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I have replaced maybe a dozen here in California...
Each one comes in just under 60 feet which is good because 3/4 soft L copper comes in 60' rolls.
It was very simple if a bit messy...
Meters in the sidewalk and gate valve at the house.
I attached the new copper to the old galvanized and litterlly plulled out the galvanized with my truck and the copper slipped in right behind... slow and steady with two helpers... one to watch the pipe coming out and the other to uncoil the coiled copper going in...
The only time I had trouble was in the summer when the ground was hard as a rock...
In wet season the dirt is soft and the pipes generally only 1' below the surface... sidewalks, driveways no problem... less than $200 in material and a Saturday...
I'd be worried about something pulling loose. But if it works for you, it sounds like the efficient way to do it. I guess if the string does pull apart, you can measure and figure out where to dig, and digging one hole is easier than digging a whole trench.
I had a water leak next to the driveway, and asked the plumber what he would have had to do if it was under the driveway. He said he'd just use the old pipe to pull the new pipe through.
I think the OP needs to replace the line from the water meter to the house, going through the yard and under a driveway. How did excavating the street get into this?
It shouldn’t have, homeowners utility responsibility is almost always from the property line to their house.
It shouldn’t have, homeowners utility responsibility is almost always from the property line to their house.
From the sidewalk demarc, if there is one. OTOH, I lived in a small CA city about ten years ago, just as we were preparing to put the house on the market, and the feed line gave out and turned the front yard into a soft swamp. The city considered the demarc at the front house valve and replaced the line and repaired the lawn at no cost.
During the massive run of replacing "blue poly" there were several companies that used an ingenious process for replacing the line. There was no trenching, digging, hydro-boring, etc.
Disconnect the line @house and meter, fish a cable through from the street to the house end. Then they connected a conical "ripper" and the new poly line (this poly doesn't have the inherent problems that the old blue poly had) to the end of the cable and pull the ripper through the old line- at the same time pulling the new line through. Essentially, the ripper would cut the old line and spread it apart enough so the new line would slip right through. They would usually use the truck to pull the cable- some used a winch.
You would be back up and running in less than three hrs- and the only "digging" was a couple of small holes at the meter and right at the house- fast, easy, and a Helluva lot less than trenching, gluing up sections of PVC, or worse yet- copper- from a price standpoint.
I had a water leak next to the driveway, and asked the plumber what he would have had to do if it was under the driveway. He said he'd just use the old pipe to pull the new pipe through.
It really does work well if conditions are right.
In my area the utility owns to the meter... and meters in residential are always curbside.
From the sidewalk demarc, if there is one. OTOH, I lived in a small CA city about ten years ago, just as we were preparing to put the house on the market, and the feed line gave out and turned the front yard into a soft swamp. The city considered the demarc at the front house valve and replaced the line and repaired the lawn at no cost.
You definitely lucked out!
Now the utility companies are mailing notices every few months trying to sell monthly insurance to replace utility lines that are the homeowners responsibility, from the curb line to the house. I guesss someone figured out it’s a good way for them to generate more income.
The mailings are to ensure the homeowners know it’s their responsibility for that portion of the utility and hopefully freighten them into paying for insurance.
Ideally I would like to fix the leak right next to the water meter. But professionals are telling me that might not be the only place where it is leaking so best is to cut off that line that goes from one side of the driveway on to the other side and then to the study room (home was built in the 80's). Instead they can run it straight down the lawn to the garage.
Thanks for the leads. I am getting quotes from multiple folks
Ideally I would like to fix the leak right next to the water meter. But professionals are telling me that might not be the only place where it is leaking so best is to cut off that line that goes from one side of the driveway on to the other side and then to the study room (home was built in the 80's). Instead they can run it straight down the lawn to the garage.
Thanks for the leads. I am getting quotes from multiple folks
Can you fix the leak by the meter yourself and just see if that solves it? That could be a $20 fix, versus thousands.
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