems with black poly pipe. When I ran a water line to my barn, and later extended it to the orchard, I used about 400 feet of black poly.
31 years later, no problems of any kind. My home is at 800 ft elevation on a basalt rock mountain. I don't doubt the bad experience others report.
I'm guessing there are different grades made by different manufacturers coming into play here.

kenmac · May 14, 2017

there are many products available for him to use as a water line. PVC is most likely the least expensive of all the others.
I have installed many miles of PVC for water line and have incurred very little issues.
Most of the issues I have seen is someone damaging the line while digging in their yards,etc,
I can't understand you having numerous leaks with PVC. Something just doesn't seem right.

PILOON · May 14, 2017

I have been using a BLUE pipe that is commonly the choice for wells.
I think it is actually POLY-B and is close to 1/4" wall and comes in 3 ft coils, pressure rating is well up there.
Our city allows it for connection to city mains as long as we use the special fittings vs barb type and collars.
When I use barbed fittings I like to gently heat B4 inserting the barbed part as then when clamps are installed the barbs actually get molded into the Poly B line.
I always use 2 barb clamps per fitting with the screws 180 deg apart.

justinramani · May 14, 2017

I know this is going to probably sound crazy, but what are the chances that a plumber can run 1.5 inch 200 psi roll pipe through the existing 2 inch line??? He would need to remove any sections of the pvc had have been repaired, but as long as the od of the 1.5 hdpe is less than the ID of the pvc it should work in theory..... any thoughts?