Water supply line depth requirement in Los Angeles area.

[mxnerd]

Does anyone know this? I googled all day long and could not find the info.

Over the past year, the main water supply copper pipeline from water meter had leakage 2 times, 2 days ago it leaked again, make it the 3rd time. It's frustrating.

I'm considering install a new pipe to replace the old one. The old one is about 2.5 feet deep.

I don't want to dig that deep for the new line, what's the regulation here in L.A.? And if you can, please direct me to the doc or webpage.

Thanks!

 

[Greenman]

Call the city building department and ask. 18" is common in CA, but some city's require more or less. Most people don't pull a permit for water main replacement.
CA building code requires the use of silver solder for underground joints.

 

[NutBucket]

Honestly, nobody is going to check. I'd go down at least a foot and call it good.

EDIT: I don't think I've found anything other that silver solder for water lines in the stores. I'm in CA.

 

[highland145]

CA building code requires the use of silver solder for underground joints.

Something wrong with pvc in Cali?

 

[NutBucket]

We just don't tend to use it?

 

[highland145]

We just don't tend to use it?

Cheaper, easier...what am I missing?

 

[NutBucket]

Nothing I suppose. I'm simply stating it's common practice. I don't know what code requires.

 

[mxnerd]

Call the city building department and ask. 18" is common in CA, but some city's require more or less. Most people don't pull a permit for water main replacement.
CA building code requires the use of silver solder for underground joints.

OK. I'll call them. I re-measured the depth and it's 2' deep, not 2.5'.

Thanks.

 

[Greenman]

Something wrong with pvc in Cali?

Some city's require copper. I use it because it's the best material available for the job, in this area. I know the water in some places eats copper, but not around here.

 

[mxnerd]

Made the call and the dept. only works Mon-Thurs.

Have to wait until next week.

 

[highland145]

Some city's require copper. I use it because it's the best material available for the job, in this area. I know the water in some places eats copper, but not around here.

That kind of blows my mind. Copper is hella expensive. Harder to work with than pvc. It's in the ground in earthquake central. And you use a different metal to solder.

Maybe I'm smoking crack and don't get it. For building stuff, it normally looks like Cali is ahead of the curve.

 

[Greenman]

Copper is stronger than PVC, even a soldered joint is stronger than PVC. While the material cost is a great deal more, it's nothing compared to digging a trench 50' long.
I still use copper exclusively in all of my projects. It's the superior material by every measure. I am looking at type A pex for my next two projects because copper will be very difficult to run. But there is only one supplier near me that sells it. That hour drive to the supply house creates a problem when I need parts.
Most places sell type C pex because it's cheap. I can't afford cheap, a single failure can cost me thousands of dollars. Quality is the only criteria that matters.

 

[highland145]

Copper is stronger than PVC, even a soldered joint is stronger than PVC. While the material cost is a great deal more, it's nothing compared to digging a trench 50' long.
I still use copper exclusively in all of my projects. It's the superior material by every measure. I am looking at type A pex for my next two projects because copper will be very difficult to run. But there is only one supplier near me that sells it. That hour drive to the supply house creates a problem when I need parts.
Most places sell type C pex because it's cheap. I can't afford cheap, a single failure can cost me thousands of dollars. Quality is the only criteria that matters.

You and my brother might be twins. Plumber also. He's over the top on quality which is fantastic when he's doing my plumbing.

A friend of mine's mother in law moved into town and the gas water heater was acting up (in the garage iirc). My bro gives my friend 6 different scenarios of what's all effed up with the current job and, Vern tells me later, they all ended up with the house blowing up. Maybe not 100% accurate but you get the gist.

 

[mxnerd]

Made the call again and the tech told me it should be 12", but I doubt it, because he had to look it up! It took him about 2 minutes to find the answer, but the actual info he found is for sewage line, and he applied it to the main water line, gosh!

I decide to fix it myself fist and see.

===

Well, he might be right. Search the internet and found California Pluming Code 609.1 is 12" below frost line. There is no frost here.

He did say PVC/CPVC is not allowed, ABS is.

 

[zinfamous]

Cheaper, easier...what am I missing?

my guess is that the ground shifts "kinda frequently" in CA, and PVC being packed in those spaces is more brittle and so less flexible than copper?

 

[Greenman]

Made the call again and the tech told me it should be 12", but I doubt it, because he had to look it up! It took him about 2 minutes to find the answer, but the actual info he found is for sewage line, and he applied it to the main water line, gosh!

I decide to fix it myself fist and see.

===

Well, he might be right. Search the internet and found California Pluming Code 609.1 is 12" below frost line. There is no frost here.

He did say PVC/CPVC is not allowed, ABS is.

I've never seen ABS pipe for supply use.

 

[mxnerd]

I've never seen ABS pipe for supply use.

I think you are right. Couldn't find info that ABS can be used.

http://www.iapmo.org/2010 California Plumbing Code/Chapter 06.pdf
http://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/permit/residential/pdf/pl_service.pdf
http://ecityhall.sunnyvale.ca.gov/cd/i_waterpiping.aspx

Pipe may be brass, copper, CPVC, ductile-iron, galvanized steel, malleable iron, PE, PE-AL-PE
(polyethylene-aluminum-polyethylene), PEX (cross-linked polyethylene), PVC or stainless steel (CPC Table
6-4).

Looks like the tech really was giving me wrong info!

 

[Greenman]

I think you are right. Couldn't find info that ABS can be used.

http://www.iapmo.org/2010 California Plumbing Code/Chapter 06.pdf
http://www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/permit/residential/pdf/pl_service.pdf
http://ecityhall.sunnyvale.ca.gov/cd/i_waterpiping.aspx

Pipe may be brass, copper, CPVC, ductile-iron, galvanized steel, malleable iron, PE, PE-AL-PE
(polyethylene-aluminum-polyethylene), PEX (cross-linked polyethylene), PVC or stainless steel (CPC Table
6-4).

Looks like the tech really was giving me wrong info!

That's not uncommon.
I'd replace the main with 3/4" copper, type L.

 

[Red Squirrel]

1 foot for water main just seems so odd to me, I guess I'm just used to here where we actually get winter. It's like 10 feet here. Even that's not enough, the mains that run under the highway bust all the time because they scrape right down to the pavement with the plows now and the frost just gets driven deeper. I used to handle emergency cable locates and we'd get several watermain breaks per morning. I guess with people not using water overnight it would freeze them. For water mains going from street to house 10 feet is fairly typical though and works out fine. Though a few years ago for some reason a lot of people's lines kept freezing. They had to melt snow in a pot to get water lol.

 

[NutBucket]

Oh good lord. I can't imagine trenching that deep for anything....except gold!

 

[Greenman]

1 foot for water main just seems so odd to me, I guess I'm just used to here where we actually get winter. It's like 10 feet here. Even that's not enough, the mains that run under the highway bust all the time because they scrape right down to the pavement with the plows now and the frost just gets driven deeper. I used to handle emergency cable locates and we'd get several watermain breaks per morning. I guess with people not using water overnight it would freeze them. For water mains going from street to house 10 feet is fairly typical though and works out fine. Though a few years ago for some reason a lot of people's lines kept freezing. They had to melt snow in a pot to get water lol.

I just helped out a fellow with a water main replacement that was 3" deep, installed sometimes in the forty's or fifty's.