Water Line problems. Ideas?

[dodge man]

Yes if you bed the pipe that will help, maybe pea gravel or sand. Around here we bury everything 4.5' deep, but we worry about it frezzing.

 

[Aguanga]

Soil movement is the cause of most pipe failure, and it's inablity to move with soil. Drying and cracking is one movement, but getting wet and freezing is when most of your damage will happen. That's a very quick movement in the soil, and also, a very powerful movement.

Most water utilities use gasketed water pipe. You just grease the ends and push them together. This allows the pipe to move in small amounts with the soil around it.

Poly pipe is famous for failing. It was an idea that was tried and failed. Lots of guys use it for their well systems, and home use, but it's one of those things that you just never know when it's going to go bad on you. From what I understand, the Water Utilities have quite usining it a decade ago, and are now running crews full time to deal with the never ending repairs on what they did use.

In CA, where I'm from, we had to surround the water lines with sand. The pipe had to lay on a bed of sand, and then sand was put in over top of it. The pipe had to have sand all the way around it for so many inches. I forget the number, and it varied with location, size of the pipe and if it was a puplic water line or private.

When the earth moves, the sand allows the pipe to remain in place. It also protects it from rocks that might be in the ground, that may wear on the pipe over time. I've never seen rock damage, or met anybody in person who has, but it's a concern that you might have.

As for the advice to enclose it in another larger pipe. I would not do that. Water preasure changes all the time. There are surges that will flex a pipe that will allow it to move if it's not solid in the ground. If the pipe can move around inside another pipe, it will never stop moving. Even worse, when it does break, how will you know where to look for the break?

Good luck,
Eddie

Once again, Eddie has some good advice above. The company I work for is a general engineering contractor specializing in the install of wet utilities in California. Rubber gasketed is preferred when there is concern of pipe movement. Actually, that is essentially all we see used 4" and larger in size. At 4" and up it usually changes from Sch 40 or 80 to a C900 spec which is rubber gasketed bell and spigot. That is what I used on a fire line at my house. The typical standard with this pipe is sand bedding (4" below bottom of pipe) and shading (to 12" above pipe). As was also mentioned, you need to either install thrust blocks at bends, end of line, and valves to restrict movement due to water hammering. They also make mechanical restraints for the joints, but the thrust blocks usually is cheaper to install. When we do need to install long smaller diameter pvc glued joint pipe, it seems to prevent leaks by installing in an 18"-24" wide trench and "snaking" the pipe back and forth to allow some slack for the pipe. We have also had luck with troublesome sch 40 fittings by replacing with sch 80 and using sand paper to scuff the outside of pipe/inside of fitting prior to gluing.
Matt

 

[rutwad]

HOLY SMOKES!!!! That much sand could get expensive!!

 

[Birdhunter1]

If you bed it with sand call your local ready mix plant and have them bring it in a concrete truck, they can unload it and drive at the same time and save you a boatload of time in spreading it in the trench.

 

[ustmd]

Go Sand.

I am on the black land prarrie with the same type of clay soil--technically it has a "high plasticity rating" and with the same situation--approx .75 miles from the meter to the house of schedule 40 pvc pipe.

When the p[revious owner did the pip in 1999 or 2000...he bedded the pipe in ~ 8-12 inches of sand all round (top, bottom, sides).

In that time we have had exactly 1 leak on the main line and it was from a joint that looked like it was improperly done.

On the other water lines (3/4 inch sch 40) that branch off of the main line, if they are not bedded in sand, they eventually leak (I have one now for the line to the barn that is getting fixed tomorrow ), if they are bedded in sand, I have not had a problem.

 

[milkman636]

I used 1.25" polyethelene pipe to run 650' of underground water line at my last house. I ordered it in a continuous roll so there were no underground joints. It was black and rated for 180psi. It came sealed and pressurized. After laying it in the trench and backfilling it is very reassuring to hear the pressure come rushing out as I cut into it. It was fast to install and worked great.

I did some work for a chuch that used regular schedule 40 pvc for a 500' run. They would have a problem every 2-3 years with a leak in that water line.

 

[Kays Supply]

There was a product called Golden Jet way back when I worked on submersible pumps. It was rated at 200 PSI. We hung 3hp pumps 400' deep on it. It really took a beating. I don't ever remember a failure. It was always a relief to see that pump come out of the hole when you pulled the pipe over a big wheel out of the hole. A big splash would mean big bucks down the hole.