Long water line

[bluedog225]

Good morning,

I’ve got a long water line to run from the road to my cabin. 600-700’.

Up till now, I‘ve done fine with my 5/8 garden hoses but it’s time to trench and put in pipe. Not many fixtures. Kitchen sink, toilet, bathroom.

2” is probably still too small but it’s about all I can afford.

PEX is doable but very expensive at that size.

I’m looking at HDPE (polyethylene).

One of my questions is can I use compression fittings or barbs with HDPE? I’d rather not get into fusing/melting the fittings. Seems like that is going to cause issues later in terms of repairability. Or is that the way to go?

My other question is which HDPE am I looking for? I vaguely understand there is minicipal quality that is heavier and ’once and done.” But not finding actual specs. I don’t want to have to dig this up later.

Any thoughts on how best to get this job done appreciated.

Thanks

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[mike93lx]

If 5/8 garden hose is working, why is 2" too small?

 

[jack stand]

Attention to your backfilling technique and material is a bigger factor for longevity. 2" pipe also seems more than you can use from your description.
If you put a marker (pipe,etc.) at all the connections that could be helpful in the future.

 

[mike93lx]

If this site is good, 1" should do 6-8gpm at 600 feet. Plenty for a cabin, IMO

Charts for Determining Water Pipe & Meter Sizes

www.plumbingsupply.com

 

[clutchee]

I ran 350’ with 1” PEX and feeds our house great.

 

[sjvicker]

I run 1-1/4" HDPE from my cistern 700' down a hill to my future build site. It generally comes in different pressure ratings (100psi, 160psi, 200psi). From what I found 100psi is garbage, 160psi is acceptable and 200psi is the top of the line. I ran 160psi line that I purchased from home depot.

I messed around with the expensive compression fittings and at the end of the day just used the plastic barbs with two high quality stainless hose clamps on each side of the barb.

Use a propane torch to heat the pipe slightly (dont get it too hot) and the barbs go in easier.

 

[Hooked]

I ran 3/4" PVC 350' to our house over 40 years ago and it serves us well. Another 300' further to the barn with plenty of water/pressure. Have added water lines to greenhouse, boat shed and workshop as well with no issues. The only time I've had to repair any lines is due to freezing.
For a cabin 1" is more than enough.

 

[Fav Onefour]

No need to use 2" line unless you are planning on the pipe being your tank. That will be a lot of water just sitting in pipe and a lot of money exiting your wallet.
How deep do you run water lines in your area? We bury deep around here and use plastic barb fittings with stainless clamps. We do make sure the trench lay is good when we back fill. The first layer on top is done with shovels and labor.

 

[bluedog225]

Thanks guys. The real world stuff helps.

No frost line here. 6” min but 12” is good practice. No authority having jurisdiction. Don’t want trouble in future and will probably do 12”.

It looks like I can run HDPE with barbs. I like having that option given how cheap it is by comparison.

Vague plan is to run 200’ sections then stub it up with a T and a hose bib in a vault.

I’ll put a larger vault near the cabin and go with pex and sharkbite from there. Or maybe pex A if I can get or rent a cheap tool.

 

[mike93lx]

Vague plan is to run 200’ sections then stub it up with a T and a hose bib in a vault.

Curious, why? Seems like a lot of added cost and complexity. Do you need access to water along the driveway?

 

[930dreamer]

I bought a 500 ft roll of 1" Pex A this Summer for a water line to the house on my shop property. I think it was under $350?

 

[bluedog225]

Yes. Having hose bibs will help with watering pecan trees. Dragging 200’ of hose around is a pain. I” pex is ok. 2” gets up there.

 

[fitter30]

Height of rise of the water line. 2.31' per lb doesn't matter what size pipe
231' =100 lbs at the bottom
1 foot of water creates 0.433 psi of pressure

 

[jrsavoie]

I ran mine in 3" and 4" plastic tile. Makes pulling and changing much easier if needed.

 

[couch67]

I wonder if you installed a small pressure tank (with an air bladder) in the cabin, would it help maintain pressure?

 

[jrsavoie]

I wonder if you installed a small pressure tank (with an air bladder) in the cabin, would it help maintain pressure?

At my daughter's we installed a full sized bladder tank with booster pump

 

[mike93lx]

I ran mine in 3" and 4" plastic tile. Makes pulling and changing much easier if needed.

By the time the water line needs to be changed, the outer pipe will likely be filled with roots

 

[bluedog225]

The idea of a smaller line and tank at the cabin is definitely on the table. Either a larger rainwater deal that would be topped off with a float valve or a smaller tank inside.

 

[jrsavoie]

By the time the water line needs to be changed, the outer pipe will likely be filled with roots

It gives me something to hit when digging. We go 4' deep here. Root infiltration isn't such a deal below the clay level.

In areas where we worry about root issues, we use unslotted tile or sometimes pvc.

The black plastic water lines don't need to be changed often. The line running about 100 yards to the tool shed is over 50 years old.

If it leaks we don't notice. We did notice when the bottom of the hydrant rotted off. Had a puddle in a dry spell.

That's when I decided an indicator light to be on when the pumps running would be a good idea.

The only reasons we've ever had to change stuff was something getting hit by the digger or change of plans.

I've never actually seen the black plastic water line fail.

We have used the tile to pull other stuff through in addition to the water line. Air line from the compressor and telephone lines, back in the days of land lines.

We always left a pull wire inside the tile.

 

[Skooterj]

1" or 1 1/4" , 160 PSI HDPE in the longest roll you can source should be more than enough. Barb fittings work great, just use two clamps on each side. I prefer stainless or brass barbs. Plastic barbs are cheaper, but can crack if you overtighten the clamps.

 

[dcg9381]

Any rise? I did 350' in 2" PVC largely because at that size there was zero impact on PSI at my GPM rate. I know PVC has doubled or more in cost... It's worked fine so far, even in a really rocky soil about 24" down.

 

[Balvar24]

Pressure at the road?

 

[Walkers]

1-1/2 pvc would work just fine and be fairly cheap. I wouldn’t bury it any less than 24” though. Heavy vehicles after a rainstorm can tear pipe up. The other reason is water temp, I hate having hot water in the summer!

 

[bluedog225]

I need to go find the pressure at the road. All the calculations seem to start there. Or just guess at 1’ or 1 1/4 and hope for the best.