Water main broke...again.

[Westonium]

The pump was cycling on every 10 seconds night before last. It was too late to go out and try and figure it out. It started at around midnight and my judgement was shot + very sleepy = stayed in bed. It stopped for a bit (or seemed to) but woke me at 2:30am to hear it thumping the pipes at 10 second intervals again, and then quit after about 10 minutes. I, being of dumb mind and sleepy body, did go back to sleep.

The pump was, of course, running full-tilt non-stop. This well pump is no mere 1/2 hp or 3/4 hp job - no sir. This is 3hp of water gushing pump running full-on since 2:30ish.

I mentally prepared myself for the flooding and erosion damage. I went out on the deck with the binocs to survey the damage only to find the damage completely missing. I figured the well had perhaps shut off, run dry, or some other explanation that would let me scarf some breakfast and coffee before rushing out there - which is what I did. A man cannot work wonders on an empty stomach!

I get down the pump which is roughly 100' elevation lower, and about 600 feet pipe distance from the house. The pump is running full bore. I had walked down over where the line was from the house to get to the pasture and saw nothing. I tested the hose that connects right near the pump manifold and sure enough it had plenty-o-water. I cycled the pump off and on to verify that the pressure gauge was functioning. It appeared to be. I let the pump run and noted that it was showing plenty of pressure.

I walked the main line through the pasture again. The pasture was well grazed by sheep and in fact was empty for recovery. There were no signs.

After an hour, finally, there was water bubbling up. A lot of digging with the FEL revealed that the actual leak was 8 feet away and was being diverted by gopher tunnels.

I HATE GOPHERS

I dig excavate the rest of the day and fix the not 1 but 2 leaks in that area. I pull out a section of bad pipe to see that it is EL CHEAPO 1 1/4" thin walled irrigation pipe only rated for 160psi. Schedule 40 pipe 1 1/4" is rated for 370psi. They don't even SELL pipe like this in any of the hardware stores.

All this pain and agony because the brain surgeon that lived here before me thought the cheapest pipe he could find would suffice for his water main. He deserves a good slap.

Oh but the story doesn't end there. I get those 2 fixes buttoned up, kick the pump on and...still leaking.

We cut the pipe in a convenient spot, cap it, and by virtue of the well pump shutting off when turned on that the leak is past the current fix. A handyman I use came out and we excavated all day following the screwy path the line takes to find the leak, where else, under a hill which is under fence line. I just finished getting a new section glued to replace the section that had formed a thin leak 4 inches long at 9pm using up the last of the light.

I type this up waiting for the glue to cure enough so I can test the system.

Wish me luck.

I'll try to post pics tomorrow.

 

[_RaT_]

Don't feel bad, I have stories to tell you. Yours is nothing, believe me, just feel blessed you don't have many feet of asphalt to cut and hunt for leaks. Its all schedule 40 and should either be schedule 80 or at the very least, 3" or larger in diameter. So far 6 90's have had their crotches hogged out by water. The system was installed by "professionals" which means they charge an arm and a leg. My opinion is their all hat and no cattle. Its my sisters place up in the far Northern stretch of California. I'm just happy the place is for sale. I feel your pain but believe me, the 3 hour drive up to their place to attempt to figure where the rupture is has left me a bit reserved about their home. They are on city water with two booster pumps to get the city water up the hill. A 1.5 HP and a 5 HP pump. The 5 HP has burned up twice and at about $3000 for the 5HP booster pump, its easy to get irritated fast. The 1.5 HP has now gone twice as well but its only $2200. Both pumps are protected by electronic "Pumptecs". I personally like having the city water where they pump, clean and maintain the pumps and supplies. Best wishes in your endeavor. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[EddieWalker]

I had a house that was 1,200 feet away from the meter. It was also quite a ways downhill and the water preasure when at the house was 120 lbs before it hit the preasure regulator.

The line was one inch, thin wall PVC.

There were so many leaks that I just gave up and bought schedule 40 and put in a new line. One day trenchening and laying pipe, another day of covering it up and clean up.

Two days of **** is better than knowing it will just keep leaking and breaking for all eternity until a new line is put in anyway.

Good luck, great story, thanks for sharing,
Eddie

 

[slowrev]

I used heavy wall roll poly pipe for my water feed. I also put it inside a larger piece of poly roll pipe. If it ever leaks I can just pull it out as I pull a new new piece in the sleeve.
Ben

 

[Chuck52]

I've got that exact same poly pipe as the main for my house. In my case it was apparently installed with a second well to the house probably in the '80's. Now it is connected to district water probably near the well, and maybe the line from the meter is better quality stuff. That thin wall 1.25 inch polyethylene was made to use with hose barbs, and I recently replaced a hose barb t-connector to an old yard hydrant when I replaced the hydrant and put in two new ones. I had to get a special Ford connector to fit the old pipe and connect to standard CTS polyethylene to go to the new hydrants. The thin wall really needs an insert if you use one of those compression fittings, but they are apparently not made, so I left the ends of the hose barbs in place and clamped down on the pipe with them serving as inserts. Fortunately for me, my district water pressure isn't all that high, but I plan to some day have a new line trenched to my house from the meter. I need to come in to the basement from the other side of the house anyway, so the new line will just be part of that process when I get to it. The plumbers I talked to, and most of the parts people, too, wern't very familiar with that thin walled stuff. It apparently wasn't used for water lines for very long around here. The old guy who owned the house at the time was so cheap he probably would have used a hose from Walmart if he'd had the choice.

Chuck

 

[Westonium]

System has held since midnight Wed night. What a pain.

The last time it broke was a day before a major ice storm, so I got to work in freezing rain where every tool I put down I had to then pry off whatever it just froze to.

I am looking into replacing with copper in a plastic jacket, or schedule 80 either 11/2" or 2". I want to do what is reasonably possible to prevent suddenly having to dig up hills and fencing again.

I was able to take 2 foot pieces of the old pipe and bend it in half without using my knee.

I've looked into Wirsbo PE pipe, and it appears to have been pulled off the market. There are articles saying scary things about left-over solvents and such, so frankly if my water doesn't test acidic then copper is the way I'll go.

 

[_RaT_]

Where did you hear that Wirsbo was pulled off the market? Its unlikely you need to go to sch 80, but then, I must agree with you that fixing a leak in ideal conditions can be bad enough, doing it in the extremes is the pits! Sch 80 can help add some protection to the pipe.

 

[Westonium]

Not that all Wirsbo pipe was pulled off the market, just their Pipe in Pipe offering geared toward water mains. Wirsbo's site changed over a year and all the stuff I saw that made me want to use it as the main was gone. I had very little luck in finding a decent price for the stuff. If I did go that route it would be if I can get a 1000' roll.

I'll look into it again and see if things have changed (again). Based on the company claimed specs (and assuming it is safe healthwise) then it is the miracle pipe we should all be using.

I agree with you on the schedule 80.

I am quite tempted to put in a completely separate main that would be mostly used for irrigation and animal watering but could be switched over to be the house main in a pinch.

Of course I may get sticker shock on the second main so maybe not.

 

[JJT]

Same here slowrev. 160psi heavy 1" poly inside a 4" conduit. The well is 200' deep and 600'+ from the house. 1 splice in the run from the well to the house and another at the pitless at the well head. Some folks use the 80psi thin wall poly and direct barial. For me the pipe and conduit were the cheap part of the equation, the 600'+ trench 5' deep was over a grand 15 years ago.

 

[ByronBob]

Sounds like you should ask around to see who to ask for professional advice locally and pick their brain. All the while you could be digging a new access line to the well casing and the house.