Pulling PEX water line through a PVC conduit

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I've done that very thing. I was shocked by how hard it pulled. Worked fine, but it took a significant amount more pull than I initially planned for. Somebody already mentioned lube, don't skip it and make sure to use a MUCH stronger pull cable than you think is necessary.

[Bill Dufour]

It might be possible to use pipe bursting so you can use whatever size pipe you want. This can even include a bigger pipe and no trenching. Any chance it is too shallow and freezing has damaged the existing pipe? I really think you need to pay someone to locate the leak and find out why it failed.
Pulling new pipe in may just maks the problem for another 15 years. How old are you and any children who might inherit the property?
Bill D.

PS: Lifetime guarantee has a different meaning to me now. I have Wards and Sears tools with lifetime guarantees that I can not get replacements for. My sister had a ten year guarantee on her pool. When it leaked the company was also out of business.

[Frank Pratt]

Pipe is Many factors easier than pulling wire! There really is not a comparison.

That may be so Tom, but it would be a mistake to think that pulling 700' of pipe is not going to take some serious effort. Having a failure with the job only partly done is going to ruin someone's day.

[Brian Elfert]

PS: Lifetime guarantee has a different meaning to me now. I have Wards and Sears tools with lifetime guarantees that I can not get replacements for. My sister had a ten year guarantee on her pool. When it leaked the company was also out of business.

I'm curious what Sears tools you can't get a replacement for, or is it simply an issue of no more Sears stores in your area?

[Bob Grier]

HDPE pipe is not damaged by freezing like PVC or copper. Although PEX pipe is made of high density polyethylene, I don't know how freezing would affect its fittings or their connection to the PEX.

[John K Jordan]

HDPE pipe is not damaged by freezing like PVC or copper. Although PEX pipe is made of high density polyethylene, I don't know how freezing would affect its fittings or their connection to the PEX.

Might check further on advisability of using PEX underground. I put in 900' of water line some years ago, most of it paid for by the government as part of a soil conservation and livestock program. I hired a plumber to lay the line and make the connections. He really wanted to use PEX. The people in charge of the program would not permit PEX but they didn't say why. PVC was acceptable and recommended. This was direct burial if that makes a difference - maybe PEX in PVC might have been ok.

Off the subject of water but on the topic of trenches, I just dug a 650' trench down the horse pasture to replace a failed direct-burial aluminum electrical power line - I used THWN copper in conduit this time. Took me a couple of days but all is connected and working. Twas a good test of my new toy, er, farm machine. Waiting on a few dry days to fill the last of the trench.

trackhoe-tranch.jpg

JKJ

[Scott T Smith]

Might be cheapest, and certainly easiest, to get someone to find the leak, and either let them fix it, or fix it yourself.

When posters give their location, we can more easily offer better advice.
https://www.americanleakdetection.co...meet-the-team/

I’m with Tom; why don’t you simply fix the leak instead of redoing the entire line?

And speaking of Pex, I really like it for buried lines. I have a 600’ run of pex from my house up to one of the barns, and just redid the well with a 300’ run of pex to a submersible pump. Great stuff.

[Bill Dufour]

I'm curious what Sears tools you can't get a replacement for, or is it simply an issue of no more Sears stores in your area?

No more sears local to me. Lowes will not trade in one tool, full sets only.
Bil lD

[Tom Bender]

Assuming you use pipe on a roll vs straight pipe with connections, the tendency to remain curved will be a major factor in pulling force. If the same pipe is available in a bigger roll that would help. Pulling it on a hot summer day should also help. In cold weather you might want to tent it and heat for a few hours prior.

My experience with pulling big electrical cables in tray showed that the work to straighten it was significant. That force was multiplied over the length of the pull. It became necessary to use a pusher as well as a puller. The pusher actually worked as a puller to turn the spool and straighten the cable. Pipe should not require much straightening work but it's tendency to remain curved will cause a big friction factor.

I'm still concerned with the possibility of buildup in your 2" line. If a spot is half full with sand you will get stuck. Maybe try pulling a 5 foot long piece of PEX thru as a test prior to buying the whole roll. You can test both sizes. You have to dig up both ends in any case. I suggest tying a pulling cord to both ends in case you need to pull it back.

[Stephen Tashiro]

Assuming you use pipe on a roll vs straight pipe with connections, the tendency to remain curved will be a major factor in pulling force. If the same pipe is available in a bigger roll that would help. Pulling it on a hot summer day should also help. In cold weather you might want to tent it and heat for a few hours prior.

And get type A PEX instead of type B.

Maybe try pulling a 5 foot long piece of PEX thru as a test prior to buying the whole roll. .

A good idea!

Perhaps it's obvious, but something bullet shaped should be put on the nose of the pipe to help it ride over edges at joints.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I have put both electric fence undergroud wire and pex tubing through old well pipe. For my outdoor boiler, I installed 4 inch pvc pipe and inside that, I ran 1 inch pex supply and return, along with a half inch filler line and underground 110 volt line for the outdoor boiler. to do it, I ran a piece of light rope as I installed the pvc pipe and then used the rope to pull the pex tubing and wire through. I also left the rop in their for possible future use. 700 feet might be more than vacuum can pull or pressure can push from a shop vac. But sounds logical. As for feeding the pex, I would stretch the pex tubing out on a hot day to remove some of the curl. the curl or waves left in the tubing from being wound in a coil will creates the pressure points against the walls of the larger pipe and that will be most of the friction against pulling the pex through. I ran 500 feet of black 2 inch well pipe from well to house and stretched the stuff out in the sun for several days before just laying it into the trench. It was a whole lot easier to do than trying to weigh down the pipe every 10 feet.

[Stephen Tashiro]

I would stretch the pex tubing out on a hot day to remove some of the curl..

But don't leave it in the sun for long. Most types of PEX are degraded by UV light.

[Mark Bolton]

But don't leave it in the sun for long. Most types of PEX are degraded by UV light.

Takes a very very long time.

[Bill Dufour]

They make a special attachment for a tractor to pull pipe. It is like a deep ripper but the pipe is carried down behind it. So then ripper slits the earth down to the pipe depth then pipe is rolled out as the tractor moves along. The pipe is not dragged in the dirt at all. Problem is the pipe has to be carried along and unrolled smoothly as it goes. Similar to laying a deep sea cable from a ship.
Bill D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqf2xI5FmJQ

[Jerome Stanek]

There is also a vibrator plow that lets small equipment install pipe and cables