Main Water Line

willyoldschool · 11-02-2006, 10:49 AM

My wife and I recently bought our retirement home, I am 9 yrs out from retiring from the military. It was built in 1963, is solid as a rock, small farm house on a lot of acreage. My question is that the family that lived there before us did rapid repair work at the cheapest cost possible with what they had hanging around the farm, ie; When the county ran water in the area, they disconnected the house from the well, evidence of this is still under every sink in the house, and they connected to the meter with black 1 1/2" plastic irrigation hose. It is pretty flexible, but I think the low water pressure in the house is caused by this. Is this correct, and what is a good replacement for it? I have been contemplating 1"PVC. The house is approximitely 75' from the meter. The rest of the plumbing inside the house is PEX, 1/2", I have re-run most of it and am very pleased with it's easy installation. It was there when we moved in, but the women who lived there was elderly, had the washer in a bathrrom closet, and had disconnected the stationary tub. I just did some reconnecting and moved the washer down stairs.

Thanks for any help I recieve

Double A · 11-02-2006, 11:28 AM

PVC would be a good choice. I would contact the local plumbing inspector and find out what is code approved to use in your area and what burial depth is required.

If you use PVC, don't go less than sch. 40. I would use bell end PVC for this. The glue joint is much longer than with plain-end PVC and couplings. Before you backfill, be sure to clear out all rocks and sharp objects or bring in a load of sharp sand and cover to 12". This will prevent damage to the pipe during backfill.

Ron The Plumber · 11-02-2006, 09:31 PM

You could always use 1" pex

Double A · 11-03-2006, 12:25 PM

Hehe, I keep forgetting about pex, Ron.

I've never burried it, is it direct burial just like PVC?

Ron The Plumber · 11-03-2006, 02:13 PM

Yes you can bury pex just like pvc, don't forget the tracer wire.

joed · 11-03-2006, 06:31 PM

Unless the 1 1/2 irrigation tubing is collapsed or plugged I don't see how that could be your problem.

troubleseeker · 11-03-2006, 08:01 PM

There must be a kink in the feed. 1 1/2" diameter is certainly more than adequate size, it's your description as "irrigation" hose that conjures up visions of horror in my mind. The stuff I'm familiar is pretty thin walled and only has pressure on it when the irrigation is runnung, not constantly like a water supply line.

One inch pvc should be big enough, but check with local building dept, as pvc is not legal for pressure lines in many areas. Use sch 40 and buy from a plumbing supply as oppossed to the big box store, because you will get 20' lengths instead of 10' and have factory bells for splicing.

Since you are only talking about 75', I would find out if there are problems with copper tube due to minerals in the well water in you area. If not, I would accept the extra costs, and put copper (will outlast you). For my dollar, it is still the best there is.