I'm getting off on the wrong foot here in 2010.....

[Stanley Steamer]

We had very little snow last night as a cold front blew through Georgia...some areas around North West Georgia had a little snow.....and ice.....we had a few icy spots here in Athens.....

As I was backing out of my driveway to go to work, I ran across an icy patch and then noticed an area about 6'x6' was bulged up almost a foot off the ground.....with water running across the drive.... ......it was 25 degrees and I knew that I had a leak in the waterline somewhere??....Hummmm....I cut the water off at the meter, cut the power to the hot water heater, told the Wife NOT to use any more water, and then headed in to work to spread de-icer on entrances to the County Govt. offices before taking the rest of the day off to come home to fix the leak.....normally, if the ground hadn't been frozen, I'd have had an easy time finding the leak....unfortunately, I knew it was going to be a royal PIA to find the broken pipe and I wasn't wrong.....I started in the most likely spot and then began following the "water trail".....I'd dig a while, turn the water on long enough to keep following the water trail....8' later, I finally found the actual leak as muddy water blew out all over my coat and pants...the temps had fallen to 20-22 by then....

I had bought some new Christy's Hot/Blue PVC glue on the way home...I use that stuff for my irrigation projects..it's a lot better than the stuff you get at Lowes....well, I also bought some replacement parts and pipe and started fitting it all back together...waited a couple of hours for it to dry, then covered it all back up....I am keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't break again....Last weekend was the broken heater, and now the water....I'm ready for a little of that Global Warming...you guys up North and West can keep your cold to yourselves.....pretty please??!!....

[Normandog]

That Georgia clay sure is a darker red than the Carolina version. Does that mean it's easier to dig in ? 
I hope your luck changes soon Stanley.

[fudgie]

Boy thats pretty shallow for a water line. But then again if you do not 'feeze' down there then that might be deep enough.? Is it just plain old pvc? Up here everything is 3' or deeper. Below the frost line. We never run pvc for chance of ground shifting. Its all continuos black pipe in rolls.
At least your getting everything thats bad out of the way early.
A few years ago my septic was full. This was X-mas eve and had family coming over. Grandpa always assumed it was 2 55 gal drums buried in the garden for the septic. It has never been emptied since indoor pluming was installed in this house. After probing for it we found it by the house. We dug down for it and found the top 2' down. 20 degs out, windy, and some snow. Ended up being 100 gal concrete 'barrel'. Well we 'honey dipped' it out in buckets and carried it behind the barn and dumped it on the wheat.   By 10p it was empty, until I found another one in congreuence with the other one. Great. After another 100 trips to behind the barn she was empty. By now its 1a. All was well till the fallowing x-mas when the 1st pit was full again. More trips to the field!
As a side note, the wheat yeilded very well that summer.  

[Stanley Steamer]

That Georgia clay sure is a darker red than the Carolina version. Does that mean it's easier to dig in ?  
I hope your luck changes soon Stanley.

It wasn't too hard to dig in since the water had been running into the ground for a while....only the uppermost portion was frozen since we've been in the 20's for lows all this week....if the ground hadn't been frozen in that upper couple of inches, it would have most likely have been leaking right above the broken pipe....

The waterlines here in Georgia are usually copper coming off the meter for just a couple of feet, and then PVC up next to the foundation where it goes back to copper pipe.....it makes it a LOT easier to repair that way....and most are only buried about a foot deep, like mine is....this house was built back 20 yrs ago in 1989 and as far as I know, this is the first time it's ever broken.....this is the longest "cold" spell we've had in as long as I can remember....We just don't normally get low temps in the teens and low 20's for this long of a stretch.....

I was lucky I was able to fix it myself...a simple repair once you actually FIND it.....it still cost me 6 hrs of my vacation time since this is the week we started back on a 5 day workweek.....I just had to get it fixed so that the Boss can take her 1o minute shower tonight..... .. ...

[fudgie]

That Georgia clay sure is a darker red than the Carolina version. Does that mean it's easier to dig in ?  
I hope your luck changes soon Stanley.

It wasn't too hard to dig in since the water had been running into the ground for a while....only the uppermost portion was frozen since we've been in the 20's for lows all this week....if the ground hadn't been frozen in that upper couple of inches, it would have most likely have been leaking right above the broken pipe....

The waterlines here in Georgia are usually copper coming off the meter for just a couple of feet, and then PVC up next to the foundation where it goes back to copper pipe.....it makes it a LOT easier to repair that way....and most are only buried about a foot deep, like mine is....this house was built back 20 yrs ago in 1989 and as far as I know, this is the first time it's ever broken.....this is the longest "cold" spell we've had in as long as I can remember....We just don't normally get low temps in the teens and low 20's for this long of a stretch.....

I was lucky I was able to fix it myself...a simple repair once you actually FIND it.....it still cost me 6 hrs of my vacation time since this is the week we started back on a 5 day workweek.....I just had to get it fixed so that the Boss can take her 1o minute shower tonight..... .. ...

This might be hindsight for ya but, if you woulda dug a bigger hole and let the water in you coulda had some mud wrestling going on this weekend!  Maybe next time!

[Stanley Steamer]

That Georgia clay sure is a darker red than the Carolina version. Does that mean it's easier to dig in ?  
I hope your luck changes soon Stanley.

It wasn't too hard to dig in since the water had been running into the ground for a while....only the uppermost portion was frozen since we've been in the 20's for lows all this week....if the ground hadn't been frozen in that upper couple of inches, it would have most likely have been leaking right above the broken pipe....

The waterlines here in Georgia are usually copper coming off the meter for just a couple of feet, and then PVC up next to the foundation where it goes back to copper pipe.....it makes it a LOT easier to repair that way....and most are only buried about a foot deep, like mine is....this house was built back 20 yrs ago in 1989 and as far as I know, this is the first time it's ever broken.....this is the longest "cold" spell we've had in as long as I can remember....We just don't normally get low temps in the teens and low 20's for this long of a stretch.....

I was lucky I was able to fix it myself...a simple repair once you actually FIND it.....it still cost me 6 hrs of my vacation time since this is the week we started back on a 5 day workweek.....I just had to get it fixed so that the Boss can take her 1o minute shower tonight..... .. ...

This might be hindsight for ya but, if you woulda dug a bigger hole and let the water in you coulda had some mud wrestling going on this weekend!  Maybe next time!

WooooooHooooo.....as cold as it's going to be(in the mid teens the next two nights), I'd have had to break the ice off the top for them....It would definately get a LOT nipply!!... ....Would Kit come down for some of that mud "wrasslin"??... ....I wonder if we have enough wild women here in the VRCC for some of that??....

[MP]

You know, if you put that pipe down 6' like we have to here in ND, you would not have that problem!  LOL

MP

[Stanley Steamer]

You know, if you put that pipe down 6' like we have to here in ND, you would not have that problem!  LOL

MP

True....but our normal lows are high 20's to low 30's in the winter here.....and it did make  it easy to fix....

[Willow]

You know, if you put that pipe down 6' like we have to here in ND, you would not have that problem!  LOL

I doubt the freezing temps got a foot deep from a few days in the twenties.

[Stanley Steamer]

You know, if you put that pipe down 6' like we have to here in ND, you would not have that problem!  LOL

I doubt the freezing temps got a foot deep from a few days in the twenties.

I agree Willow....most times, the ground temps are in the 50's....I think what REALLY caused this problem is 20 years of "water hammer/pressure fluctuations" in the waterline...elbows and coupling joints can be weak points and I've seen that many, many times in my irrigation work......only a couple of inches at the top was icy.....if it comes down to it, I'll replace the whole line....

[fudgie]

That Georgia clay sure is a darker red than the Carolina version. Does that mean it's easier to dig in ?  
I hope your luck changes soon Stanley.

This might be hindsight for ya but, if you woulda dug a bigger hole and let the water in you coulda had some mud wrestling going on this weekend!  Maybe next time!

WooooooHooooo.....as cold as it's going to be(in the mid teens the next two nights), I'd have had to break the ice off the top for them....It would definately get a LOT nipply!!... ....Would Kit come down for some of that mud "wrasslin"??... ....I wonder if we have enough wild women here in the VRCC for some of that??....

Well she was the only female wrestler in her High School. She took down many-a-men!. I'll tell her you want to challenge her. It'll be tomorrow, she's out with the girls tonight.

[Stanley Steamer]

That Georgia clay sure is a darker red than the Carolina version. Does that mean it's easier to dig in ?  
I hope your luck changes soon Stanley.

This might be hindsight for ya but, if you woulda dug a bigger hole and let the water in you coulda had some mud wrestling going on this weekend!  Maybe next time!

WooooooHooooo.....as cold as it's going to be(in the mid teens the next two nights), I'd have had to break the ice off the top for them....It would definately get a LOT nipply!!... ....Would Kit come down for some of that mud "wrasslin"??... ....I wonder if we have enough wild women here in the VRCC for some of that??....

Well she was the only female wrestler in her High School. She took down many-a-men!. I'll tell her you want to challenge her. It'll be tomorrow, she's out with the girls tonight.

Ok....but could we make it a jello match??...in case she needs any help cleaning up anything caught in the cracks!!... ... ... ... ..

[Goo-Goo Magoo]

14 dgrees and Kit out with the girls. Down here at 14 degrees you stay home under blankets and a warm fire if you have a fire place.

[Jeff K]

You know, if you put that pipe down 6' like we have to here in ND, you would not have that problem!  LOL

I doubt the freezing temps got a foot deep from a few days in the twenties.

I was thinking the same thing.

And I was also thinking...

It's not a hot water heater...

It's a...
COLD WATER HEATER!!!

If you have hot water... you wouldn't need to heat it!!!!!!

[Normandog]

You know, if you put that pipe down 6' like we have to here in ND, you would not have that problem!  LOL

MP

Thanks, I was gonna ask. Wow!! 6 ft. I saw where Fudgie  said 3 ft in Indiana. General rule here is 2 ft but I always go 30" just to be sure.

[hubcapsc]

I agree Willow....most times, the ground temps are in the 50's....I think what REALLY caused this problem is 20 years of "water hammer/pressure fluctuations" in the waterline...elbows and coupling joints can be weak points and I've seen that many, many times in my irrigation work......only a couple of inches at the top was icy.....if it comes down to it, I'll replace the whole line....

I agree with Willow and Steamer 

Our frost line, even now, is only a few inches deep.

Water under pressure hates to go through a multi-piece
coupling like the busted one in Stanley's picture.

As far as burying the line deeper than needed, I learned my lesson on that... I had to fix a three-foot-deep
two inch PVC water line several times about 15 years ago, once in the middle of the winter, once in the
middle of the summer. Fooey on that. Three (or six) feet deep is a disgusting necessity when
your frost line requires it, it is insanity when your frost line is just two or three inches.

Hey Stanley - I wonder how much water came out while your pipe was busted? Our water company
gives you a break if one of your monthly bills skyrockets because of a leak - you might want to
check that out...

-Mike

[sandy]

Out here in the SW, we bury pipe at least a foot so the water doesn't boil before it gets to the house. Gonna be in the high 60's today. Going to a free dyno run at a local HD dealer later today. Sorry about the bad day Stanley. Being cold and wet is no fun.

[Stanley Steamer]

I agree Willow....most times, the ground temps are in the 50's....I think what REALLY caused this problem is 20 years of "water hammer/pressure fluctuations" in the waterline...elbows and coupling joints can be weak points and I've seen that many, many times in my irrigation work......only a couple of inches at the top was icy.....if it comes down to it, I'll replace the whole line....

I agree with Willow and Steamer 

Our frost line, even now, is only a few inches deep.

Water under pressure hates to go through a multi-piece
coupling like the busted one in Stanley's picture.

As far as burying the line deeper than needed, I learned my lesson on that... I had to fix a three-foot-deep
two inch PVC water line several times about 15 years ago, once in the middle of the winter, once in the
middle of the summer. Fooey on that. Three (or six) feet deep is a disgusting necessity when
your frost line requires it, it is insanity when your frost line is just two or three inches.

Hey Stanley - I wonder how much water came out while your pipe was busted? Our water company
gives you a break if one of your monthly bills skyrockets because of a leak - you might want to
check that out...

-Mike

I'm already on top of it Mike....I dug out some old water bills to see what my monthly avg has been....about 6(000) cubic feet/month.....last months reading minus where the meter is now is at about 11.....so leak is almost double the WHOLE months avg...it must have let go sometime during the night, but I still had water in the house......

I think they also give us a break if we have a "break"....I'll be talking to them on Monday......I looked in the meter box a couple of weeks ago and the little "second hand" was moving ever so slowly and I knew I had a small leak somewhere....I'm glad it let go so that I could get it fixed for good!!....