Under ground water lines, best practice for joints and fittings

[Pettrix]

I am going to run a 100' long under ground main water line run from my well pump to my future garage/home. Everything in the well is either stainless steel or 1.25" PVC (sch 120). The pitless is brass.
Galvanized WILL rust, especially modern galvanized pipe (much weaker than galvanized of yesteryear).

Should I run 1" or 1.25" main water line and I was thinking of using PEX and sleeving it in 1.50" sch 40 PVC pipe to protect the PEX?

 

[PILOON]

Sorry, I don't trust anything anymore. Yes, maybe a fused joint is superior, IF it's done right. Will it be? Barbed fittings and SS clamps are proven. I am in the same boat soon. Don't know if I should use plastic, galvanized or nylon fittings. A friend suggests two clamps. Good insurance for the price of them. I quite often heat the pipe before putting on the barb.

Brass is the only way IMHO and then 2 clamps on each side.
Personally I like a bit of torch heat to soften the plastic B4 clamping., that way the plastic is firmly molded to the barbs.

 

[Billrog]

With pex you use brass compression fitings. with a stainless incert . 1" will be ample and the fittings much more reasonable. You can sleeve it if you like but beding it sand if the soil is rocky will also work.

 

[HeLa]

I was thinking of using PEX and sleeving it in 1.50" sch 40 PVC pipe to protect the PEX?

a. sounds expensive. i use pex in my house/barn but not outdoors.
b. some claim that as the pex moves in the PVC sleeve it can rub and wear through the PEX (no idea how likely or how long that might take)
c. why not just go with poly tubing in a sand bed?
d. 100' is a pretty short run. depends on your pressure and GPM source/needs, but 1" should do you plenty in an average home setup (LINK)
e. if you go poly, i wouldn't buy anything cheaper than the 160#

 

[Haoleguy]

Heat fuse without a doubt. Ask about his/her warranty to correct any problems.

 

[Pettrix]

a. sounds expensive. i use pex in my house/barn but not outdoors.
b. some claim that as the pex moves in the PVC sleeve it can rub and wear through the PEX (no idea how likely or how long that might take)
c. why not just go with poly tubing in a sand bed?
d. 100' is a pretty short run. depends on your pressure and GPM source/needs, but 1" should do you plenty in an average home setup (LINK)
e. if you go poly, i wouldn't buy anything cheaper than the 160#

I don't feel comfortable doing poly tubing in a sand base because of the gophers and pack rats out here. The gophers could easy chew threw poly but in a PVC sleeve, it is well protected.

A 1" PEX line in a 1.50 PVC sleeve should give it plenty of room to expand without causing rubbing issues. If you think about it. PEX sits in stud walls with sometimes no expansion area and it rubs against studs all the time. Sometimes it rubs against steel brackets.

 

[Billrog]

Sounds like you have all your bases covered only thing I can think of is buy some soap for lube to pull the pex through the PVC they should have small stubs of the stuff where you purchase the water line.
Some thing for others reading this post that may be of interest I've repaired a lot of leaks caused by Voles and possibly other animals as deep as 8' but never in white pipe or PVC only black poly pipe. Another friend in the backhoe business told me he's found the same scenario.

 

[HeLa]

I don't feel comfortable doing poly tubing in a sand base because of the gophers and pack rats out here. The gophers could easy chew threw poly but in a PVC sleeve, it is well protected.

this had me confused for a second. then i realized that you probably don't bury water at 48"

 

[Pettrix]

this had me confused for a second. then i realized that you probably don't bury water at 48"

Yep, burial is only 18" - 24" and gophers live in that realm and tunnel underground.

 

[Qapla]

If you are going to trench with a machine, why not go 3' deep to get below the gophers - Our 1,000' of mainline is PVC (1.5")