Tired of water problems

[MadRanchTX]

I've been in my place for 2 1/2 years now and am tired of fixing water leaks on the property. Water to the house is fine, I have a separate line off the well that feeds water around the property. By separate I mean the water tee's off at the well, 1 line goes to the house, the other out to the property. I am constantly fixing leaks, broken pipes, broken spigots, frozen spigots, etc. The previous owners ran water everywhere which is nice but it looks like it was installed using a hand held hoe. I have found broken pipes buried a 1/2 inch deep. So a cow steps in the wrong spot=broken pipe. Also a lot of it is 1 inch thin wall PVC. North Texas doesn't get sustained cold but not unusual to have several days below freezing and then I'm in trouble. No water to the stock tanks and then when it thaws I have new leaks. I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to rerun the water lines. What I'm looking for is advice/suggestions on what types of material to use for the lines, risers, and valves and spigots, how to install, and make sure I'm freeze proof (if such a thing exists). I have heaters in the stock tanks but the water line to the float will freeze. Any and all advice is appreciated including links to web sites that will explain in detail. This will be my spring/summer project.
Thank you
Mark

[agmantoo]

MadRanchTX

Welcome to the site!

As you are aware the only way to fix these problems is to upgrade your water system. For me the best main runs are with schedule 40 PVC buried deep enough that animal and small vehicle traffic has no impact. I have these runs adjacent to the permanent fences to keep larger vehicle traffic off the lines. At major crossings I put the PCV inside metal pipe. Where I feed off the major lines I install ball valves and convert to Pex. Pex can tolerate a few freezings and thaws. I use waterers that have the float balls over the openings to give some protection from cold getting inside the units. Additionally I use In-ground Insulated Heat Tubes which you can google. I have no electric heaters for the drinkers. Hydrants are installed deep and surrounded to a couple of feet below the base with washed stone. Ball vales are conveniently located to be able to isolate or drain the various runs of the buried pipes. These simple improvements will let you sleep during cold conditions.

[marinemomtatt]

We've got some of the same problems, lines running everywhere, leaks to fix, finding faucets on that no one turned on (thirsty deer?)
Anyway we are slowly replacing all the pvc with 'PEX' pipe/hose http://www.ppfahome.org/pex/faqpex.html
We insulate with pipe insulation and rebury. The cool thing about this 'Pex' stuff is that I can dig the ditch and it's no problem that I can't follow a straight line.

[TnAndy]

You need a ditch witch, clearly. Check your local RentAll places.

Install everything at least 18" if not deeper. I asked the building dept what the frost line was here, and was told 18", so I put my house line 24".....and the first winter in the house ( which was an exceptionally bad one ), we were without water 3 weeks.

New place, I put everything 36".

Never heard of 'thin wall' 1" PVC. Must be something you can buy there, not here. Use Schedule 40 1", buried at the correct depth, and you won't have any problems.

For freezeless yard hydrants, I buy 4' models, and run the PVC to the bottom of the hydrant. Then I run a 6' fence post, the metal T type down beside the hydrant riser and clamp the rise to the post with hose clamps.....that holds the hydrant in place ( short of hitting it with a vehicle ) and doesn't let it crack the PVC.

[Darren]

When I ran 1000' of 2" up to the house for city water, with the exception of the the line in the bottom by the creek where I was down over 48", I went down at least 30" and in most places 36". Frost depth in WV is no where near those depths. Most folks around here don't go down to 18".

Going below the expected and unexpected frost depth is your first guideline.

I have always used 200# copper tube size (CTS) polyethyelene pipe. I think most of the big box stores go up to 160#. Locally I can buy rolls of the pipe in lengths up to 500'. I use ONLY brass compression fittings to join the pipe. They are pricey but they won't rot out in your lifetime and possibly your kids if ever. I have had problems with insert fittings and band clamps rusting out that were installed by the previous owner. I will not use them.

I also have used curb stops in curb boxes to prevent damage if I run over them with a tractor. Installing a curb stop (below ground valve) allows me to cutoff water to any section without shutting off water everywhere to work on a small section. All you see is the metal plate (cap) out in the yard which is the same as you see in city sidewalks. Take the cap off and use a curb wrench to close or open the valve as needed. I make sure the curb box is set low enough so that a lawn mower won't catch it.

When I install a hydrant I dig down about 16" more below the bottom of the hydrant. I line the cavity with geotextile to prevent soil from settling in over the years. I stack two layers of two cement blocks each in the cavity and then run the drain from the bottom of the hydrant into the cavity. I finish by folding the geotextile down over top of the blocks to prevent soil from ever filling the cavity.

One of the advantages of the polyethylene is it is flexible compared to PVC. If you get any earth movement, like settlement, you won't break the polyethylene. The 2" was a bit of a hassle to wrestle, but the smaller stuff like 1" is real easy to work with. If you're using a trencher, someone can follow right behind rolling pipe into the trench faster than you can dig. With continuous pipe you also have far fewer joints which saves time and eliminates potential future problems.

[Windy in Kansas]

Welcome to the forums.

[Harry Chickpea]

Sounds like irrigation pipe like we used in Florida. For most of the runs, I'd go with the heavy black poly like what Lowes sells. It doesn't shatter like PVC. Also, bed your pipes in sand and you'll have fewer breaks.

18" is good, but around here the frost line is maybe 8" to 10" and the soil is chert, so stuff gets buried closer to the surface. If you have an area that you know will get a lot of traffic, the 2" PVC conduit used for power lines makes a good strong sleeve.