Recently, I was notified by my local utility district that I may have a water leak. After following their suggested steps, I was able to confirm I had a water leak, somewhere between the utilities' meter/shutoff valve and the house shutoff valve. I contacted a local highly visible plumbing company who quoted a price of nearly $7000 to dig a new line, guaranteeing the pipe for 10 years....
My neighbor had the same issue of a leaking water line a few years prior, so I contacted her plumbing contractor, "Campbell's Quality Plumbing". Chris Campbell stopped by a day later and quoted $4000. He said his pipe is guaranteed for 30 years and he would replace the existing shut off valve with a newer, safer valve. He contacted "811", declaring an emergency and the appropriate agencies arrived within an hour, marking the necessary obstacles to be avoided (gas, water, cable, sewer). Chris showed up the next morning at 8:30AM with an assistant. Because of the underground obstacles where the new water line needed to go, they dug a trench by hand with shovels and other appropriate digging tools - approximate 30-35 feet @ 18" deep. Unfortunately, they encountered a poorly buried fiber optic cable, breaking it. Chris immediately tried to contact that utility to get them out to repair it. I was finally able to contact the utility for a repair technician to come out a day & a half later. Chris and his assistant completed digging the trench by noon. Chris replaced the utility's brass connection and showed me how corroded (nasty & gross) it was. In order to replace the old valve and brass piping inside my garage, he used a concrete saw to cut the concrete floor around the pipe, then a jack hammer to break it up, He then attached a new "shut off ball valve" and connected to the new water pipe. Once everything was set in place, they tested the system. They finished the install with fresh concrete around the pipe, which looked like it did before. They back-filled as much of the trench as they could, deciding to wait till my fiber optic cable was spliced back together (1 & 1/2 days later) before finishing filling in the trench. They were done by 2:30PM, 6 hours after they started. They did as much clean up as possible, leaving the site as close to pristine as before.
It was expensive, but with the required effort, quality of materials, attention to detail and willingness to do the job correctly, it was worth it to me. Another neighbor in my cul-de-sac had the same issue as me, and they dug their own trench...which took them several days. I don't know what kind of materials they used. I was without running water for five days...try it...you won't like it. I have had experiences with several different plumbing companies in the past, mostly major ones that advertise extensively, but I found "Campbell's Quality Plumbing" the most informative and upfront. It is without a doubt, from this point forward, I'll call "Campbell's Quality Plumbing" for any potential future plumbing needs. read more
