new water main

[peltaz]

I guess a call to my local plumbing inspector would answer these questions but where is the fun in that?

I have a 1938 home in AZ that I have lived in for 5 years. About half the house has been repiped with copper in the last 15 years with the rest being galvanized. While contemplating the galvanized repipe with pex (all in an easily accessible crawlspace under the house) I thought about replacing the water line to the meter which is of undtermined age and also galvanized. I am wondering if I am missing something but replacing that appears to be a piece of cake. It is 3/4". I would go up to 1" due to fixture count (34) and simply bypass the current pipe route leaving it in the ground and connect at both ends. The line is buried about 12" deep and the distance is about 30 feet from the meter to the house.

Is it that simple or am I missing something other than the fact that my local inspector may require a licensed plumber to make the connections?

Thanks as always for the outstanding advice.

[Gary Swart]

I'm sure HJ can give you an informed answer on AZ requirements as he lives in Phoenix. In most areas, the homeowner is responsible for everything after the water meter. Replacing the line is probably an excellent ideas as the galvanized pipe will fail sooner or later as it very well be as old as the house. While is it is a fairly straight forward job, there are requirement on how underground connections are made. You may find that you would be wise to hire a plumber, but you should save some of the expense by doing the trenching yourself. Paying a plumber's rate to dig a 12" deep ditch doesn't make sense to me. I am not sold on PEX as a DIY job. In fact, I'm not really sold on PEX. Too many reports of rodents gnawing on it, problems with making the connections, and failure of certain brand of connectors are a few of the ???? I have. If access is not too much problem, I would stay with copper. It still the piping of choice IMHO.

[Terry]

Most of the time when you replace a galvanized water line, you must first check with an electrician to see if the panel is properly grounded.

In older homes, they often used the water main as a ground.
Cutting the line, may mean "No Ground"!

Many times, we need to have the panel grounded "before" we replace a line like that.

[Gary Swart]

Good point on the ground, but if the line was replaced with copper, wouldn't that work for a ground?

[hj]

Your house probably has a ground rod anyway, but the copper line would maintain any grounding. As long as it is copper you can install it 12" deep, but I would go at least 18" anyway just to give additional protection.

[TedL]

Good point on the ground, but if the line was replaced with copper, wouldn't that work for a ground?

Yes, but making the disconnection could give a shock if the ground is serving it's purpose, particularly if there are problems with the utility's neutral connection.

Also, in my area, which I believe is typical, homeowner responsibility starts at the curb stop, not the meter. Perhaps in warm weather areas, the meter is out near the curb, but in the Northeast, it's in the house.

[peltaz]

The water meter is actually at the curb and I do actually have a grounding rod. The electrical system has been updated much more recently than the plumbing. All I see is a straight shot of about 30 feet of 3/4" galvanized pipe. One end connects with a 3/4" connection to the meter. The other end hits a 90 degree elbow up about 18 inches to another 90 degree elbow where it enters the house into the crawlspace.

[Gary Swart]

I believe meter location is somewhat dependent on local practice. In my area at least, the meter is the curb stop. The homeowner is not supposed to even have a key to shut the water off. The homeowner is responsible for everything from the meter to the house. In my case, the city water main is across the street, the meter is at the curb on my side of the street. If I was doing this job, I'd use 1" copper into the house. Even though the meter is only 3/4" you will get a tad more flow because there will be less friction loss. Labor cost will be the same, the pipe will be more.

[TedL]

Our service lines have to be at least 4ft deep. Heating design temp is -20. I figure a meter box would have to be a good bit deeper than 4 ft. to avoid freezing, with the relatively wide opening to the surface providing a good path for heat loss. Not easy to read or service/replace.

Our town water dept. lent me a key when I said I wanted to replace the main valve on a holiday they were closed.

Water Pipe Sizing

[hj]

I have worked on water lines where I am sure they dragged the apprentice across the ground and then put the water lines in the tracks made by his heels.

[kingsotall]

That's messed up HJ. Funny...but messed up.