Repairing and Replacing Our In-Ground Water Pipe

Brooke Bowman
by Brooke Bowman
3 Materials
$500
2 Weeks
Medium
When my husband and I bought our little cottage, we did so knowing that much of the existing appliances and wiring were original to the home. While we adored their vintage charm, we knew we had to make some major upgrades to make sure the home was safe and livable for the next few decades that we plan to live in it. While we took major strides in that arena, completely tearing out the existing sheetrock, installing new wiring and adding new modern appliances, there was one issue we did not content with: the water line. This was a very old copper pipe that ran from underneath the home’s foundation to the water meter at the edge of the yard by the road. While it lasted us around four years as it was, we knew eventually it would need to be replaced. Sure enough, this past month, we began to notice a damp spot in the yard. We investigated further and saw that a tiny spring had formed underground near the pipe. Thankfully, though he is no longer in that line of work, my husband is a former plumber and got to work right away. Here are the steps he took to fix the issue.
First, we had to locate exactly where the pipe was leaking. Though our home does not sit too far off the road and we had a general idea thanks to the water spot, there was some major digging required. The whole family pitched in with shovels and we were able to dig to where the water line was located. After creating about a five-foot trench within the damp area, we located the underground leak. In many cases, this is where the problem is solved. Often, it only takes a little bit of new pipe, along with a new adapter, to patch the issue. Yet, our issue was exacerbated by the fact that this pipe was so old. Though my husband ran to the hardware store to find the exact-sized adapter he needed, the pipe would not thread through it correctly as it had started to deteriorate over time. It was then that we realized our hope of just patching the pipe for the time being and hoping that it would hold was fruitless. Instead, we would need to completely replace the existing water line.
My husband created a small opening in the foundation of our home and crawled through our underground crawl space to completely disconnect the old line. He then purchased new, three-quarter inch pex pipe from the hardware store that would work in place of the existing copper piping. We used this new pipe all the way from the roadside water meter to the connector under the home’s foundation.
During the process, we also removed an old backflow preventer that was not functioning and installed a new one in its place. We also installed a special meter adapter onto the water meter. This was required to connect the new pex pipe to the old copper pipe at the water meter. Throughout the process, we had to continue to dig major trenches to access the pipe in strategic locations. Though it was a manual effort, we will be working with a local contractor and handyman to backfill the dirt. A do-it-all helper around our community, he is such a valuable resource. When we called him and he showed up to work with his excavator in tow and his military patches on his old denim jacket, we knew we had found the right guy for the job. Currently, the excavator is sitting behind our shed waiting to be used. Our area of the Carolinas is experiencing a heavy bout of rainfall as Hurricanes Florence and Michael make their way around the coast. Though the damp ground made the initial digging relatively easier to manage, the soil needs to be a little more compact before we begin filling in the ground around the new line.
I am thankful for resourceful and helpful people who can help turn a messy and challenging complication into a solution. Moving forward, we will be able to have our water bill adjusted this month after the leak caused it to soar through the roof! Hopefully, this new fix will last us for the lifetime of this special home.
This is an image of the new piping on top of the existing water line. We worked together in the dark for much of this project, as it was the only time of day we could get to it. Though I like to think I helped, I mainly held the flashlight and headlamp so we could get the job done. Still, every part of the project required assistance, and it was truly a team effort.
Suggested materials:
  • 3/4-inch Pex Piping   (Hardware Store)
  • Backflow Preventer   (Hardware Store)
  • Water Meter Adapter   (Hardware Store)
Brooke Bowman
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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