On Thu, 28 Dec 2006 17:19:51 GMT, Wayne Whitney
wrote:

:On 2006-12-28, Dan_Musicant wrote:
:
: Anyway, he acknowledges that they MAY have broken it. Well, he didn't
: deny it when I said that... instead he said that they may have worsened
: an already existing leak. I'd conceded that the existing water main was
: undoubtedly in a quite fragile state.
:
:Tell them that replacing the service lateral with 1" copper K is about
:a $1000 job, and that since they are at least partially responsible
:you'd like them to do the job for half that, $500. If they squawk,
ffer to add a $100 for installing a house shut off where the new
:service connects to the existing house plumbing. If the house
lumbing is galvanized, make sure a 6" long brass nipple is used to
:connect the new copper to the old galvanized.
:
:Cheers, Wayne

Thanks. Those negotiating tips may help. Their estimator hasn't shown up
yet, so that issue is in limbo. One of the guys lobbied me again to use
his man, who I'm told is a foreman for them, and that he would start
working at 4:00 this afternoon and work until 7:00 and finish tomorrow.
I was, of course, noncommital. He knows I'm going to check out the offer
from the company first at the very least. Meantime, the pipe is leaking
around (estimate here) 1/2 cup/minute, possibly more. They had broken
the sewer line adjacent to the break so that the escaping water would
mostly flow into the sewer system. However, they've finished pulling the
new sewer lateral (trenchless method), so none of the leak is reaching
the sewers now. They are going to connect the pulled line to the house
drains this afternoon.

Dan