water line replacement
hi all,
Looking for advice on what to do about an old galvanized water supply line. My neighbor’s just broke and the plumbers said hers was in bad enough shape that they suggest I go ahead and replace mine (since I’m already in the midst of a renovation and everything is opened up on the inside). Also the shared driveway (where both of our meters are located) is already pretty much a mud pit right now. It’s a slab on grade, 1973 duplex.
Estimate was 5-7k so that has me considering doing it myself.
The challenge is how to get through the slab/footer. I would bring the new line in along the side of the house, not under the front porch like the existing one runs. And it’s a monolithic slab, so the concrete along the edge is at least 18″ wide by 24-30″ tall. Sounds like plumbers would saw cut and jackhammer slab and then likely tunnel under the footer to thread pipe through. But that sounds destructive and wouldn’t bring the pipe up in a good spot.
Is renting a core drill with long/extendable bits and drilling through the concrete at an angle an option? If so, what should I look for in terms of drills/bits?
Or is routing the line through the wall above grade and using heat tape + insulation a reliable solution?
Or should I just buy water-line replacement coverage, hope they cover the cost if it goes bad, and let the plumbers figure it out? (though this would also mean the re-destruction of the driveway and landscaping)
Or should I not assume the neighbor’s line failing means mine is at any significant risk and simply let it be? One related point is that the city broke my water line in two places when capping my gas line last year, so there are already two repair couplings on it, which the plumbers didn’t trust the reliability of.
Any input or advice based on others’ experiences is much appreciated,
Ben
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Replies
Galvanized pipe has a life of 30-40 years, you're already on borrowed time.
What is your climate? How deep do you have to go to avoid frost?
I would rent a ditcher, it's like $150 for a day. I would ditch from the shutoff to the edge of the foundation, and I'd go deeper that the footer. On the inside I'd make a hole big enough that I could dig with a shovel down deeper than the footer. I'd get a piece of steel pipe big enough for the water pipe to slide through, cap it on both ends, lay it in the trench and hit it with a sledge hammer until it pokes through the other side. They make tools for doing that but if you're only going 18" you can brute force it. Then take the caps off and run the pipe through.
In a lot of places a licensed plumber has to do the hookup to city water, but if you handle the trenching and filling you'll save a lot of money. Get the plumber's advice on where the line should enter the house.
Call your local utility locator service before turning a shovelful of dirt.
>Or is routing the line through the wall above grade and using heat tape + insulation a reliable solution?
No.
Don't do it if you have this option.
Get additional insurance the covers the exterior main line. Mine is 6 dollars a month.
They have repaired it 3 times and replaced the whole line. So 4 digs in 3 years. 216 dollars and a new line.
> Is renting a core drill with long/extendable bits and drilling through the concrete at an angle an option? If so, what should I look for in terms of drills/bits?
Look for core drilling subcontractors in your area. Their job is to come in, drill some holes, and go. Explain the situation and see what they'd recommend.
Usual problem here with galvanized is scale buildup, most need to get replaced as there is practically no water pressure anymore.
What I've done is dig the two holes (one by the shutoff and one inside the house) and have the plumber torpedo the new line. This saves a fair bit of the install cost.
One thing to watch is where you house electrical ground is. In case the pipe is replaced with PEX, you'll need a new ground for your panel.
Replace now at your expense. The ‘water line insurance’ companies do the cheapest job possible using the cheapest plumber they can. Is that the job you want?
How deep do you need to go? If less than 36” rent a trencher and plan your route. Get you measurements, Go to a supply house and get at least 3/4” PEX in the length you need to have no joints between meter and inside shutoff.
Call a local Concrete cutting and coring company to cut your slab. They will do a cleaner job in 1/4 of the time it will take you.
To bore under your slab get a piece of galvanized with an ID bigger than the OD of your water line and use a pressure washer wand pushed in to water bore your way through.
Have a plumber do the meter connection and make sure you are good with inspections before covering the line outside.
Thanks everyone for all the feedback. I've reached out to a concrete boring contractor so I'll see what they say. Also I'm in climate zone 4a, so I don't think trenching the line myself would be that hard since I don't need to go too deep.
And Ryan, good to hear that the insurance covered the expense for you. I still share Spence's hesitations, so hoping i can find a way to do it now affordably, but it's good to hear that approach worked for you.
+1 for hiring a coring contractor to get you through that wall.
What you want for that underground line is likely HDPE pipe, which is NOT the same as PEX. You HAVE to use whatever your water company wants you to us. CALL THEM FIRST, ask them about the pipe. They might even provide the pipe to you for free in some cases. I would put in a 1" minimum size line if you have the option, which will make for a bit less pressure drop during times of heavy use. The materials cost is far less than the labor cost on a project like this.
BTW, if you have a long run, you might look into having a directional drilling contractor run the underground line for you. This tends to cost more than open trenching, but the advantage is that with directional drilling, you have a "bore pit" (hole in the ground) at either end of the run, and no disruption to the ground between those two spots (up to several hundred feet or so). This is a great option to get under things like paved driveways and landscaping that you don't want to have to redo.
Bill
Water main line insurance will contract with a local company and that company will provide their own life time insurance (likely).
You're looking at a lot of work and no future insurance. Consider the insurance and wait. You're not facing a disaster. When it breaks, you shut off the water and it's replaced by a company specializing with insurance. You are going to do the work. Since it's just connectors, it's not like your gaining much work satisfaction or knowledge. Depending on your area, if you break the connection at the meter, it's on you. Through a company, it's on them.
It's the one time insurance is going to work, particularly since you think your entering questionable line quality.