Plumbing Question: Plumb into buried existing sch 40?

[Richard]

To be more specific...

Outdoors, I've got several downspouts. I have dug a trench to all of them, buried some 4" sch 40 pipe and taken the drain maybe 80' or more away from the house, before allowing it to drain (in the woods).

We've just now finished an addition and with the roofed porch, came another downspout. I'd much rather dig to my existing drain pipe, knowing I'll find it by breaking it ( ) and then "T" into it.

With copper fittings, I know you can get a coupling that has no stops on it and you can make your cut, slide the coupling off to the side, prep it and then move it back to solder it.

I can't see how you can do that so easily with PVC since it's solvent welded.

So, if you have some Sch 40 pipe, buried about 2' below grade, working in a 2' wide hole, how might you excavate the pipe so you can have it 'easy' to work on (hahahaha) and more importantly, since both sides of it (incoming and outgoing) will be buried tight in the ground, you won't have any real way to wiggle the pipe to get a tight fit on the new fittings.

??

I don't want to add a second drain, want to glue this one in also so I won't have any rigged fixes buried there. I want to set it and forget it!

Thoughts?

 

[Duffster]

You should be able to get a slip couple just like you mentioned with the copper, you can make one with a die grinder if you need to. Just mark the pipe so you know it is centered on the seam and use the glue liberally. You don't need all that much glue since it is not critical that it doesn't leak.

I would just use Fernco's.

 

[tommu56]

The coupling you are talking about are no stop couplings I don't know about pvc ones.

To tie in to your old drain you would cut out about a 3 or 4 ft piece of your original pipe make new piece with tee to go back in the space of the cut out and use fernco couplings to connect it back together on either end of the new section fernco does make tees too but I'v never used one.

fernco link

Fernco Plumbing, Waterworks, Pow-R Products, Qwik-Seal How To Videos | Fernco

go to the tab
Fernco City Plumbing Products Tour

"Take a 3D tour through Fernco City and view where and how Fernco痴 PlumbQwik and other plumbing products are used. See a houseful of products such as a : Flexible Coupling, Proflex Shielded Coupling, Flexible Qwik Trap, Repair Flange, Wax Free Toilet Seal and so much more be installed".


They do make glue on saddles too that you would clean pipe off real good cut hole on pipe glue saddle on and work ubolts around the pipe to finish the mechanical connection

PlumbingSupply.com - saddle tees and Clamp-It saddles

tom

 

[studor]

There are several ways to do it. There are fittings that have a rubber sleeve that slips over the pipe and then clamps on both sides -- no gluing . There are also slip couplings as Duffster mentioned. In one case I used a sleeve cut from a pvc pipe and a piece of resin soaked fiberglass tape to seal the slot. If you go to Lowes or Home Despot you should be able to find a fitting that will work
regards

 

[schmism]

my suggestion was going to be glue on saddle

glue it on then cut the hole through the pipe with appropriate sized hole saw

 

[anojones]

I've used these repair couplings in a number of places on my underground irrigation, the piece slides in and out so you can glue it to one side then extend it and glue it into a standard coupling.
PVC expansion couplings from the PlumbingWorld

 

[sawdust_maker]

With copper fittings, I know you can get a coupling that has no stops on it and you can make your cut, slide the coupling off to the side, prep it and then move it back to solder it.

I can't see how you can do that so easily with PVC since it's solvent welded.

So, if you have some Sch 40 pipe, buried about 2' below grade, working in a 2' wide hole, how might you excavate the pipe so you can have it 'easy' to work on (hahahaha) and more importantly, since both sides of it (incoming and outgoing) will be buried tight in the ground, you won't have any real way to wiggle the pipe to get a tight fit on the new fittings.

I would make up a piece with a T in it, and a stub on either side.

Cut a section from the existing pipe of the same length.

Then use a pair of the rubber sleeve couplings to couple it all together, one at each end.

John

 

[Richard]

That saddle Tee looks interesting!!! Might I presume they just glue on like you'd glue two pieces together?

Also... this is going to be buried maybe 2-3 feet deep (I forget). I'm nervous about any rubber fittings, rotting over time and I'm also nervous about a Tee fitting breaking off to a side and allowing it to either shear off or leak.

Since this is a downspout, I'm not terribly concerned about it leaking but I'd rather it be impossible for it to come loose.

Would rubber fittings be ok underground long term? Something about that just doesn't sit right with me (but I don't know anything about it to justify my fears)

 

[Lineman North Florida]

That saddle Tee looks interesting!!! Might I presume they just glue on like you'd glue two pieces together?

Also... this is going to be buried maybe 2-3 feet deep (I forget). I'm nervous about any rubber fittings, rotting over time and I'm also nervous about a Tee fitting breaking off to a side and allowing it to either shear off or leak.

Since this is a downspout, I'm not terribly concerned about it leaking but I'd rather it be impossible for it to come loose.

Would rubber fittings be ok underground long term? Something about that just doesn't sit right with me (but I don't know anything about it to justify my fears)

We have used those rubber fittings ( some call dresser couplings ) down here in Florida for years and I have never seen a problem with one. Saw a piece of the pipe out a little wider than the T, glue the T on one side and glue a short piece of pipe in the other side finish it off with a dresser coupling, I believe it would be fine. Good luck.

 

[studor]

The rubber fitting is similar to the ones that are used on clay to plastic, clay to clay and clay to metal joints. I think they are probably neoprene -- burial should not be an issue -- the clamps are stainless and some of them have a corrugated stainless piece in the coupling to give strength to the joint