250' water line: got some questions

[FTG-05]

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

I should have been clearer: I meant connecting poly pipe to something other than poly pipe. Like at the ends of two frost free water hydrants, to the existing/source 3/4" PVC water line and to the PVC ball valve I plan to use to isolate this part of my water system.

I can think of only one place that I'll be connecting poly to poly and that's at the tee to the first water hdrant.

 

[FTG-05]

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.

I've never used that kind of clamp before; hence I'm a little leary. But then you say it works. Hmmmm: Exactly the kind of input I was looking for!

Thanks,

 

[merlebo02]

so after reading this thread I am kinda confused.. I am fixing to be running a water line about 1200 feet and I was going to run 2" schedule 40 pipe from the meter to the yard and then drop it down to 3/4" pipe.. After reading this post y'all have me questioning myself that I may should be running a 1" PEX tubing?? I see were you can buy 300' sections and price wise wouldn't be much more expensive than schedule 40 pipe, maybe about the same once you figure in fittings and supplies..

I am in north Mississippi, what is the best way to run a water line??

 

[cat fever]

Don't remember the exact name but it's blue and some type of poly ethylene. Great pipe comes in 100-300-500 foot rolls, it's casing (the blue) is harder than regular black PE. I've never had a problem with it and I have more than my share of gophers.

I've read lots on here about different PVC glue. Remember "Christy's Red Hot Blue Glue" when it comes to PVC there is no better.

 

[newbury]

Reviving this thread because my meter was recording usage of 1,000 gallons per day with nobody home and the water line requires a run almost 350 feet to be buried.

I do irrigation , I use pvc all the time I install about 4000 ft a month. It doesnt matter which dirrection the bell ends are . Wire doesnt matter , the locator picks up large and small wire . I would go at least 18 inches , the deeper the pipe the less chance it gets cut

Would Cat6 work for the signal wire?

my 2 cents -- if you going to bury locator wire, why use insulated wire ? I would go with bare copper and run the wire to the inside of the house and use it for ground bonding when needed. a few extra feet is not going to hurt your budget plus you can give it a dual purpose.

I'm wanting to run cat 6 burial cable, and maybe coax, so I don't have to try and go wireless through the trees to my workshops, about 250 feet away. 200 feet of the route would be along the water line.

so after reading this thread I am kinda confused.. I am fixing to be running a water line about 1200 feet and I was going to run 2" schedule 40 pipe from the meter to the yard and then drop it down to 3/4" pipe.. After reading this post y'all have me questioning myself that I may should be running a 1" PEX tubing?? I see were you can buy 300' sections and price wise wouldn't be much more expensive than schedule 40 pipe, maybe about the same once you figure in fittings and supplies..
I am in north Mississippi, what is the best way to run a water line??

That is very similar to my conundrum. Especially the North Mississippi part. I just had a plumber out here to talk about "finding" the leak and after looking at the problem (present line poorly marked, about 50 feet of asphalt cross) he referred me to a backhoe/trencher operator.
Now I'm about a half hour north of Fulton, the plumber and his helper wandered around looking at the situation for about another half hour and he only asked for $20 (but I made him take $30).

The equipment operator came out today and we talked about it for about a half hour. He figured he could come out with his excavator and get the job done for a modest price. He'll dig a trench and bury anything I want, black poly, PVC, PEX, CAT 6 (maybe even Cat 1 and Pit Bull 2), but spoke favorably of PEX.

And HD in Tupelo sells 300' rolls of 1" PEX for $332.55.

So TBN - is there an advantage of black poly over PEX?

 

[PILOON]

I have been involved with quite a few buried water lines.
I like BLUE Poly B over black poly, but that is perhaps a personal thing as I read that B withstand , like 4-5 freeze cycles without damage, besides it is the preferred line for pumps and even the cities accept it as a water line hookup.
Black poly usually has same burst specs as blue but only the blue has the freeze spec.
As to cost, they are so close that it is no contest. (blue vs black)
One thing I always insisted on was that ALL fittings had to be BRASS and NO STEEL as steel will for sure eventually rust and choke up the flow and probably eventually leak. Also double clamp all barbed joints.

 

[Billrog]

Pex with brass compression fittings with inserts would work just fine.

 

[EddieWalker]

So TBN - is there an advantage of black poly over PEX?

I would never buy or use black poly for anything. It's the cheapest stuff out there and in my opinion, shouldn't be allowed on anything. When you see a water main break around here, it's usually black poly. It cannot handle the movement of the earth during freeze thaw cycles and quickly breaks down and then ruptures.

PEX is the replacement for poly. PEX is better in every way except the price.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I would never buy or use black poly for anything. It's the cheapest stuff out there and in my opinion, shouldn't be allowed on anything. When you see a water main break around here, it's usually black poly. It cannot handle the movement of the earth during freeze thaw cycles and quickly breaks down and then ruptures.

PEX is the replacement for poly. PEX is better in every way except the price.

Huh?
HDPE is the only thing used here, lasts practically forever.

 

[newbury]

<snip> When you see a water main break around here, it's usually black poly. It cannot handle the movement of the earth during freeze thaw cycles and quickly breaks down and then ruptures.
<snip>

I'll be burying it below thaw freeze limit.
Could it be that you usually see water main breaks where they used black poly because they use black poly almost everywhere?

From talking to the "excavator/trencher" no contractor locally uses PEX But that could be because there is no experience with it. Thus around here I wouldn't expect to see any PEX breaks.

And PEX does not seem much more expensive than poly now.

Which handles the occasional load (4 ton tractor and 2 ton log) when buried 18"? When buried 12"?