Installing Mega Long Water Line

Install 2300 foot (750m) water line
from water meter at road to barndominium on 50 acres
1.5 inch polyethylene pipe
Ford couplings
Pipe and fittings purchased at ACT Pipe & Supply
actpipe.com/
Couplings made by Ford Meter Box Company
actpipe.com/
Trencher rented from Main Street Rental
www.mainstreetrentaltaylor.com/

[@OhighOSkater]

Great video man! It is awesome to see your family working together toward a common goal!

[@LewisRenovation]

Yes, thank you. I'm blessed with a great family.

[@OhighOSkater]

@@LewisRenovation You're welcome

[@btj1844]

Good job, it does get hot here in Texas!

[@DavidEBerry]

Good video; I will be running 1000' of poly pipe from our well location to our home site, also in TX, about an hour North of San Antonio. Good to know it can be accomplished with sweat equity. Some helpful comments are here. Appreciate your details on the poly pipe connections. If you have pressure issues at your home site, a pressure boost pump such as a Grundfos SCALA2 could be a solution.

[@LewisRenovation]

I’ll look into that pressure booster. Thank you for the comment and good luck with your project!

[@blareschair]

nice

[@LewisRenovation]

Thank you!

[@altasoldagem1358]

Parabéns 👏👏👏🇧🇷

[@LewisRenovation]

Obrigado!!

[@wmlane3321]

Great video. What size poly pipe was that? Can you describe the exact type/name of the fittings you used to connect everything? Links to where to buy them would be appreciated. I'm about to do 700 or so feet myself. Thanks.

[@LewisRenovation]

1.5 inch poly pipe. I used Ford fittings, the first two types in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWWWZYRqZtCbnZI I'm sure Ford Meter Box can tell you a local distributor www.fordmeterbox.com/resources/catalog-sections

[@georgegriffith7599]

Curious if you've had problems since installation. I'm about to do 1500'. One thing I'm a bit concerned about is thermal expansion. HDPE thermal coefficient means a 2300' line, with a 20deg F change in temp will expand or contract over 3'. The proper installation instructions are to snake the line within the trench and in a 6" trench like the trencher makes you don't have much snake offset potential. So, there is likely to be a very large pulling/pushing. Trencher is much cheaper and faster than using a mini excavator or backhoe to make a long wider trench to allow snaking to mitigate expansion/contraction. I am just not sure how much to worry about it. PVC has a much lower coefficient of expansion, so I think pvc would be 10" for 1500' and 20 deg F swing. HDPE about 25". So, just wondering if you've had any issues?

[@LewisRenovation]

I’ve had no issues with the water line. My biggest concern with PVC was all the joints and our soil that expands and contracts significantly with changes in moisture. Thank you for the comment!

[@HeritageFarmsTexas]

Hello, on the couplings, did you say $8 dollars or $80 dollars?

[@LewisRenovation]

They were $80 each 2 years ago, probably a lot more now

[@TheCalvert101]

About to start 2,000 feet. At 1,000 feet I have a peak of approx 10ft in elevation and then it drops down the remainder of the 1,000 ft. Should I consider 2” pipe on this given the elevation incline/decline? Great video.

[@LewisRenovation]

Measure the pressure at the street. I think mine was 65 psi but that was several years ago. My line rises slightly and then drops off some. I think you’ll be fine especially if the pressure is good. Home Depo/Lowe’s have a pressure gauge for pretty cheap

[@LewisRenovation]

And thank you for the nice comment

[@robertchambers5596]

Great video, couple questions, is that a standard 3/4” meter? What pressure is your water meter set at and what’s the pressure at the house? I’ve got about 1500 feet to run here in Ohio. Thanks.

[@LewisRenovation]

Yes, 3/4 meter outlet. Pressure was 65 psi at the meter. I've never measured it at the house but it's adequate as long as we aren't washing clothes, taking a shower, and washing dishes at the same time

[@markwhite6782]

​@@LewisRenovation What was the name of that pipe? Was it "poly-pipe" and is it better than schedule 40 or just easier. I just had a guy sleeve my 2,640 ft 1 &1/2" waterline due to breaks happening after 30 years. He promised me a 1 inch would be sufficient. I told him I was nervous going 75 ft in elevation that far. It's all hooked up and theres not enough pressure to run any 2 items in the house at the same time. Later I realized that 1 inch poly-pipe was about 3/4" ID. Hence the frustrations. Counting 5 leaks in 2 months plus the cost of this I have now spent $5,000 and I still need to run a new waterline. I'm going 1 & 1/4 ID pipe but not sure if I want poly-pipe or schedule 40. I'll be close to $10,000 when I'm through so you can see why I want to be careful in chosing pipe.

[@LewisRenovation]

@@markwhite6782 It's officially called polyethylene pipe, but most people call it poly pipe or black poly. The main reason I selected was because I could get it in 500' rolls, so less connections and less chances for it to pull apart. Our soil moves around a lot between being wet and dry so lots of potential for coming apart. Sorry your having so many issues. Take care.

[@robertsteele8838]

@@markwhite6782 what did you finally run? I’ve got 2500’ and thinking about 1.5” schedule 40 PVC. Everything is flat no change in grade level. My meter is 1” tap. I hope this is big enough for my house.

[@markwhite6782]

@@robertsteele8838 Plenty big enough. My 1&1/2 off a 1" tap ran 75 feet in elevation and, prior to a pressure regulator, would shoot water 25 feet out the end of a garden hose. I had to regulate mine down a bit. I'm trying to talk the water district into running the first 1/4 mile to the end of our road since it will serve 4 other houses. Then my waterline would be cut nearly in half. I still hate my sleeve I put in. Not nearly enough volume. You cannot water the lawn and take a shower at the same time. There's enough pressure to throw a stream about 2 inches high from a garden hose when pointed upwards. Pathetic!

[@michiganjfrog5714]

♥

[@LewisRenovation]

Happy you liked it

[@vincentmeyers9365]

How long did the trenching take going 2300 feet with that trencher?

[@LewisRenovation]

It was around 12 hours. Definitely get some headphones because it's slow work. Are you installing a similar water line?

[@vincentmeyers9365]

Yes, we are starting a 3,000 foot line to run city water to our farm. Just found out it needs to be 44 - 48 inches deep here in Southern Indiana which I was surprised at. Hoping to rent the trencher for a week only!

[@LewisRenovation]

Guess the depth is due to freezing? Good luck with the project!

[@kaiya47]

where are your leaks the joints? and why

[@LewisRenovation]

I was trying to be cheap and not buy a big enough wrench to tighten the joints, but I ended up buying a 24” crescent from Harbor Freight and got the fittings tight enough

[@larrybiggs5014]

7:08

[@LewisRenovation]

Yeah!!

[@cyberprop]

I guess you don’t have frost were you are, we have to bury water pipe 1m or 3 foot deep and surround it in sand and warning tape ontop.

[@LewisRenovation]

We are lucky here, no frozen ground