I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve. The
valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST and
wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last a thousand
years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube to prevent
freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

Bill Stock wrote:
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve. The
valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST and
wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last a thousand
years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube to prevent
freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?



Hi,
Large bore PVC pipe?

"Bill Stock" wrote in
:

I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve.
The valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST
and wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last
a thousand years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube
to prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?






Thought off the cuff...

Dig hole bigger diameter than tube. Put in tube. Pour concrete on outside
of tube. Leave or remove tube when dry. Now you have concrete lined wall
hole. May go the 1k years.

Tony Hwang wrote in
news:tQLAi.98628$rX4.68253@pd7urf2no:

Bill Stock wrote:
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve.
The valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the
ST and wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't
last a thousand years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the
Tube to prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?



Hi,
Large bore PVC pipe?


Even easier than my off the cuff reply.

"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve. The
valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST and
wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last a
thousand years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube to
prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

Why not use use an actual underground valve box?
Look he http://www.doityourself.com/invt/8483505

It can be cut/modified to suit your needs. Beats a sonotube.

"J.A. Michel" wrote in
:


"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve.
The valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST
and wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last
a thousand years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube
to prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

Why not use use an actual underground valve box?
Look he http://www.doityourself.com/invt/8483505

It can be cut/modified to suit your needs. Beats a sonotube.






For some reason he needs it 4 feet underground.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

Forget the sonotube and use a piece of 4" white plastic drain pipe. You
can probably find a free 4' scrap piece at a construction site like I did
for my water shut-off valve.

If you want to insulate inside the pipe once its in the ground..take one leg
of a pair of panty hose and stuff it with insulation and shove it into the
pipe..

On Aug 27, 10:23 pm, Al Bundy wrote:
"J.A. Michel" wrote :





"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve.
The valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST
and wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last
a thousand years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube
to prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

Why not use use an actual underground valve box?
Look hehttp://www.doityourself.com/invt/8483505

It can be cut/modified to suit your needs. Beats a sonotube.

For some reason he needs it 4 feet underground.

You live somewhere warm, Al? My street shut off for my water is right
about 5' down.

All the original ones in the neighborhood are fairly thin metal pipes,
and often the ground has shifted and make them hard to work with, but
I would think that new ones would use 4" PVC for access with a street
key. Way cheaper than a sonotube too, and I would think you could use
a screw in plug on top to cover it, and maybe a T on the bottom to run
the pipe and valve through.

If I was really curious, through, I would drive into a new
construction subdivision and look at what they have.

JK

On Aug 27, 6:55 pm, "Bill Stock" wrote:
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve. The
valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST and
wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last a thousand
years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube to prevent
freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

As others have suggested, use plastic pipe. I used ABS though as it
has a much thicker wall and I think it is more sun resistant. It has
been in place now for around 20 years. A 5 or 6 ft section of even
large bore diameter will not be a high cost item.

Harry K

"Al Bundy" wrote in message
...
"J.A. Michel" wrote in
:


"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve.
The valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST
and wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last
a thousand years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube
to prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

Why not use use an actual underground valve box?
Look he http://www.doityourself.com/invt/8483505

It can be cut/modified to suit your needs. Beats a sonotube.






For some reason he needs it 4 feet underground.

I misread that, thought it was 4"! Well that makes a difference. What's it
for? A curbstop valve?
I'd use 4 or 6" PVC with a OD cleanout adapter and plug on the top end if I
needed access to a valve that deep.

"Big_Jake" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Aug 27, 10:23 pm, Al Bundy wrote:
"J.A. Michel" wrote
:





"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve.
The valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST
and wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last
a thousand years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube
to prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

Why not use use an actual underground valve box?
Look hehttp://www.doityourself.com/invt/8483505

It can be cut/modified to suit your needs. Beats a sonotube.

For some reason he needs it 4 feet underground.

You live somewhere warm, Al? My street shut off for my water is right
about 5' down.

All the original ones in the neighborhood are fairly thin metal pipes,
and often the ground has shifted and make them hard to work with, but
I would think that new ones would use 4" PVC for access with a street
key. Way cheaper than a sonotube too, and I would think you could use
a screw in plug on top to cover it, and maybe a T on the bottom to run
the pipe and valve through.

If I was really curious, through, I would drive into a new
construction subdivision and look at what they have.

JK

I have a new construction home. My street shutoff, or "curbstop" as they
are called here - is a good 8ft down. Well, I should clearify, the valve is
8ft down, but it has a shaft on it that runs up and allows the valve turned
from the surface. I carefully put a round valvebox around my curbstop, so
that it would always be accessable. Then when we harrowed the front to
plant the lawn, it got buried. Havent't seen it since. Whoops!! :-(

"Harry K" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Aug 27, 6:55 pm, "Bill Stock" wrote:
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve. The
valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST and
wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last a
thousand
years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube to prevent
freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

As others have suggested, use plastic pipe. I used ABS though as it
has a much thicker wall and I think it is more sun resistant. It has
been in place now for around 20 years. A 5 or 6 ft section of even
large bore diameter will not be a high cost item.

Harry K
If the OP lives near a housing development that is just starting there are
often pieces of plastic water or sewer main material laying around for the
taking, offcuts from the installation process. Makes good materials for your
type of use.

"EXT" wrote in message
anews.com...

"Harry K" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Aug 27, 6:55 pm, "Bill Stock" wrote:
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve. The
valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST and
wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last a
thousand
years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube to prevent
freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

As others have suggested, use plastic pipe. I used ABS though as it
has a much thicker wall and I think it is more sun resistant. It has
been in place now for around 20 years. A 5 or 6 ft section of even
large bore diameter will not be a high cost item.

Harry K
If the OP lives near a housing development that is just starting there are
often pieces of plastic water or sewer main material laying around for the
taking, offcuts from the installation process. Makes good materials for
your type of use.
Having grown up in the business, I gotta say it- ASK before you take.
Quite often what looks like scrap, isn't, and it is a major pain in the ass
to the crew (or the site go-fer, which was my job as a kid), to go round up
replacements for stuff that grew legs.

But as far as OP is concerned- a short piece of culvert pipe of correct
diameter, plastic or steel or concrete, makes a good access tube. Local
concrete products place has or can get them, in all flavors. (they don't
just carry stuff MADE of concrete, they carry whatever flatwork guys need.)

Note that you either need to pin the peices together, or have some sort of
slip-fit arrangement, to ensure things don't move around due to frost heave,
or the thing doesn't fill with mud in rainy season. Crushing from frost
heave or hydrostatic pressure would worry me with sonotube, even
waterproofed.

aem sends...

"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve. The
valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST and
wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last a
thousand years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube to
prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?


A piece of large ABS seems appealing, but I thought it would be expensive. I
was thinking of Fibreglassing my SonoTube, but I've got enough **** to do
without creating work.

Access is for a Pond shutoff for those that asked. It needs to go around a
large knive valve, so it's likely 6" minimum.

"aemeijers" wrote in
:


"EXT" wrote in message
anews.com...

"Harry K" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Aug 27, 6:55 pm, "Bill Stock" wrote:
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground
valve. The valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I
painted the ST and wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much
better. It won't last a thousand
years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube to
prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

As others have suggested, use plastic pipe. I used ABS though as it
has a much thicker wall and I think it is more sun resistant. It
has been in place now for around 20 years. A 5 or 6 ft section of
even large bore diameter will not be a high cost item.

Harry K
If the OP lives near a housing development that is just starting
there are often pieces of plastic water or sewer main material laying
around for the taking, offcuts from the installation process. Makes
good materials for your type of use.
Having grown up in the business, I gotta say it- ASK before you
take. Quite often what looks like scrap, isn't, and it is a major pain
in the ass to the crew (or the site go-fer, which was my job as a
kid), to go round up replacements for stuff that grew legs.

But as far as OP is concerned- a short piece of culvert pipe of
correct diameter, plastic or steel or concrete, makes a good access
tube. Local concrete products place has or can get them, in all
flavors. (they don't just carry stuff MADE of concrete, they carry
whatever flatwork guys need.)

Note that you either need to pin the peices together, or have some
sort of slip-fit arrangement, to ensure things don't move around due
to frost heave, or the thing doesn't fill with mud in rainy season.
Crushing from frost heave or hydrostatic pressure would worry me with
sonotube, even waterproofed.

aem sends...





Having grown up in the business, I gotta say it- ASK before you
take.

If you didn't say it I would have! Last thing you want is getting
arrested for theft of construction materials. That's how it would read in
the "Day in Court" listings in the paper. They'll be no mention that you
were just dumpster divin'.

I've always asked and never been turned down. Last time the guy even said
thanks for asking.

Big_Jake wrote in
ups.com:

On Aug 27, 10:23 pm, Al Bundy wrote:
"J.A. Michel" wrote
:





"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground
valve. The valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I
painted the ST and wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much
better. It won't last a thousand years, but it should meet my
needs. I'll insulate the Tube to prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

Why not use use an actual underground valve box?
Look hehttp://www.doityourself.com/invt/8483505

It can be cut/modified to suit your needs. Beats a sonotube.

For some reason he needs it 4 feet underground.

You live somewhere warm, Al? My street shut off for my water is right
about 5' down.

Not any more Jake. Winter lows minus 30 here. Last year was in NC almost
in SC. Water meter within elbow reach.


All the original ones in the neighborhood are fairly thin metal pipes,
and often the ground has shifted and make them hard to work with, but
I would think that new ones would use 4" PVC for access with a street
key. Way cheaper than a sonotube too, and I would think you could use
a screw in plug on top to cover it, and maybe a T on the bottom to run
the pipe and valve through.

If I was really curious, through, I would drive into a new
construction subdivision and look at what they have.

JK

On Aug 28, 7:17 pm, "Bill Stock" wrote:
"Bill Stock" wrote in message

...

I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve. The
valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST and
wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last a
thousand years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube to
prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

A piece of large ABS seems appealing, but I thought it would be expensive. I
was thinking of Fibreglassing my SonoTube, but I've got enough **** to do
without creating work.

Access is for a Pond shutoff for those that asked. It needs to go around a
large knive valve, so it's likely 6" minimum.

If you use a Sonotube, remember to waterproof it both inside and
outside, as water will likely leak into the well at some point (maybe
a lot of points). More reason to use something made of plastic
instead.

"Heathcliff" wrote in message
ps.com...
On Aug 28, 7:17 pm, "Bill Stock" wrote:
"Bill Stock" wrote in message

...

I want to use a SonoTube as an access port for an underground valve. The
valve will be about 4' under ground. I thought if I painted the ST and
wrapped it in plastic it would hold up much better. It won't last a
thousand years, but it should meet my needs. I'll insulate the Tube to
prevent freezing.

Any ideas on the best way to mummify my Tube?

A piece of large ABS seems appealing, but I thought it would be
expensive. I
was thinking of Fibreglassing my SonoTube, but I've got enough **** to do
without creating work.

Access is for a Pond shutoff for those that asked. It needs to go around
a
large knive valve, so it's likely 6" minimum.

If you use a Sonotube, remember to waterproof it both inside and
outside, as water will likely leak into the well at some point (maybe
a lot of points). More reason to use something made of plastic
instead.


Thanks,

I ended up buying one of those round sprinkler boxes, a closet flange and a
piece of 4" pipe. The sprinkler box isn't intended for underground, but I
think it will be OK.