Water Main Replacement – How Can We Help?
As a Home or property owner, you’ve most likely had at experience dealing with water Main Services- the primary underground in water distribution systems.
Importance of replacing the mainline
Water mains are usually subject to several issues because it is the main pipe, located underground that connects your home to the community’s main water source.
Because water main services are always under pressure, they are vulnerable to breakage that may cause water to leak out to the surface, or worse cause contaminated water in the home. Holes or cracks may also develop as a result of usage over time, usually as a result of external corrosion or frost. Pipe failure underground can cause muddy areas in better cases because it’s surfacing instead of going into the house or elsewhere causing more expensive or thorough damage like flooding, a spike in the water bill, landscaping cave-ins, loss of plantation.
Water Main Repair and Replacement Tips
These problems and more are reasons adequate maintenance of water mains is extremely important. If you discover a leak in your water main, it is crucial to rectify the issue immediately to avoid long term damage to your property. You need to keep the following in mind:
Spot repairs
Once a galvanized water main service begins to leak, spot repair can be done. However once it begins to fail, it will start springing leaks throughout the whole line causing the need to do more spot repairs that seemingly never end because digging it up will disrupt the earth around it, and because the water was shut off and turned back on.
The goal of replacement, on the other hand, is to re-run the entire service line in the most efficient way possible with minimal negative effects on the household and the public. There are different techniques that can be used:
Open trench – This technique has existed the longest, and it is breaking the surface and excavating soil from the connection point to the main along the entire length of the pipe to be replaced. This option can cause disruption of landscaping and loss of plantation.
Replacement on new routes – In this case, the damaged pipe is bypassed, and a new pipe is installed along a different route using a trench-less method such as guided boring. Two or more access pits are excavated, one at the point of connection to the water meter service and one at the home’s point of entry. In relative terms, there are two options for replacing your main line piping:
- Digging up trenches with a backhoe that will result in property damage and loss of landscaping.
- Our typical approach; on a 50ft main, we typically dig 3 2ft x 5ft holes with boring all the way through between the holes causing minimal disruption. Most cases it’s hardly noticeable. This technique has been proven to be cost effective while ensuring that your home aesthetics are retained. Below is photos of a water main replacement completed in one day by RPM Plumbing. As you see below this is a very efficient way to get the job done!
With RPM Plumbing, you don’t have to compromise on cost, beauty or functionality. Water main service replacements are done with guaranteed minimal invasion with boring leaving your property the same way you left it but with a high quality, non-corrosive water service.Call us today to get a free evaluation of your mainline. Offering a 25-year warranty by pipe manufacturer and 1 year parts and labor warranty!
