Monday, December 3, 2007

Polybutylene pipe water line failures staying strong despite cooling weather and softer ground

Water line replacement are continuing strong numbers as we enter December. During the month of November, we replaced 76 outdoor water service lines. The break down was 58 polybutylene pipes, 6 galvanized steel lines, 8 copper lines, 3 PVC lines and 1-polyethylene thin wall well pipe lines. The record breaking week of the year was the week before Thanksgiving with 24 water service line replacements. Approximately 75% of the lines were replaced with HDPE (black poly), the other 25% were with copper pipe. Yearly totals we have not had any failure in black poly we installed in the past 10 years. (Partially due to hand picking rolls of poly from the distributor and avoiding damaged rolls of pipe, Also, focusing on clean bedding and backfill) We have not had a coupling leak in 3 years since we made the transition from imported Flo-Control coupling to all brass coupling. Service call repair and drain cleaning numbers are also remaining high with completed numbers from 40-60 per week.

Mike Whitman
Atlantis Plumbing