On May 26, 10:58*pm, Ook wrote:
On May 26, 7:40*pm, "Bob F" wrote:





Ook wrote:
I have city water from a water meter at the sidewalk. A 3/4" metal
buried pipe runs straight into the basement from the meter. It is
maybe a 25 foot straight run from sidewalk to house. It tees off and
goes around the house, feeding faucets at three corners. Maybe 150
feet total. Somewhere along the 150 feet run is a leak. Part of this
is under a 20 foot cement slab, plus it goes under a sidewalk,
terminates at a faucet coming up through a small cement slab.

I've dug up the faucets and water meter - no leaks. I had hoped those
would be the likely places for a leak to occur, no luck.

The pipe is old - 40 years maybe more, the house was built in 1948,
and the pipe has been there since city water was brought in a long
long time ago. Old. Rusty. Unknown condition. And a nasty leak that I
have not yet been able to find.

I can put a stick on the pipe and listen, and hear a hissing noise,
but can't quite locate the leak. It hisses at all three faucets, the
sound of the leak carries quite well through the entire length of pipe
lol. I have not yet dug up the rest of the pipe. The pipe seems to be
buried in rocks, gravel, and sand, and digging up this pipe is not a
pleasant job.

So I can:

1) Dig up 150 feet of pipe, some of which is almost two feet deep,
goes around corners, under a sidewalk, under a 20' slab, and hope I
find the leak. Fix it. Hope this old pipe doesn't spring a leak
somewhere else soon.

2) Replace the 25 foot run from meter to house and disconnect the loop
that goes around the house that is leaking. The old pipe can just sit
there and rot as far as I'm concerned, and I'll replace it with new
pipe when I get around to it. I have a well for watering the yard, and
don't need city water at outside faucets.

What is the life expectancy of water pipe buried underground? I am
giving serious thought to option 2, because just replacing the 25'
straight run to the house is a whole lot less work than digging up 150
feet of old pipe looking for a leak.

Comments, suggestion, advice?

Do as you suggest, but connect to the extra pipe with an underground valve. If
the leak is in the replaced pipe, you are good. If not, when you fix the leak
later, you can turn the water back on to the rest.

I like that idea even better. Gives me new pipe from meter to house,
and I can then find and fix the leak (or replace the old pipe) as I
have time.

is there a good reason to loop the pipe outdoors? better to run it
indoors somehow..........

i would replace the main line, then loop the new line indoors. abandon
the old outside loop completely.....

sounds like its galvanized, if it is, it probably bad everywhere.

yours is a excellent reason to use PEX, its cheap, lats near forever,
isnt valuable as scrap, so theres zero reason for it to ever be
stolen