Water Line Replacement

Some service lines should not be repaired again. Polybutylene from the 1980s and early 90s, which was pulled from the market because it degrades from the inside. Galvanized steel from the 1940s and 50s that has rusted through in one place and is rusting everywhere else. Thin-wall polyethylene that has gone brittle and cracks every time the ground moves. Copper that has pinholed twice already. When we open the ground and see one of those, we'll tell you plainly that another spot repair is buying you a few months, and we'll price a full replacement from the meter to the house.

A replacement line is a continuous run of HDPE or PEX pulled or laid in one piece, with no buried joints between the meter and the point of entry. We trench with the mini excavator, or on a line that is failing but still intact we can sometimes pull the new pipe through the old route with far less disturbance. The new line is bedded in clean gravel, laid at proper depth, connected with buried-rated brass or stainless fittings at each end, pressure tested, and backfilled in compacted lifts. Then the surface goes back.

Long runs are where replacement makes the most sense, and Kitsap has a lot of them. A 400-foot driveway on Bainbridge Island, a 300-foot well line in Seabeck or Olalla, a quarter-mile run to a Kingston or Hansville parcel. On those, the cost of locating and repairing the third and fourth break often exceeds the cost of one continuous new line, and the new line comes with decades of peace of mind.

We coordinate with your water utility on the meter-side connection, whether that is the City of Bremerton, Silverdale Water District, Kitsap PUD or anyone else, and we handle the whole project in-house from the first locate to the last rake stroke.

When you need water line replacement

• The line has failed more than once
• The pipe is polybutylene, old galvanized steel or brittle early polyethylene
• Multiple pinholes or splits found along a copper or poly line
• A long run where repeated spot repairs are adding up
• A remodel, addition or driveway project that exposes the old line anyway
• Chronic low pressure from a partially collapsed or corroded line

How the job goes

1. Assess and route. We confirm what the existing line is made of, trace its route, and plan the new route. Sometimes the old route is fine; sometimes a shorter or less obstructed route is better.
2. Locates and prep. Other utilities are marked. We stage pipe, fittings, bedding gravel and ground protection, and we talk through where spoils will go and how we'll protect your driveway and landscaping.
3. Trench or pull. The mini excavator opens a trench to proper depth along the new route. Where conditions allow we pull the new pipe through the old route instead, which keeps the disturbance to a pit at each end.
4. Lay and connect. Continuous HDPE or PEX goes in on a bed of clean gravel, with no buried joints. Buried-rated brass or stainless fittings at the meter and the house. Tracer wire where required.
5. Test. The line is pressure tested before any backfill. We don't close a trench on an untested pipe.
6. Backfill and restore. Gravel around the pipe, native soil in compacted lifts, and the surface restored: lawn regraded, gravel raked, beds rebuilt, pavers reset.

Equipment and materials

• Continuous HDPE (SDR 9 or 11) or PEX-A service pipe
• Buried-rated brass or stainless compression and transition fittings
• Pea gravel bedding and native backfill
• Tracer wire and warning tape
• Meter-side and house-side shutoff valves as needed

What shapes the scope

Every property is different, and these are the things that decide whether a job is a quick morning or a full day. We'll tell you which it is before we start.

• Total length from the meter or well to the house
• Whether the new line can be pulled through the old route or needs an open trench
• Soil conditions along the route: hardpan, boulders, roots and groundwater
• Surfaces crossed: lawn, gravel drive, paved drive, patio, garden beds
• Depth required and any slope or retaining wall along the way
• Meter-side requirements of your particular water utility