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Author:
sum (FL)
I have an irrigation pipe that is 1-1/2" sch 40 PVC pipe that is an intake pipe from a lake to a sprinkler pump that irrigates the lawn.
The pipe goes under a 6" thick concrete pad. I hired a contractor to do some demolition in the backyard which involved breaking up some concrete deck and metal fences. A bobcat was used.
I knew a bobcat may do damages to the pipes and is prepared to rerun cracked or flattened pipes if necessary. What I didn't anticipate was the bobcat as it comes off the concrete pad onto the dirt the wheel I think rolled over a pipe and pulled the pipe forward.
In other words, instead of breaking/flattening the 1.5" PVC pipe at the edge of the concrete pad which I knew may happen, I end up with a loose pipe and when I pulled on it 5' of it came out and the edge is squared and even. It must have pulled it right off the fitting which is now 5' beneath the concrete pad.
The pad us 16' wide, the joint is 5' into the pad. I can't reach it. I can reach the 1.5" diameter hole in the dirt under the pad, but there is no way I can reach it without breaking the pad or digging a large and deep hole.
Can I use the 1.5" SCH 40 as a sleeve, and feed a smaller diameter pipe through? Looks like 1" is the largest diameter I can feed through a 1.5" SCH 40 pipe?
The entire intake pipe is 40' long in 1.5" diameter. Will having a section of 15' with a reduced diameter of 1" cause an issue?
Edited 1 times.
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Author:
North Carolina Plumber (NC)
That's exactly what I would do.
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Author:
sum (FL)
Looking at the Charlotte Pipe catalog, their PVC SCH 40 dimensions:
1-1/2" PIPE AVERAGE OD = 1.9", MINIMUM WALL THICKNESS = 0.145". So the ID = 1.9"-0.145" = 1.755"
1-1/4" PIPE AVERAGE OD = 1.66"
That would mean a 1-1/4" PIPE can slide through a 1-1/2" PIPE with 0.095" tolerance which is not much BUT may work?
But the pad is 16' long, so I need a 1-1/4" pipe at least 16' long, I can't use a coupling. Do plumbing supply stores carry longer pipes than 10 footers?
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Author:
Paul48 (CT)
I would have said some bad words and dug it out enough to slide in there and couple it already.
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Author:
North Carolina Plumber (NC)
Yes they'll have 20 foot lengths.
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Author:
packy (MA)
pipe comes in 20 footers
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Author:
sum (FL)
Never mind, wrong calculation. I need to deduct twice the wall thickness from the OD to get to the ID. The 1-1/4" won't fit.
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Author:
sum (FL)
Paul you would dig a 5' long hole 3' deep in 90 degree heat to fix a coupling?
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Author:
Paul48 (CT)
I'd dig a 3' x1' five times in 90* heat. I split 40" oak in hotter than that. Split 6 and jump in the pool.
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Author:
steve (CA)
Sum, was there any glue/primer visible on the pipe end? Do you think you could try and reinsert the pipe(or a replacement 1½" into the underslab coupling. Tape a primer brush and then glue brush to a stick and prep the coupling. Prep the pipe and reinsert it.
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Author:
sum (FL)
steve, yeah I already tried that. Probably dirt collapsed inside so I wasn't able to make the connection.
Since it's a pressure pipe and not drain, I really want a good solid connection.
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Author:
steve (CA)
It's a suction line not pressure(ok it's negative pressure). As long as the coupling isn't damaged, you should be able to clean out any collapsed dirt and glue the pipe in.
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Author:
Paul48 (CT)
It's not a fun job, any way you do it. Cut it on the other end, push it through and repair two places?
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Author:
Paul48 (CT)
Re-route it around the slab?
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Author:
steve (CA)
The check valve would be to keep the pump from losing it's prime. Looks like very thin walled pipe that broke at the check valve.
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Author:
packy (MA)
what kind of mechanic would bury a check valve under cement?
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Author:
sum (FL)
Good question.
I think the cement slab was added at a later time. I believe the pump was from the 1950s original construction. No idea when the PVC pipes were put in...do they have PVC pipes in the 50s? The lines connecting to the pump are galvanized, then switched to PVC. I think someone buried the check valve and another owner came and poured a patio.
Why put the check valve 25' away from the pump? Shouldn't the check valve be closer to the pump?
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Author:
sum (FL)
yes very thinned wall. But the thin wall pipe was used from there to the coupling 4" away. The rest is SCH40. Puzzling.
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Author:
sum (FL)
hmmm...so do I need to put in a check valve too?
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Author:
sum (FL)
I need to get the check valve out but not much luck. If I use a long drill bit to drill a bunch of holes around the "stop" of the check valve, will I be able to tear up and retrieve the guts in the check valve or do I need to way to cut out that entire valve?
I can't think of a tool - sawzall, sonicrafter...that would be able to take it out unless I chip 8" or so into the 6" thick concrete pad. I can't go around it either.
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Author:
hj (AZ)
Around here, if a pipe is broken by a bobcat, it is because he chewed it off.
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Author:
hj (AZ)
The kind that Sum works with in Florida.
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Author:
sum (FL)
The concrete pad is about 8" thick, it was surrounded by a thinner concrete pad 4-6" thick. The bobcat had a jackhammer thing that punched and broke off the concrete deck, then the bobcat would switch to the regular bucket arm to haul off some of the larger debris. As it rolls back and forth, the broken debris under it bit down hard on the ground, breaking, denting and chewing up pipes. This particular pipe was somehow "pulled" off from it's fitting that's 5' inside the concrete pad.
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Author:
sum (FL)
After a lot of sweat and cursing...SUM 1 CHECK VALVE 0
Edited 1 times.
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