Hole in 3" galvanized steel water main pipe . Can a professional plumber please make a recommendation.?

Question

Quoted $10k to replace entire water main pipe from meter located in sidewalk to our condo building. Replace with cooper or PVC? If replace then must be brought up to code: add back flow, get permits, supply engineer report, current pipe depth not to code.

This is too much money and too much work?

Answer 1

that sounds about right.  i recommend getting multiple bids for reassurance.

the previous post (Mustanger) is "INCORRECT".  you cannot repair it with no hub couplings.  he is confusing it with a drain. <idiot>

a temporary repair is just that, and you are encountering the first sign of tired piping and not done correctly.

consider the upgrade an investment.  be sure to have it "inspected" and passed.  

Answer 2

The bad spot can be cut out and a PVC sleeve with "No Hub" fittings put in in it's place. Most places if you make a 'repair' you don't have to bring it up to code. If, however, you 'replace' then it does have to be done to code. Check with a local plumber and your city building inspectors to make sure.

Answer 3

Projects like yours are difficult to estimate without knowing all the details: things like location, accessibility, depth of bury, cause of failure, type of material and number of connections or fittings, all play a role in preparing a proposal. Therefore it’s difficult to evaluate your specific quote.

I can talk about solving your pipe problem. Replacing the pipe is one option, but there are a couple of different "in-place" pipe repair techniques that could save you time as well as money. One option, pipe bursting, involves bursting your existing pipe from within while pulling a new pipe through the space to replace the old one. This is one possibly viable solution to your problem, there are several including a cured-in-place lining. Many local plumbers offer this technology and can prepare a proposal for you at no cost. I'd recommend getting at least 2-3 bids so you can compare prices.