Water Main
Installation

Underground water line installation is a very extensive process that involves certain processes and steps. Let’s take a look at the steps and procedures involved in laying down a main water line installation.

Excavation

The first step is excavation. This involves digging a path in the ground to lay down the pipe. Certain factors, such as ground frost and groundwater conditions, traffic load over the ground above the pipe, pipe size, soil type, depth of conflicting utility lines, etc., have to be taken into account at this step.

Expert water main installation services have trained professionals that understand that these factors have to be considered and do the job accordingly.

Trench Depth

The trench depth is the narrow excavation below the ground, depending on factors such as pipe size, soil, traffic, temperature, etc. The minimum depth to protect the pipe against temperature-related elements differs depending on hot and cold regions.

Trench Width

The trench width is crucial because this is the space in which the professional water main line installation team will work with the pipe and different joints. Factors such as safety considerations, minimal external loading on the pipe, and the space required to work with the joints determine the actual depth.

Bedding

Bedding involves leveling and preparing the ground for the PVC pipes. Bedding involves leveling the bottom of the trench for proper and full-length support for the pipe. Expert teams use leveling boards to ensure there are no voids or high spots.

If the natural conditions do not allow for proper bedding, other measures can be taken, such as digging deeper. The haunching process is also used by professionals to place bedding material around the pipe's haunch to increase the pipe's load-bearing capacity.

Laying Pipe

Once the bedding is done, and the trench is prepared. It is time to lay the pipe. Before this can be done, there are specific steps taken by professional main water line installation services, including inspecting the pipe for damage and cleaning any debris or any other kind of dirt through a hypo chloride solution.

The best and expert way to place the pipe is to lay it onto the ground by hand or mechanically, and the pipe should be supported in the middle through a sling. Installation teams do this while also ensuring that the pipe remains clean from the inside.

Joining Pipe

The next step in a new water main installation process is joining the pipe, and this is a critical step that must be done correctly to avoid any leaks in the future. The joining method depends on the material of the pipe and the type of joints.

Appropriately sized bell holes have to be dug by hand at the place where the pipes have to be joined. The size of the bell hole will depend on the type of pipe and joint.

Push on Joints

Here is how ductile iron or PVC pipe push on joints are made:

Connecting to Existing Main Pipes

Once the main water line is laid down - it has to be connected to the exiting main lines, and there are two ways to do this:

Tee Connections

The main water supply has to be shut off for this method and that means there will be no water supply in the property during this time.

Pressure Taps

The pressure tap technique is used more widely by expert main water line installation services due to the advantages it offers. These benefits include no downtime for the customers, less probability of water contamination, and no water loss, etc. The following steps are involved in this method: