Street supply leak..

[Daler]

We have a recently discovered problem with a leak in our supply line from the meter box.

Got home from a trip and saw water flowing across our driveway.

Dug up the line and also found the installers (from 40 years past) had kinked the copper so they could get the correct angle into the meter box.

The kink decided to spring a leak and pissed water to the tune of a large water bill.

Anyway, I’m trying to figure out the best way to permanently repair this line (I’ve temporarily wrapped the leak with EPDM and screw clamps). As you may see from the photos, there is a brass union before the 3/4” copper goes into my gate valve.

What I’d like to do is to cut out the kinked section all the way back to the valve (about 2.5 feet), and somehow patch in another section, but this time bypass the valve (seized open so get rid of it) and connect directly to the ¾” (MPT) stem on the meter unit. The meter assembly has a good on/off ball valve.

I was thinking of soldering a ¾ 45 deg elbow onto the ¾ copper and a 4”x ¾ copper stub onto that elbow. Then using sharkbites, splice in a section of ¾ superpex with a ¾ x ¾ sharkbite FNPT at the other end connecting to the ¾ MPT. This might do away with any union.

But there are 2 problems with that idea: the ¾ copper is soft rolled (not completely round) so sharkbite may not work (hence using an elbow), and how do I manage to flex the pex into place with the sharkbites at either end of it?

Appreciate your thoughts on a workable solution.

 

[Terry]

Sometimes the easy fix is four 90's. You can't push the pipes back, but you can come into the side or the top with 90's.
Soldering would be best, and you may need to dig back some to find some round copper. If you choose to solder, keep something open to allow the expanded hot air a place to escape to, otherwise the last joint soldered will blow a pinhole leak out.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[FullySprinklered]

Sharkbite makes a slip fitting that might be helpful.

 

[Daler]

Sometimes the easy fix is four 90's. You can't push the pipes back, but you can come into the side or the top with 90's.
Soldering would be best, and you may need to dig back some to find some round copper. If you choose to solder, keep something open to allow the expanded hot air a place to escape to, otherwise the last joint soldered will blow a pinhole leak out.

Not familiar with your (4) 90's idea -- like a zig zag? If that's the case, I would hesitate due to even more locations for constant friction.
Are you able to illustrate what it might look like?

After the photo was shot it was dug back as far as possible (just under the concrete driveway).
So there is about 8" of 'new' copper exposed on the other side of the kink. However, it still appears only about 98% round...so almost round, but enough for a sharkbite?? But I figure enough solder in the 45 elbow should fill in any minute recesses. Btw, that 45 elbow I was thinking about using is for properly orienting the line (as the last guys just bent it instead of using proper couplings).

Yeah, I'm aware of steam buildup -- thanks for reminding me tho.
I think the main problem getting started will be the excess water still in the pipe.
I guess it can be shop-vac'd out, huh.

 

[Daler]

Sharkbite makes a slip fitting that might be helpful.

Dang! I was into the hardware store this morning picking up everything I would need and other parts just in case of change of scenario.
Forgot a sharkbite slip/slide.

 

[Daler]

So for putting it all together for whatever way I decide, is it still legal in most places to use unions? I can definitely see a good reason for them.
And must high-percentage silver solder be used, or just regular lead-free stuff?

 

[Dj2]

To answer your last questions:
- Check your local code about having a union under grade, I would not put a union there.
- Use any lead free solder. Use a mirror to see that the solder is done under the connection.

If you don't want to do a 4 elbow bypass, you can use 2 couplings, but one of them should be without limit in the inside, so you can slide it over the existing pipe, then slide it half way over the new pipe that goes in the section you cut out. The pipes must be clean and 100% dry.

 

[WorthFlorida]

If you have a shop vac, use it to suck water out of the pipe. You might need it get water out of the hole after cutting the pipe open. Using four 90’s isn’t all that bad. Each 90 is equivalent to 3’ of pipe.

 

[Daler]

Ok. Well thanks for the support. Finished the job yesterday. Took about an hour. Much cleaner look now too.

Cut out all the original junk including the seized gate valve.

Used combo of 3/4 copper type 'L' and a straight coupling/splice with a 3/4 copper stub to accept the Sharkbite -- didn't want to take a chance of the Sharkbite of not working properly on the original rolled copper.
SuperPex to another Sharkbite w/FMPT fitting, and then onto the city MPT stub.
Having cut it exactly to length, the pex was flexible enough to get around the need for any slip coupling.

Used Aquasol lead-free (with silver carrier) solder and flux. Mapp fuel, as this solder joint seemed to work better with higher temps -- and I didn't want to give the residual water a chance to contaminate. Used Dj2 suggestion of a mirror to check around the connection: left a solder drip under the coupling so I figured the connection was filled. Btw, water was shopvac'd out as much as possible prior to start.

Will wrap the connections with self-sealing silicone tape in a few days when I have more time and am more confident of no leaks.

After that, I plan to place some foam pipe insulation around the pipe and fill in the hole -- the location is only 12" deep.

Here are the followup pics for those who are interested.

[Btw, looks like I'll also have to eat the extra $300 water usage 'overcharge'. But at least this $~30 diy job saved on having to find a pro -- let's hope it stays that way!]

 

[Reach4]

Looks nice. You might want to fill the area around the pipe with sand rather than dirt. I am thinking of sandbox sand. It is more regular than dirt; it may be overkill. I am not a plumber.

 

[Daler]

Thanks for the compliment. I too thought of doing the sand thing, but I ended up just putting the excavated dirt back into the hole -- no sand. The dirt was mostly free of rocks. The PEX is well supported and protected within the trench.
The meter box was then half-filled with some shop sawdust.

Interesting observation here though -- the main supply to the house is 3/4" copper but the contraption at the end of the meter gauge (joined onto it) is only a 1/2" machined u-shape bent coupling (with a 3/4" MPT adapter for the house supply pipe). In fact the gauge has stenciling near the readout that says 1/2 x 3/4.
Go figure.