On May 31, 3:11*pm, Ook wrote:
Boy, you sure can start enough new threads about the
same thing. * In the original thread you said the pipe from
the street was 40 years old, rusted, in unknown condition, etc.
Now you have it dug up and you're worried about just one fitting?
Why not just replace the whole run with whatever is approved
and typically used in your area? * As I stated before, around
here, this part of NJ, that would be black poly 1" pipe.

Well, each thread is different enough that I figured a new topic would
work better...though they tend to evolve and mix and match after a
while, maybe I should have kept it all as one LOL.

Oddly enough, type M copper is approved here. I would have though they
would use something thicker. The pipe from the water main to my meter
is copper, though I don't know what type.

I kinda wanted this thread to focus on the compression fitting -
suitability for this application and life span. If they are good for a
few decades, then I'm just going to fill in the trench and let the old
pipe sit there until I something happens and I need to dig it up
again. With luck that won't be for another 20 years. If they are known
to only last a limited number of years, then I would have to consider
taking action now while I have the pipes dug up.

FWIW, I disconnected the entire back yard line and plugged it at the
tee. I had to stop the bleeding. Now I'm considering replacing the
main line, or just filling in the ditch and gamble on it not causing
problems for another 10-20 years. It's a short run, and digging it up
wasn't all that much work compared to all the digging I had to do
around the side and back of house....I think the suitability of this
compression fitting is going to be the deciding vote - if they are
good for a few decades, I fill the ditch back in. If not, I bite the
bullet and replace the line.

How much does peace of mind factor into this?

How hard/expensive would it be to eliminate the fitting by replacing
the line?

Somewhere in between those 2 items is your answer.

If someone in this group - someone sitting at a keyboard and not
looking into your trench - tells you that the fitting is good for
another 20 years and you bury it again, will that give you enough
peace of mind to sleep well for next few years?

You yourself said "it would be easier to replace it all now than to
have to dig it back up in a couple of years"

How much peace of mind would it give you to know that the fitting was
gone and you knew that you had new material, end to end?

The one piece I can't speak to is the cost, but I assume you can find
that out fairly easily, if you don't already know it. Only you know
the crossover point between complete peace of mind and the hit on your
budget.