Need help to ID underground pipe

Was having my driveway redone and the contractor dug up a pipe about 4 inchs down. Luckily he did not break the pipe but i do see a bit of a dent.

I called PGE and they came out and confirmed it is not a gas pipe. My water line seems to match the path of this pipe but the contractor and PGE person say that it doesn't look like a water pipe as water pipes are cooper or metal. This pipe if you feel it feels like plastic, not very strong.

I'm thinking it's a water pipe just because it lines up correctly from the water meter from the street. The color is grey and doesn't feel like metal. It feels more like electrical piping but I live in an old neighborhood and the electrical comes thru the outside poles and on the roof of the house.

Can anyone help me ID this pipe? Attached picture.

 

Is there an outside light someplace in the yard?
If it's only 4" deep why not just dig it out toward the house to see where it goes?

 

Do you have an irrigation system or landscape lighting system?

 

Hi Joe,

Thanks for the quick reply.

They went ahead and did that and it comes to a pipe that is parallel to where the copper pipe enters my home where I have the lever to turn the water off/on.

So I m pretty confident it's water. Just surprised it looks more like PVC piping and was only 4 inches deep.

I think they may have dented it a little w/ the shovel but there is no leak. Should I be concerned about the dent? The gas guy told me bring out the water people on Tuesday if I want but if there's no leak, don't worry about it. He also was kind enough to check the water meter from the street and the dial indicated no leak.

Now if I put concrete over it, is that going to be a problem w/ the weight of the concrete? I'm sure the contractor knows what to do but I just want to be sure. He said he will put something over it (cannnot remember the name right now) before he pours in the concrete.

 

Hi Pilot,

Yes I have sprinkler system but those pipes are in the back of the home. Those look like plastic.

 

Just a friendly reminder. Anyone digging in California should call 811. Call at least 2 days in advance.
It's a free service and it's the law. They will come out and mark all utilities before you dig.

 

If it comes in parallel to the copper water service then it's not the water service.
Since it's under the driveway.... it may have been put in for a future post light and then abandoned.

 

Plastic water pipe is common. Did it look like this?

 

Yes that is what it looks like. same color. have you heard of this being used before for piping from the main water line to the house? I was a bit surprised. House was built in the 70s too.

Also, yes called 811 before the project started

 

Did they mark out anything for the water service ?
Pretty rare to see a water service line at 4" of depth.

 

so dug towards the house and this pipe connects to another pipe then to the house (I think). The cooper from the house to the socket is under concrete.

I did not see any markings for the water company. The contractors were skeptical it was water because of the 4 inch depth. I think code is like a foot.

So question is when they pour concrete over the pipe, is it going to be a risk of cracking due to too much weight? Its been under 4 inches of dirt since we discovered it today.

 

No expert but if that is poly-B pipe used as the water service line then maybe it would be better to replace it since it is only 4 inches deep. Poly-b doesn’t have a good reputation and is banned in most places – I think. Just a thought because if there is any problem with it in the future it seems like you would have to bust up the driveway.

You should be able to read the markings on the pipe to determine exactly what it is. Here is a something from a contractor in a Canadian town.

WATER SUPPLY LINES |

I wonder if someone had a problem with the water service line and ran a replacement poly-b line down the driveway. Just a thought. Hope everything is actually OK.

 

zoe - thanks for your feedback. the previous owner did a lot of work on the cheap and I think something may have happened w/ the original pipe and he replaced it w/ this one.

I don't know if I can replace the whole thing since that would be a different project. The guys working on it are working on memorial day weekend since they missed the other scheduled dates. I think it's too late for them to stop and redo the piping. They already put the frame and wiring down and concrete comes tomorrow.

So far everything is ok, thank you for your concern. My only worry is the pipe will get concrete over it now and I'm worried it may break something. The workers tell me it should be fine and they've done many projects like this so I should feel more comfortable but I don't because I'm totally ignorant to this whole process

I think the pipe should be fine since it's 'plasticy'. It feels so cheap compared to steel or copper.

 

Bury a 3" PVC pipe below the drive way. Extend it at least six inches beyond the driveway on each side. Bury it at least a foot deeper than the bottom of the concrete next to the poly. Cap the ends. If you ever need to replace the poly you are all set. A case of beer will probably get it done if you provide the pipe.

Maybe the plumbers can comment if you can use schedule 40 or if you need schedule 80. I'd go schedule 80 if you can find it on short notice.

Option "2" bury a 1" copper pipe instead and cap the ends. However if the driveway is more than ten feet you would have to splice it and no guarantee its condition when you went to use it maybe years later. With the large diameter PVC you can easily run new pipe when you need to.