Burst water main! NEED ADVICE!?

Question

I have a water main that runs from our front yard into our house that has recently burst. We called up a repair man whom estimated the cost of fixing to be around 400$-500$. But after spending some odd hours trying to find the pipe that burst (without any success), he jacked up the price to about 700$-800$, saying that the pipe is probably deeper then he expected and that he needs to come back the next day with a technician on hand. Does the cost to repair our water main 'dilemma' sound reasonable? I am somewhat suspicious of his pricing since he also tried to convince us to replace the old pvc pipping system with a complete new copper pipping system for an extra 2500$, which leads me to think he's trying to take as much money from our pockets as he can. I wanted to call down another repair man to see if their pricing was cheaper, but I'm afraid that would be too much of a hassle seeing how I would have to pay a fee just for him to come down to see what's wrong.

Answer 1

A busted water main pipe going into the house is going to be most likely a 3/4 inch pipe. This pipe will be buried down below the frost line for your area --- probably around 2 foot deep ,or about that.Call your city inspector , or call up a plumber, in your area , and ask what the "frostline" depth is.

In cases of such----it is sometimes only necessary to locate the area of leak---dig down , and only repair that spot. This is sometimes a tough call to make ----to replace the entire line , or just repair that spot. How old is the water pipe ? What's it made out of ---copper/galvanized/pvc ?

What do you think caused it to burst ?---old age ?Other?

If you think it's from old age ---then will any other part fail also , after the "spot repair"?

Like I said ~~~~this can be a tough call ----when you're trying to "get your money's worth", and not being taken --- by someone who , by your own words. you may not have "full faith" in.

In my way of thinking ---  since you have some doubts --- would it not be a wise move , to call out someone else , for a second estimate--- even if you have to pay him .

I would think that there are other plumbers out there willing to come out for no charge for a estimate.

You should take a pause, in this manner, and become better informed, by talking with other plumbers --- and perhaps by using a little common sense.

                                +++Spock+++

Answer 2

if i was suspicious i would get a second opinion. here is the best advice you will ever hear when it comes to home repairs:

*Licensed

*Bonded

*Insured

*Better Business Bureau

Answer 3

first off your reapir man should know where the pipe is it should be marked and there should be a valve at the curb to give a an idea of where it is in the yard.  further all water mains are usually 4 to 5 ft deep unless you live in an extremely cold climate.  the 400-500 hundred estimate is reasonable giving the digging it at least a half a day job.  however the700-800 is bullsh** it not your fault he can't find the pipe.  now as far as the pvc is concerned if he is talking about replacing your drain system with copper don't do it.  pvc drains are far better than copper.  copper breaks down after a while pvc does not, a pvc drain should last you your liftime.  it sounds like he started the job and realized it was to much of a job to do by himself and now he is trying to cover his butt on labor. you should always get at least three estimates for a big job.  I understand the situation you don't have water and you need it repaired but i woudln't trust him.  sorry for the paragragh it just makes me mad when people in my industry try to rip pepole off it gives plumbers a bad name

Answer 4

That happened to me a few years ago. I found out where the pipe was and then dug a trench beside where the old pipe was. Then the plumber came out and laid new pipe in the new trench from the road to the house.

The reason for digging beside the old one is so that you don't punch more holes in the old pipe. The cost is in the labour, so if you do all the hard work it costs less.

Answer 5

For a lot of grunt work,i.e. digging,finding,digging some more it doesn't seem unreasonable. Go with a plumbing upgrade-I'm not a plumber- but get other estimates as well and ask them to be precise in so far as materials used,etc. PVC is the least expensive to install and can break relatively easily. Last, yes he is trying to make some money but what concerns me more is that he is willing to settle for so little profit.