Permanent water lines

[Herefordcross]

What are your suggestions for permanent underground water line out to automatic waterers. Would like something to last until they bury me in the ground along side the water lines. Considered putting black line like we have been using inside of conduit put it's just a little cost prohibitive

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Since I have no idea where you're located, it's essentially impossible to recommend buried waterline types. A lot depends on your climate, type of soil, frost line in your area.

Be more specific and I and others can possibly help you better.

;-)

 

[gabby]

I plow in schedule 40 PVC with a modified subsoiler/slitter by pulling it underground behind the subsoiler like a rope. Do it all the time, up to 2" diameter. Puts it about a foot deep. Takes nearly all the work out of laying pipe.

 

[Family Tradition]

I got schedule 40 PVC run to my pens that's what it's made for. Rented ditcher from rental ($30 a day) company to run 300 ft. to new house and branched of that to pens. Just has to be deep enough.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Don't know where you are so I can't help you.

I use Sch 40 PVC buried about a foot and a half deep. I also change over to galvanize about six feet before I bring it out of the ground and put a very heavy duty post/pipe there and tie the pipe to it so the animals won't break it off.

But I'm in S. Texas. So far we've had one day of Winter and the temp was only 33°F.

 

[bigbull338]

id use the pvc waterlines.they will last for years.if my memory is corrct that black waterline will desentagrate after a few yrs an have tobe replaced.an if you think youll plow up pastures where waterlines are better put them 2.5 or 3ft deep.because if you deep plow youll be repairing broken waterlines.got a neighbor that put his line 18in deep accross my pasture.told him if an when i plowed it.he would have a busted waterline to fix.

 

[dun]

We use 2" sched 40 and put it down anywhere from 6 inches to 3 feet depending on if the backhow can dig or not. We also use a couple of feet of falvanized on either side of any riser, drive a t-post on either side about 6 inches from the riser and make cages out of old cattle panels. That keeps the riser from becoming a rub and a leak.

dun

 

[MikeC]

I hardly ever use Schedule 40 pvc because of the price difference. The class 200 pvc is rated for presssures up to 200 lbs, which exceeds Schedule 40 in some sizes.

Class 200 also carries a higher volume of water than Schedule 40 in the smaller sizes.

If put 2 feet deep and glued properly it should be there a lifetime.

You might need to go deeper in some cases.

 

[Herefordcross]

Details-
Frostline is about 30" Here and The black stuff has lasted for 25 years in some places around here but, then some of the stuff we put in 5yrs. ago has already given us problems.

 

[wideurt]

When you do put in your waterline Its a good idea tobury your line in dirty chat or lime, sand that way if you have to dig it up its easy to find & work around

 

[Tennessee Cattleman]

If you are going to put cattle waters in you will most likely want the schedule 40 PVC in 20' joints. In the big picture of things on water system, the pipe is something you do not want to go cheap on. I put 1600' 1 1/4" Sch. 40 PVC in about 5 years ago. Used Ritchie waterers. System works good.

 

[Tennessee Cattleman]

If you are going to put cattle waters in you will most likely want the schedule 40 PVC in 20' joints. In the big picture of things on water system, the pipe is something you do not want to go cheap on. I put 1600' 1 1/4" Sch. 40 PVC in about 5 years ago. Used Ritchie waterers. System works good.

 

[Herefordcross]

After a long and odd winter we are beginning this water line project.
I checked with some local people and they told me I was crazy for using sch 40 pvc undergorund per your suggestions. Is there a certain grade of pvc that you are using under the ground?
I am still young and I would like to do this once and be done.
Is the pvc belled on one end or does it require couplings?
We are running 1" stuff and someone had told me to use 200 psi black pipe but, we already have some of it and it NEEDS FIXED in several places.
There is a blue colored water line that I see on installation videos and such (Mirafount video) but, local suppliers can't seem to locate where to get it or even what it is.

 

[Horticattleman]

Crazy for using Sch. 40?!?! Go somewhere else. Class 200 pipe is commonly used for irrigation systems in the south. It is rated for 200 psi and can withstand a 400 psi hammer. We use thousands of feet a week. It is cheaper than shc 40 and does carry more water because the ID is larger, BUT it is also 'thinwall." Th actual thickness of sch. 40 is much more rigid. In Louisiana our frost line or whatever you call it...well he77 I doubt we even have one here, is irrelevant. If the ground freezes up there, you need a thicker wall pipe. However i don't care what you put in the ground, if it is within your freeze zone, whatever, it will still crack and freeze. Even galvanized pipe. Even down here, galvanized pipe above ground will freeze on rare occasion.
Whether it has belled ends depends on the manufacturer. Check it first. Oh make sure to use a purple primer and good glue. AND only use it during the temps listed on the can. They will affect the holding strength.

 

[dun]

I'ld be willing to hazard a guess that the majprity of the water lines in your part of the country are shedule 40. Even the water districts around here use the stuff.

dun

 

[backhoeboogie]

For long permanent lines, 2 inch PVC Sch 40, 3 feet deep with 1 foot of sand surrounding it, will suffice just about anything.

Except of course some fool decides to drive a post there 10 years later, directly through the center of it, while you are not at home.

 

[gabby]

Go with schedule 40. As the saying goes, "You can pay me now and do it right or you can pay me later."

Furthermore, imho, black plastic is a poor excuse for pipe.

 

[Horticattleman]

Except of course some fool decides to drive a post there 10 years later, directly through the center of it, while you are not at home.

....and he could have picked any spot around him for a mile!

 

[Herefordcross]

Just getting back to this now that the rain has once again stopped, we decided to go with CTS a much thicker 200psi black pipe. Talked to a few people about the schedule 40 and from the poplular opinions from people I would trust they tell me that the ground gets very wet here and very dry in mid summer and allows the ground to move and so I should stick with something more flexible. We are still going to sleeve it with 2" electric conduit should a line go bad we'll simply slide the old line out and put the new one in.

Dun,
Most of the city water lines here are copper, glavanized or being or have been replaced by the above mentioned CTS. Everyone I talk to says it's good stuff, The fitting run about $15 for a 90 and so on and so forth. They have a sleeve that slides into the pipe and then the fitting sort of clamps on.

 

[bear]

The black pipe you are using is probably polyethylene or possibly a pex (cross-linked polyethylene) pipe. This pipe has a much thicker wall and is very durable. The sleeve is used as a wall stiffener to allow compression fittings to tighten. The joints are very strong. The letters "CTS" (copper tube size) refer to the outside diameter. Schedule 40 is "IPS" (iron pipe size). This type of polyetylene is very popular and rapidly replacing schedule 40 when used for underground water service.