Clot wrote:

Copper not good for underground and too expensive, anyway. Galvanized
second choice but again is pretty expensive these days
and will eventually corrode (altho not likely in a time frame you'll
care) but the hands-down winner for ease and cost is plastic.

A few months back we had a slight leak right where the main supply
pipe comes through the basement wall and into the meter. Called the
plumber -- who had to call the municipality and get the water turned
off at the curb -- and found out that the pipe was plastic --
polyethylene? They replaced about six feet of it with copper.

That's interesting. Do you mean buried within the earth? Some soils (sadly
at the moment I can't recall what types can cause rapid pitting of copper
pipes). I recall visiting a large housing estate some 25 years ago where
there was a high unaccounted loss of water on the distribution system. The
whole estate (about 10 years old) had been serviced by copper pipework which
was riddled with pinhole corrosion of the copper. The complete estate had
to be resupplied - with polypipe though I cannot recall the type of plastic
now.


Yes, buried within the earth. Somewhat sandy soil, but I have no idea of
the pH.

Perce