Water line to garden

BG1977 · October 9, 2024, 10:10am

I want to run a water line to my fenced in fruit and vegetable plot from the house. It’s almost 200’.

A plumber gave me a quote of about $4000 to do it below the frost line and as a permanent to-code feature.

I’m actually thinking that I can just bury a line a few inches and have a flexible end (probably pex or a pressure rated hose) to screw onto the spigot at the house, turn on for the season (with another spigot at garden end) then disconnect and blow out for winter with an air compressor.

So my main questions would be:

How deep does it need to be that the weight of a riding mower wouldn’t damage it? It’s otherwise not a high traffic area and there definitely won’t be any cars there, but I will drive my cub cadet lawn tractor over it occasionally to mow.
Pex, cpvc, or pvc?

clarkinks · October 9, 2024, 10:15am

@BG1977

I would do pex around 36" to 48" deep if you want to keep it on the cheap.

36" or 48" trencher will get you below the frost line

Understanding pex types

Pex b would be my choice and color does not matter

Ok now the part that bugs me which is the price

https://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBite-1-in-x-300-ft-Coil-White-PEX-B-Pipe-U880W300/202688024?g_store=&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24-71700000097492030--&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyJO7o42BiQMVdUd_AB0-hQegEAQYByABEgLgAfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Not much of a difference between 300’ and 500’

https://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBite-1-in-x-500-ft-Coil-Blue-PEX-B-Pipe-U880B500/202688018

In warmer areas 18" is below the frost line and in colder areas like mine that can go to -30F 36" is deep enough. With the changing weather i would go 48" in a really cold area.

One last note if you have rocks in your soil do not use pex and go to pvc.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Charlotte-Pipe-1-in-x-20-ft-PVC-Schedule-40-Belled-End-Pressure-Pipe-PVC04010B0800/100534351?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24-71700000097492030--&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoOftgZiBiQMVRhatBh0oMhSrEAQYASABEgLoSfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

krismoriah · October 9, 2024, 10:23am

I have about 300 feet of heavy duty garden hose that does all that i ask of it. I also have a cub cadet mower and have driven over it plenty of times. Not sure if your code allows garden hose. . but thats how i do it.

I have a neighbor with a riding mower/garden tractor that has a small trailer with a container that he hauls water with and it has a long hose that does everything that he needs it to do. I think there is a pump on it.

Not what you asked but there are other options i think.

BG1977 · October 9, 2024, 11:25am

The issue with garden hose is, to my my understanding, you’re not supposed to just leave it pressurized all the time.

I’m trying to avoid having to turn off the spigot at the house, that actually defeats the purpose of what I’m trying to do. I have a three zone irrigation timer, but I want to put it down at the garden so I don’t have to run three hoses all the way down from the house to the garden for each of the zones.

If I have to turn the spigot off at the house, that kind of defeats the purpose of the whole thing.

BG1977 · October 9, 2024, 11:25am

My soil has a butt load of rocks in it. Every time I dig a hole, I’m pulling out some friggin boulder.

clarkinks · October 9, 2024, 11:27am

@BG1977

Pvc would be the thing to do. I would rather use 2" than 1" but it should do it.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Charlotte-Pipe-1-in-x-20-ft-PVC-Schedule-40-Belled-End-Pressure-Pipe-PVC04010B0800/100534351?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-PMax_BHU24-71700000097492030--&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoOftgZiBiQMVRhatBh0oMhSrEAQYASABEgLoSfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

BG1977 · October 9, 2024, 11:56am

Is there any value to going with 1 inch pipe when the house supply line to the spigot is only half-inch copper to begin with?

Melon · October 9, 2024, 12:12pm

250 ft hose + solar power watering kit (a few of these lol) and a big storage tub for the water. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am

The other kit i used is unavailable now and this is the other one that i use.

Alternative and possibly less than 500$ total depending on your fruit lot.

https://amzn.to/483Uswe link to a 250 ft water hose plus fittings

TNHunter · October 9, 2024, 12:23pm

When we built our home… we had city water near but not there… our neighbor up the road 700 ft had it but the 2 inch city water line ended there.

I got a quote from the City for them to extend that 2 inch line down to my home 700 ft… and it was quite expensive.

I ended up having them simply set me a meter up there where the city line ended… all they had to do was cross the road to get my meter set on my land.

I had the guy that was doing my excavation work (basement, driveway, etc)… dig the trench with his backhoe and a 9 inch bucket.
He made quick work of that 700 ft long trench…

I came off the meter with 3/4 sch 80 pvc and laid that pipe myself… the 700 ft to our house.

Here in TN we dont have to go as deep as you all do.

Once that 3/4 line reaches our home it steps down to 1/2 inch inside. We have great water pressure.

zendog · October 9, 2024, 6:42pm

You can rent a trencher at an Annapolis location (or Gaithersburg) for $330 per day. It should make quick work of the trench. I expect they should have delivery and pickup. My nephew put in a line at his place in a half day - I think it was 500 feet or more and at least 3 feet down, so yours should be quicker.

I’m pretty sure they used Pex-B, like Clark linked to above.

https://www.catrentalstore.com/carter-machinery/en_US/results.html?search=trencher&searchFrom=result_page

Smaller trenches are available from Home Depot, but I think the bigger ones are going to be more stable and less likely to be effected by your rocks:

tbg9b · October 9, 2024, 7:07pm

Back in the day when the water system was installed on my property black poly pipe was what was used. I have done a ton of work on the old water system in the last few years, so I’m familiar with working with polyethylene, pvc, and pex pipe.

Personally, I’d go with black poly for its ease of installation and durability. If it were to freeze, black poly is more likely to expand than split as pvc is more likely to do.

jcguarneri · October 9, 2024, 7:24pm

I work for a water utility. We stopped allowing black poly for service lines back in the 90’s because they are very not durable. It’s really only suitable for low-pressure applications like sprinkler systems. I’d say it’s worth not cheaping out on this one, or you’re going to have to re-do it sooner than you think.

When we install or repair a service line, we dig a trench, lay a bed of sand, and run the line (usually copper or PEX, but sometimes PVC). The bedding is important. Protects the line from rocks in the soil. A lot of our service breaks and leaks come down to poor installation, often in the form of no bedding or improperly tightened fittings.

Yes, all of that is expensive. But if you’re going to do it, do it right. The question you need to ask yourself is if the cost of doing it right outweighs the inconvenience of turning the hose off at the house.

BG1977 · October 9, 2024, 7:30pm

The spousal unit is against me spending much on it.

murky · October 9, 2024, 7:36pm

I ran 300 feet or so of 3/4" pex to 3 hose bibs in my orchard. Eventually I’ll run some more further. It’s probably about 8" below the surface and I just drain it from the low point and shut it off in the crawl space for the winter. I leave the spigots open.

I used my small tractor and a subsoiler to unspool the pex, open the ground, lay the pex in and zip closed in one pass. The next season you couldn’t tell where they run. I also ran some copper wire so I can trace it with a metal detector.

I spent a few hundred dollars on supplies plus a couple hundred for the cheap subsoiler - which I’ll probably use in the vegetable garden after a few iterations of shallow tilling.

The end of the furthest run up the hill:

Right after running, pipe is in:

The beginning of the run, the trench is messier because I did a pre-pass not sure if my tractor had the traction. Was unnecessary and I didn’t follow the exact path on the 2nd pass.

I just pieced together some PVC and strapped it to the cheap subsoiler.

Pipe and wire laid in the general path feeding in the fornt, over the top and into the ground behind. You can see this is the one that had a pass with the subsoiler done first. I ran between two stumps, luckily it didn’t get stuck on roots:

I pieced together my own fixture with a steel pipe and brass fittings. Connected below ground to the pex:

I just drove a T post next to each steel riser pipe and strapped it to secure.

8 years, no issues other than replacing one of the 3 valves that had some water left in it during a hard freeze.

This year I finally changed the connection to my house plumbing to go before the water treatment. I just added one 4"x20" sediment filter. That way I’m not exhausting all of your softened water every day and using a ton of salt.

It’s not pretty, and I didn’t do the original plumbing, but here I tapped into the 1" pex line feeding the kitchen after all of the water treatment: I added acheck valve to make sure I don’t get junk siphoned back into the house water. This was the setup before I moved it upstream of the house water treatment. White pex is original and Blue is what I added. In the winter I shut off this valve, and have another one lower down off of a tee to drain remaining water if necessary. And yes, this check valve is supposedly approved for vertical orientation.

zendog · October 9, 2024, 7:46pm

Smart to run that copper along with the pex.

treefrog1 · October 9, 2024, 8:08pm

Something to keep in mind if you install a water line below ground and do NOT plan on blowing the water out for winter.
Any driveway or even a walking path over the water line during winter will push the frost alot further down into the ground.
Years ago i buried a 1 inch diameter water line 4 feet deep, plenty deep enough for a zone 5b Michigan winter. I had a walking path that i used every day that crossed over my buried water line, halfway through winter the line was froze up solid.

tbg9b · October 9, 2024, 8:11pm

The black poly at my place I helped my dad install near 60 years ago. The only area of pipe that was degraded was the section that was not buried and was exposed to UV on the lake bottom.

I redid my whole pump system with pex and PVC and for someone that isn’t a pro like yourself there is abitof a learning curve and specialized tools need to be purchased. For someone that’s not a pro and is only looking to add an irrigation line poly seems easier, quicker, cheaper, and doesn’t require gluing or using pex clamps on each section.

BG1977 · October 9, 2024, 8:14pm

OK - so black poly:

Is it flexible like a garden hose? If I just kinda dig it in maybe an inch to where I can still see the top (as a way to see if it’s leaking) could I drive over it with a lawn tractor w/o issues?
If no, is it durable enough to be buried in rocky soil?
Can it withstand constant pressure? One issue with a garden hose is they’re really not designed to be under constant pressure.

I am also legitimately concerned about an unseen leak that I only discover after my well has run dry for no apparent reason.

BG1977 · October 9, 2024, 8:18pm

Another thought would be:

What if I run a 3/4" pex line inside a 1.5" PVC pipe like a makeshift conduit? That gives me a bit of insurance if the outer PVC is damaged that the pex inside will still fare OK. A bit more up front but not as expensive as some options.

krismoriah · October 9, 2024, 8:37pm

Totally understand… but just saying in case there is anyone like me i would just put a timer on the spigot… they have mechanical and digital and all kinds of options.

Also i have another neighbor that stores water in totes near her garden and waters out of it. So i guess it only needs filled every month or two. I think she has a solar powered pump if memory serves so her idea is much better than mine.

I do live in the country not in the city so maybe those things wont work.

I drain my hoses before it frosts and put lube on the fittings and have gotten about 5 years so far out them… in a years time you cant tell that they are there as the grass grows over them. In a few years they would be immovable almost.

For the money i would do it all over again… each year i keep telling myself that with more mulching i wont have to water… but this years drought was the worst it has been in my memory so i had to water alot.