I was in my yard trying to dig a post hole for an interior fence. I am glad I wasn't going at it on the digging because I met resistance that felt funny. Turned out I was trying to make a hole right where there is an interchange of 1.5" and 2" PVC pipes for the pool and spa.



These pipes are so tight together I think they must have been in a bundle when they laid them into the ground. In addition, tree roots are running alongside them, above, below and sideways.

It got me thinking, what if I accidentally broke one and have to make a repair? For example, let's say the three pipes on the left side I broke the middle one. How would you even try to repair it? I cannot even insert a putty knife between these pipes, so how would you cut a section off, and what do you do when you do not even have room to fit in a coupling, let alone a larger slip coupling in this case? Is the only option to dig a longer trench until there is enough length of these pipes to allow some flex?

I don't have a broken line now this is just hypothetical but it was a very close call with the post hole digger.

You dig out enough to get some slack

or

you run new piping.


? Do you see now the concept of good or best practice as opposed to mere code compliance ?

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Not to mention the electrical conduit that crosses the plumbing in the top of the pic.... If you break one of the PVC plumbing pipes make sure to re-label them, I see they are all numbered.



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if sum wasn't trying to dig a hole for a fencepost then it wouldn't mean a damn thing..

No they were not numbered. These labels were added by me two days ago. I have the old pool & spa plans submitted to the city in 1992 and these pipes are NOT where the plans indicated so somebody at some point changed the layout.

I want to know which line is the suction from the cleaner, which is the suction to the spa, which is the return to the spa etc...so I labeled them for my benefits.

You mean he should have been driving "T" posts into the ground.

no.. i meant that left undisturbed, the pipes would have been fine.