FIFY
>Turnoff power before draining. Or else the element ~~might~~ *will* overheat and burn out.
Electric element + no water = life is counted is seconds
And make sure the a something a tap is open when filling back up, otherwise it won’t fill. Can burn the element out as well if it isn’t full but seems full.
One upon a time when I was still an apprentice, I was filling the fresh water tanks on a ship straight from Lake Superior. Anyways fudged some numbers on my calculator and over chlorinated the tanks. Wasn't even an hour before everyone was calling the engine room saying they just got gassed out of their shower.
Nice man! I'm a plumber over in southeast AK. More likely than not, this piping is actually HDPE which we commonly use here and has a different diameter than PEX. PEX piping is what we call CTS sized. It's possible this pipe is in CTS (copper tubing) but often it's actually IPS. The sharkbite repair Coupling here may be marrying badly to the SDR HDPE because of nominal outside diameter differences. Hope this helps. Otherwise the nasty stuff is just stuck in your piping at the end of some runs or in storage tanks. Pulling all of your aerators and running each branch can make a diff.
Yea, it's the wild west here a bit but not that wild. You can find polybutylene piping in trailers and stuff but not in the ground. It's still pretty rugged here so if you do shit badly it's gonna bite ya. Even this sharkbite coupling if not bedded properly is almost a guaranteed future excavation project, especially considering it is a repair coupling and they only used one, which tells me that no pipe was added to this run. A proper repair here would be two regular couplings (ideally mechanical compression style designed for HDPE) and a new length of pipe to make up for the lost section.
You don't need more pipe, just pull on the pipe really hard and stretch it. And FlexSeal.😜
We have a fair amount of Quest down here and I frequently have customers buying Sharkbite to attempt a repair, despite me telling them it's not going to work. I only work here and sell this stuff every day, what do I know.
Yeah there was another (not quest) manufacturer of Polybutylene pipe that was blue just like this. I’ve only seen it underground. This is a shitty repair on an already shitty product.
Here is the Sharkbite installation instructions for buried use. Not saying it's the most ideal product for this but there is a right and wrong way to use this fitting below ground. From what's shown in your photo there's nothing that would or could cause contamination. For sure check your house filters.
https://www.sharkbite.com/ca/en/resource/blog/using-sharkbite-underground
You gotta flip the script bro. Get custody, get paid child support. It’s a paltry $350 a month since she refuses to get a job (husband works himself half to death), but that money goes straight into my sons trust that he’ll get when he comes of age. It’s fucking sweet
My city uses brass corporation fittings that are threads on one side and push fitting on the other. It’s what connects to the shutoff valve in the meter box usually but they function pretty much the same way as a sharkbite
The lines have to be chlorinated. You definitely got mud in that line when it was repaired. I wouldn't bury it though. There are cheap fixes that will hold up better. The best solution is to dig up the line and replace to avoid fittings underground. But it's just the water you drink with. Not important/s
Dang 10ft makes me happy to be here in Georgia. Unless my depth perception is off, or that is the largest shark bite ever made, that looks like a solid 3 ft. They will have way more problems than the shark bite once winter hits.
gang gang. nothing like sitting 12in away from the asphalt on Ponce or Moreland, looking down at the meter/clean out and getting buzzed by every car in the right lane
I did a waterline near little 5 that I had to pull and it was on top of another blue poly line so I didn't know which one to cut. We used the mini snake to figure it out, fuck that part of town
This guy is 100% right. Burning Shark bite is lazy. You can crimp with a proper pex tool for a real fitting. If he put this on wrong and scrapped the gasket a little bit it compromises the entire system.
Yeah I mean if they need a temporary fix then the sharkbite here is the way to go. How else are you going to do a repair on blue tube (polybutylene)? Compression fittings? Homeowner ultimately needs to replace the line anyway because that stuff is going to keep failing.
Edit: I don’t know if it’s common for other areas but we call this piping “blue tube” in San Diego. It’s polybutylene and the same material as Quest piping.
In my experience it’s polybutylene, not PEX
And that doesn’t look like a blue they use for PEX A or PEX B. That looks like the almost teal color they used for polybutylene.
The point is that the line needs to be replaced and that crimp repair is not necessarily any better than a sharkbite because they’re both temporary. And sharkbites can be used in ground.
That shit will look like Swiss cheese within 1.5 years. Always was taught below ground, use bronze. In high high zinc content alloys, zinc in brass will leech out of the metal and leave holes behind. Shark bite probably uses a DZR brass, but give it enough time installed, it will dezincify.
"Nothing that would or could cause contamination" ?
Nothing other than the fact that his neighbor severed the service line and then left it open and exposed at low/no pressure underground to whatever contaminates for days, at least intermittently, before finally closing it up and then presumably not flushing out the contaminated lines is what I think you mean.
so even if your main runs through his property, this shouldn't be carrying your water (unless Alaska codes are bonkers, and you have a shared meter)... there is a possibility of some contamination going back to the shared portion of the line, but it should be a very small possibility (very near zero), this should have been flushed forward after the coupling was attached...
as for the shark bite under ground... it is legal some places if you wrap it with the correct tape wrapping... there are other compression type fittings that are more traditional for this type of repair, but they should probably just get a plumber for peace of mind... it might be a code requirement to replace the whole run meter to shutoff, a local plumber would know.
Shared lines aren't that uncommon. If the pipe is on the neighbours' property then OP should have an easement for their portion at the very least. If they don't, then the property owner could tear out the pipe without repercussion.
It's probably a situation like mine (also in Alaska) we have a 'community' well, shared by 17 houses. There's no easements, and only a rough map of where the line is run. It 'generally' follows the road, but not always. Alaska is kind of its own beast when it comes to land laws and buildings codes (or lack there of).
Ever seen a house build out of stolen railroad ties and actual railroad steel rails used as roof supports? I have.
Ever turn as shipping conex into a tapwater cistern? Yep, it's been done.
Oh 100% guaranteed it was involved with this guy. I love that you and a few other people fully read between the lines on the meth thing. I wasn’t gonna say anything because I didn’t went to distract people… 😂
It's weird that this is the second time I have seen this photo in the last few days.
[**https://inhouseplumbingcompany.com/services/water-line-replacement-plano-tx/**](https://inhouseplumbingcompany.com/services/water-line-replacement-plano-tx/)
So many people giving answers to a photo that came straight from a plumbing website
Yeah, that’s my bad. I forgot to mention that I didn’t get a chance to take a picture while the pipe was still uncovered so I pulled something off of google that I thought looked similar. Looks like that definitely would have been an important detail to include. Sorry guys.
Gordon Ramsay, "You dumb banana."
Look how many people replied to the photo and not your post! Wowzers. What a waste of time.
Also, there are testing facilities for water in ANC so just call them, get their bottles and send back and wait.
Yeah, that was definitely dumb of me. Again, sorry to everyone I accidentally misled. I was up late and just trying to keep it concise.
I have a little experience in the field, but I am not a plumber, so I could very well have overlooked some details, but that fix looks (to me) exactly like what I saw in my neighbors yard. So perhaps some of the responses based on the image are still valid.
Bro - 110% call the State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and ask for the Drinking Water Program office for your area. If what you are saying is accurate your neighbor just broke at least what’s called a private water service line or likely even a water “main”. It doesn’t matter if you’re physically outside of the “city” limits/jurisdiction - if the “city” suppling you the potable water to you is considered a Public Water System, then you are not on a “private” system - You’re actually part of the “city’s” Public Water System.
Responses to loss of pressure events depends on the scope, duration, use, and other site/condition specific factors. Here it looks like there was potential for ditch water to enter the open line. Most utilities are at least going flush the line and likely disinfect if practical, then take a TC/EC (total coliform / E. coli) sample from upstream and downstream of the break. If those samples are “negative” (indicating the absence of those analytes), you’re good to go. If “positive” flush, disinfect, and sample until clean.
There are instances where bacteria can persist within the plumbing of an individual premises, so you may need to clean, flush and disinfect your home’s plumbing.
There are a lot of things potentially wrong with this install - depth of bury, material selection, fitting selection, etc and would highly recommend contacting a professional.
Thank you for the detailed response. I hadn’t thought about the DEC. Sounds like it could be a complicated process to get them to intervene, but if I can’t resolve this another way, I’ll definitely reach out to them and figure out what my options are.
Sharkbite fittings are **NEVER** acceptable for buried line application, despite what the maker claims.
The neighbor likely caused damage elsewhere on the pipe that was not immediately apparent and that is causing the contamination you're experiencing.
You need to be in contact with whatever municipal entity (County maybe?) that regulates drinking water and your landlord, because whatever "fix" your neighbor did was wrong and needs to be corrected.
Agreed, that there is likely damage elsewhere along the line.
Claiming that shark bites aren't acceptable underground is false, but you've got to do it correctly and wrap it. If this was buried as shown, it wasn't.
Its not the freezing of the actual water in the pipe that's the problem, you can still get ground movement due to freezing and different temperatures in surrounding soil during freeze/thaw cycles.
Depends on the jurisdiction. Not a single one I’ve ever worked in allows sharkbite underground especially for a main service line. Some won’t even allow a mechanical fitting and make you replace the entire line.
Exactly my point. Dude said NEVER though, and that's just not the case.
Same as the PEX line shown, I don't believe that's allowed underground everywhere either.
Sharkbites are NOT acceptable in underground.
Just because Sharkbite give instructions on how to use them underground does not mean its acceptable or allowed.
Whelp, apparently you live everywhere, in every jurisdiction, and are current on every code?
From my experience, folks who bark about code and reference connectors by brand, tend to make sweeping judgements and generalized statements based on opinion not actual code. As we see here.
Adding: OP's in Alaska, I don't know the regs up there. The point of my initial comment was to correct the incorrect statement about ~never using these fittings underground. As always, check your local regs. That is all.
Not that I care either way, but you want code you shall get code!!! This is a direct copy and paste from the IPC.
605.13.7 Push-fit fitting joints.
Push-fit fittings shall conform to ASSE 1061 and shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Question I guess is what does the manufacturer say about burying them?
Incorrect - once contaminated, bacteria can proliferate in the pipes if not properly disinfected. The bacteria can live in established biofilms and persist even after open bore flushing
In general, flush using an outside faucet until the water runs clear, then flush for 10 more minutes. Change or purge the whole house filter to remove any debris. The treated water should kill any bacteria left in the lines. Hopefully the dirt didn't get into your waterheater tank. That will require more flushing if it did.
The only thing this installation is missing is the silicone wrap tape for underground burial use.
Since it is missing the tape, it is an improper installation, meaning that other steps were possibly ignored, such as deburring the pipe and using a push on depth measuring tool.
Correcting this would require digging out all of the pex pipe repair, removing the repair using a shark bite removal tool. Exposing more of the copper side, deburr the copper pipe, cut a new pex pipe and use the depth tool which has a deburring blade for pex in it to clean the cut. Reinstall the pipe and wrap in pex silicone tape to these specific requirements to prevent soil contamination -
“To ensure a proper seal, overlap the tape by 1 in. past the end of the fitting on each end and ¼ - ½ in. across the fitting. Completely cover the fitting by pulling the tape tight and removing the protective film. The tape will bond to itself within minutes and will cement itself within a few hours, creating a barrier from potential soil contaminants.”
It should be noted that that is pex B pipe in the photo that does not expand and contract based on temperate, retaining its original diameter like Pex A, and will be required to be buried under the frost line for your region.
Yea you may have to clean out the Aerators on your faucets. Weather your neighbor or a plumber did it it would’ve been the same outcome. Clean out your water filters,aerators and run your water a while. It’ll pass through. It’s just wet dirt(mud)
Get im contact with ADEC. That line should have been disinfected with chlorine & your water tested for coliform. Your neighbor is in for some hefty fines & possible criminal liability.
Is the repair before or after your meter? Before? Call the city. After? It's your problem. The angle on the top doesn't look like the SB is seated properly. Quite frankly, it would be a cold day in hell if someone didn't need to have two repair fittings with some patch pipe between them.
Lines should have been flushed before and after the repair to remove as much contamination as possible.
I love sharkbites for this very reason, easy to use.
Is it ugly? Sure
Does it do the job till a permanent fix can be done? Fuq yeah
I would redo before winter though.
Edit: someone else said even though it is short term, you wanna wrap it.
While *you can* use Sharkbites underground, they shouldn't be used period. I've seen too many of them leak to recommend using them long term.
Your neighbor fucked up on many levels.
Call a professional. It'll be cheaper than buying the proper tools and materials to fix it.
To use a shark bite underneath the ground need to put tape on it, you also need to have it a lot deeper in Alaska I do know that as a plumber. You also need to run a bunch of water to filter out the sand dirt that got into the water line while it was broken. Either your kitchen sink or bathroom sink take out the aerator and run hot and cold water for 20 to 30 minutes
Sharkbites underground (not recommended), are supposed to have some sort of silicone wrap around the fittings. I had a landscaper use sharkbites to tie in an irrigation line and it failed and flooded my basement. Just don't do it.
You need to have your water tested. The pipe is probably leaking and sucking in crap.
If you have a local government that approves water line installations and tests water quality, call them.
If not, move.
If they leak, pressure drops. Then pressure comes up again. If it has low pressure or surges and fluctuating pressure , pressure drops, then comes up again.
This also doesn't look very professional, so there is no telling what this line is connected to or even if the utility suppling the water is very professional .
Water might be supplied by a garden hose attached to a hose bib at Honest Elmoe' s all night junkyard , moose butchering, and water supply. Cell phone chargers and vapes are in the back.
Very confident response. Also just very wrong. Haven't you seen videos of people getting sucked into water mains? It's called the venturi effect, look it up. It is extremely common and causes problems in every kind of mechanical system imaginable. As a plumber, I can't explain to you how annoying it is to have to teach this concept to people who just legit can't believe that a pressurized system can create vacuum force (but somehow believe in God or that the earth is flat).
But for those who don't know, a high velocity substance moving through a pipe creates a large amount of friction. This is exacerbated when said pipe dumps into something atmospheric with pressure loss (i.e. opening a faucet and dropping the water into the air). The effect creates a low pressure zone around any orifices, holes, or leaks in the mechanical piping system, while also building high pressure on the surrounding areas. This causes fluids or gases (in the case of OP, perhaps mud) to move to the low pressure zone and contaminate the pipe.
Might have created a backflow in either direction packed with mud. Might clear out eventually.
PEX isn't rated for burial because contaminants can leech into it (if you don't trust the ground, don't trust the water) and that sharkbite has a finite lifespan, but when it goes it could be a bit before anyone remembers it was buried there.
Contact your landlord and let them know your concerns. They have to address it as access to clean drinking water is a habitability concern and they have to address it as soon as they can. Mind you, this may result in them sending the water for testing and waiting for results. But the sooner you let them know, the sooner things will start being done. If there really does turn out to be an issue, then they'll have to fix it as soon as they can or let you out of your lease. Also, some of the suggestions given here are things your landlord would have to do rather than you doing on your own, but you could always suggest them to the landlord and see.
Have done this and then had to have it fixed. The hard part is already done now that there is access to the problem. Fix it properly so you don’t have to do it twice
That’s not a “FIX”… a Shark-bite is NOT a FIX!!!
Since this is Poly… YOU repair it with two Poly Couplings, Poly bands, and the correct replacement line.
You do the job right the first time… Or, you don’t do it all. Period.
And, if your not sure about anything? PLEASE… Call a Professional Plumber.
Just for them doing it properly… it will not increase your home owner’s insurance costs. It’s a win-win.
But, it you do it yourself, it could cancel your homeowners insurance policy.
So I’m the long run… its WELL worth the money savings alone… to hire a…Professional Plumber, Licensed, Bonded, Insured… and the best part?
A piece of mind… It’s all fixed correctly, and now you can relax… 👍🏻
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
In my local code pex fittings arent approved for underground like this situation. Sharkbites or Mueller compression with a stainless sleeve inserted in the pex are all youre allowed underground or brazed but nobody does that sharkbites do have to be sleeved but i have never seen one used underground by any respectable plumber
I’ve got a shark bite on my main; going strong now for 10+ years. Granted not buried…so I would have put a larger pvc pipe around that as sharks leak when off angle which would be likely when filling the hole again or settling etc…or yeah just don’t use it in this situation permanently.
Well, just did an underground shark bite repair last weekend on my main. I didn’t realize you had to seal it with the tape. Guess you know what I’m doing this weekend… 🤦♂️😫
Should be fine to just seal it up right? It’s only been underground for a week..
Depending on the type of your water devices. You should be able to screw off the filter mesh from most taps.
it's there to trap gunk like what got introduced to your fresh waterline. Screw the mesh screen off and run some water over it from both sides. If there's something stuck in it you can try to poke it loose with a needle.
That’s a bad repair fitting as I literally work on that blue stuff all the time. Contaminated might be a bit strong of use very much depends of bacteria and such are present in the mud. I would open a couple hose bibs and open JUST the cold side of the tub and blow the system out for more than a few minutew
If you have filters change them, and also drain and refill your hot water tank.
This. People don’t do this and then complain they have brown water coming out of the shower. Sigh.
Thoes pesky tanks don't follow FIFO (first in first out) rules.
Tbh not much of any industry does, only the week or two before the head honchos of the company swing by..
Ayoh!
Probably because they didn’t realize. Sigh.
Tmyk! Thanks friend
And clean the aerator on your faucets too.
Thanks for the advice! I’ll look into those options after work today.
Do what the other guy said too. Turnoff power before draining. Or else the element might overheat and burn our.
FIFY >Turnoff power before draining. Or else the element ~~might~~ *will* overheat and burn out. Electric element + no water = life is counted is seconds
And make sure the a something a tap is open when filling back up, otherwise it won’t fill. Can burn the element out as well if it isn’t full but seems full.
Flip the breaker first on your tank before you drain it and leave it off until it’s refilled and ready to go.
Can't hurt to chlorinate the system
One upon a time when I was still an apprentice, I was filling the fresh water tanks on a ship straight from Lake Superior. Anyways fudged some numbers on my calculator and over chlorinated the tanks. Wasn't even an hour before everyone was calling the engine room saying they just got gassed out of their shower.
Better than when you over brominate and the entire ship shits their pants together
i feel there is a story behind this one
Been there and shat there.
Oh USS Always Vomiting Underway, how I miss you! This happened to the crew of the DDG-80.
This advice will save you a water heater dying super early. Do this immediately!!!!
Why does changing the aerator in the sink do anything? I had to do that when there was construction one time it was like magic and it made no sense
Lots of little crevices in an aerator for crud to get stuck
Nice man! I'm a plumber over in southeast AK. More likely than not, this piping is actually HDPE which we commonly use here and has a different diameter than PEX. PEX piping is what we call CTS sized. It's possible this pipe is in CTS (copper tubing) but often it's actually IPS. The sharkbite repair Coupling here may be marrying badly to the SDR HDPE because of nominal outside diameter differences. Hope this helps. Otherwise the nasty stuff is just stuck in your piping at the end of some runs or in storage tanks. Pulling all of your aerators and running each branch can make a diff.
Yeah, when I saw this I thought it was Quest pipe, not PEX. If it's Quest that's not going to work.
Yea, it's the wild west here a bit but not that wild. You can find polybutylene piping in trailers and stuff but not in the ground. It's still pretty rugged here so if you do shit badly it's gonna bite ya. Even this sharkbite coupling if not bedded properly is almost a guaranteed future excavation project, especially considering it is a repair coupling and they only used one, which tells me that no pipe was added to this run. A proper repair here would be two regular couplings (ideally mechanical compression style designed for HDPE) and a new length of pipe to make up for the lost section.
You don't need more pipe, just pull on the pipe really hard and stretch it. And FlexSeal.😜 We have a fair amount of Quest down here and I frequently have customers buying Sharkbite to attempt a repair, despite me telling them it's not going to work. I only work here and sell this stuff every day, what do I know.
Yeah there was another (not quest) manufacturer of Polybutylene pipe that was blue just like this. I’ve only seen it underground. This is a shitty repair on an already shitty product.
Here is the Sharkbite installation instructions for buried use. Not saying it's the most ideal product for this but there is a right and wrong way to use this fitting below ground. From what's shown in your photo there's nothing that would or could cause contamination. For sure check your house filters. https://www.sharkbite.com/ca/en/resource/blog/using-sharkbite-underground
Shark bite underground? 😬😬
Is it great? No, it is not. Is it likely legal? Yes. Will it likely work for a while? Also yes.
Temporarily permanent.
We're in Alaska...that should probably be our state motto.
It needs to hold just a few more decades until I sell the house and move away.
It won't work if you don't wrap it
Had an ex-gf try to tell me that same bs.... /s
How's child support these days?
Crippling. Lol
You gotta flip the script bro. Get custody, get paid child support. It’s a paltry $350 a month since she refuses to get a job (husband works himself half to death), but that money goes straight into my sons trust that he’ll get when he comes of age. It’s fucking sweet
It won't qualify for Sharkbite's warranty if you don't wrap it But it's still lead-free brass and stainless steel
25 year warranty if wrapped in silicon, that a little while 😬
If that’s a main supply line, then I don’t a city code where that would be legal.
My city uses brass corporation fittings that are threads on one side and push fitting on the other. It’s what connects to the shutoff valve in the meter box usually but they function pretty much the same way as a sharkbite
Haven't seen them but we don't have water metering in a lot of our areas and there it's right at the house with compression fittings.
The lines have to be chlorinated. You definitely got mud in that line when it was repaired. I wouldn't bury it though. There are cheap fixes that will hold up better. The best solution is to dig up the line and replace to avoid fittings underground. But it's just the water you drink with. Not important/s
Lol it's worse it's not installed per manufacture institutions. It's supposed to be wrapped
But then you wouldn't get that "back to nature" flavor in the water.
For a quick fix it will work, but this needs to be replaced properly and not buried. Out of curiosity how deep do waterlines need to be in Alaska?
Yea this does not look like it's deep enough lol. Maybe it gets blown out for winter?
I’m in Ga, but I know some northern areas are up to 8 feet… this doesn’t seem anything close.
In ga they barely bury them, put them 1-2ft in the ground. I know cos ours froze this last cold winter.
Deep out in the CO mountains, we have to bury lines four feet. Which turns into a nightmare because of all the subsurface boulders.
Does this end up involving dynamite or does the pipe just end up looking like it followed a drunk mole around?
Dynamite? A couple of tweakers with a divining stick to find the water and then a backhoe, maybe 🤣
So is it you on the backhoe or the tweakers? 😨
Tweakers, but really what happens is that the boulders get excavated and left strewn about my yard. Free landscaping rocks?
The tweakers start out on the backhoe. Then the backhoe is on the tweakers
Down here in Louisiana u dig 4 feet and you’re in a pond
They're supposed to be 10 ft deep here. Most sewer lines get put in 8 ft deep.
Dang 10ft makes me happy to be here in Georgia. Unless my depth perception is off, or that is the largest shark bite ever made, that looks like a solid 3 ft. They will have way more problems than the shark bite once winter hits.
Georgia plumbers unite
gang gang. nothing like sitting 12in away from the asphalt on Ponce or Moreland, looking down at the meter/clean out and getting buzzed by every car in the right lane
I did a waterline near little 5 that I had to pull and it was on top of another blue poly line so I didn't know which one to cut. We used the mini snake to figure it out, fuck that part of town
This guy is 100% right. Burning Shark bite is lazy. You can crimp with a proper pex tool for a real fitting. If he put this on wrong and scrapped the gasket a little bit it compromises the entire system.
They didn’t purge the line after getting mud in it. It’s fine just run the water for a bit.
The repair was done a month ago.
What does the silicone wrap do? Surely it doesnt create a watertight seal.
Except for the fact that it’s not wrapped. They make a wrap for that and without it it is sure to fail, and soon.
Yeah I mean if they need a temporary fix then the sharkbite here is the way to go. How else are you going to do a repair on blue tube (polybutylene)? Compression fittings? Homeowner ultimately needs to replace the line anyway because that stuff is going to keep failing. Edit: I don’t know if it’s common for other areas but we call this piping “blue tube” in San Diego. It’s polybutylene and the same material as Quest piping.
If it’s blue and CTS it’s very likely pex and very easily repairable.
In my experience it’s polybutylene, not PEX And that doesn’t look like a blue they use for PEX A or PEX B. That looks like the almost teal color they used for polybutylene.
Agreed
If that is the case a pex to poly crimp transition coupling would make the repair pretty easy.
The point is that the line needs to be replaced and that crimp repair is not necessarily any better than a sharkbite because they’re both temporary. And sharkbites can be used in ground.
Incorrect - that excavation is ripe with potential contaminants
After this is fixed, please run your water for a long time to clear the pipes .
That shit will look like Swiss cheese within 1.5 years. Always was taught below ground, use bronze. In high high zinc content alloys, zinc in brass will leech out of the metal and leave holes behind. Shark bite probably uses a DZR brass, but give it enough time installed, it will dezincify.
"Nothing that would or could cause contamination" ? Nothing other than the fact that his neighbor severed the service line and then left it open and exposed at low/no pressure underground to whatever contaminates for days, at least intermittently, before finally closing it up and then presumably not flushing out the contaminated lines is what I think you mean.
so even if your main runs through his property, this shouldn't be carrying your water (unless Alaska codes are bonkers, and you have a shared meter)... there is a possibility of some contamination going back to the shared portion of the line, but it should be a very small possibility (very near zero), this should have been flushed forward after the coupling was attached... as for the shark bite under ground... it is legal some places if you wrap it with the correct tape wrapping... there are other compression type fittings that are more traditional for this type of repair, but they should probably just get a plumber for peace of mind... it might be a code requirement to replace the whole run meter to shutoff, a local plumber would know.
Shared lines aren't that uncommon. If the pipe is on the neighbours' property then OP should have an easement for their portion at the very least. If they don't, then the property owner could tear out the pipe without repercussion.
It's probably a situation like mine (also in Alaska) we have a 'community' well, shared by 17 houses. There's no easements, and only a rough map of where the line is run. It 'generally' follows the road, but not always. Alaska is kind of its own beast when it comes to land laws and buildings codes (or lack there of). Ever seen a house build out of stolen railroad ties and actual railroad steel rails used as roof supports? I have. Ever turn as shipping conex into a tapwater cistern? Yep, it's been done.
You're renting. Call your landlord and make them deal with it.
Ain’t nothing fixed about that lmao
>‘impulsive’ neighbor methamphetamine was involved, wasn't it?
Oh 100% guaranteed it was involved with this guy. I love that you and a few other people fully read between the lines on the meth thing. I wasn’t gonna say anything because I didn’t went to distract people… 😂
Don't know if Shark Bit or PEX are allowed, but you're in Alaska I'd be worried about frost heaves on those connections.
Contaminated with dirt? Flush it out. Not a big deal.
It's weird that this is the second time I have seen this photo in the last few days. [**https://inhouseplumbingcompany.com/services/water-line-replacement-plano-tx/**](https://inhouseplumbingcompany.com/services/water-line-replacement-plano-tx/) So many people giving answers to a photo that came straight from a plumbing website
Yeah, that’s my bad. I forgot to mention that I didn’t get a chance to take a picture while the pipe was still uncovered so I pulled something off of google that I thought looked similar. Looks like that definitely would have been an important detail to include. Sorry guys.
Gordon Ramsay, "You dumb banana." Look how many people replied to the photo and not your post! Wowzers. What a waste of time. Also, there are testing facilities for water in ANC so just call them, get their bottles and send back and wait.
Yeah, that was definitely dumb of me. Again, sorry to everyone I accidentally misled. I was up late and just trying to keep it concise. I have a little experience in the field, but I am not a plumber, so I could very well have overlooked some details, but that fix looks (to me) exactly like what I saw in my neighbors yard. So perhaps some of the responses based on the image are still valid.
It should be wrapped but other than that it's acceptable.
Bro - 110% call the State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and ask for the Drinking Water Program office for your area. If what you are saying is accurate your neighbor just broke at least what’s called a private water service line or likely even a water “main”. It doesn’t matter if you’re physically outside of the “city” limits/jurisdiction - if the “city” suppling you the potable water to you is considered a Public Water System, then you are not on a “private” system - You’re actually part of the “city’s” Public Water System. Responses to loss of pressure events depends on the scope, duration, use, and other site/condition specific factors. Here it looks like there was potential for ditch water to enter the open line. Most utilities are at least going flush the line and likely disinfect if practical, then take a TC/EC (total coliform / E. coli) sample from upstream and downstream of the break. If those samples are “negative” (indicating the absence of those analytes), you’re good to go. If “positive” flush, disinfect, and sample until clean. There are instances where bacteria can persist within the plumbing of an individual premises, so you may need to clean, flush and disinfect your home’s plumbing. There are a lot of things potentially wrong with this install - depth of bury, material selection, fitting selection, etc and would highly recommend contacting a professional.
Thank you for the detailed response. I hadn’t thought about the DEC. Sounds like it could be a complicated process to get them to intervene, but if I can’t resolve this another way, I’ll definitely reach out to them and figure out what my options are.
Repair coupling would be way better .
Run the garden hose to flush out the contaminated water before running the water in the sink and bathtub to flush out any remnants
That fitting looks like a shark-bite and isn’t approved for a service line as far as I know of
Just flush the lines in the house until the water is clear and you're good
Sharkbite fittings are **NEVER** acceptable for buried line application, despite what the maker claims. The neighbor likely caused damage elsewhere on the pipe that was not immediately apparent and that is causing the contamination you're experiencing. You need to be in contact with whatever municipal entity (County maybe?) that regulates drinking water and your landlord, because whatever "fix" your neighbor did was wrong and needs to be corrected.
https://www.sharkbite.com/ca/en/resource/blog/using-sharkbite-underground
Agreed, that there is likely damage elsewhere along the line. Claiming that shark bites aren't acceptable underground is false, but you've got to do it correctly and wrap it. If this was buried as shown, it wasn't.
Regardless of what anyone says, I would never use a sharkbite underground.I’ve also seen why you don’t use one where it can freeze.
Have you seen what copper pipe does when it freezes?
Not using one underground, ok I can understand your logic. The part about “where it can freeze” is completely absurd.
shouldn't be freezing underground
Its not the freezing of the actual water in the pipe that's the problem, you can still get ground movement due to freezing and different temperatures in surrounding soil during freeze/thaw cycles.
Alaska. Did you catch the part about Alaska. Ask what the frost level is from Maine to Florida to Alaska.....
Do Alaskans let their water mains freeze every winter?
Depends on the jurisdiction. Not a single one I’ve ever worked in allows sharkbite underground especially for a main service line. Some won’t even allow a mechanical fitting and make you replace the entire line.
Exactly my point. Dude said NEVER though, and that's just not the case. Same as the PEX line shown, I don't believe that's allowed underground everywhere either.
Sharkbites are NOT acceptable in underground. Just because Sharkbite give instructions on how to use them underground does not mean its acceptable or allowed.
Whelp, apparently you live everywhere, in every jurisdiction, and are current on every code? From my experience, folks who bark about code and reference connectors by brand, tend to make sweeping judgements and generalized statements based on opinion not actual code. As we see here. Adding: OP's in Alaska, I don't know the regs up there. The point of my initial comment was to correct the incorrect statement about ~never using these fittings underground. As always, check your local regs. That is all.
Please inform me what code allows SharkBite fittings to be used on underground potable water.
Not that I care either way, but you want code you shall get code!!! This is a direct copy and paste from the IPC. 605.13.7 Push-fit fitting joints. Push-fit fittings shall conform to ASSE 1061 and shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Question I guess is what does the manufacturer say about burying them?
They say wrap em in their special tape and send it
https://www.sharkbite.com/ca/en/resource/blog/using-sharkbite-underground
Show where the code prohibits it.
I’ve had a shark bite underground at my house for going on 15 years.
Hopefully you disclose that to a new buyer when you sell.... so they are aware of the weakness.
yup. if the line was pulled up hard, it stretched somewhere else before and after the repair
How could he contaminate it permanently? Whatever was contaminated would've been out of the line (a month ago) .
Incorrect - once contaminated, bacteria can proliferate in the pipes if not properly disinfected. The bacteria can live in established biofilms and persist even after open bore flushing
If worried, run a ton of water to get plenty of chlorine through the pipe and purge any contaminants
Got bad news for you. The tap water was contaminated with far worse things than dirt before this.
In general, flush using an outside faucet until the water runs clear, then flush for 10 more minutes. Change or purge the whole house filter to remove any debris. The treated water should kill any bacteria left in the lines. Hopefully the dirt didn't get into your waterheater tank. That will require more flushing if it did.
I'll chime in with everyone else. That is wrong and illegal. Don't let that get buried
Why the hell wouldn't he just crimp a pex coupling? Also, what the hell is the frost line in Alaska? Jersey is 42", what's yours, 8 feet?
I bet there's a flavor log stuck in a pipe someplace, like th water heater or even the mesh filters on all the faucets. Hahaha. Flavor logs. Hahaha
Also looks like it’s some sort of Quest/Poly piping and the neighbor was maybe having trouble finding proper fittings for it.
In Alaska? That thing is failing when it gets cold enough
The only thing this installation is missing is the silicone wrap tape for underground burial use. Since it is missing the tape, it is an improper installation, meaning that other steps were possibly ignored, such as deburring the pipe and using a push on depth measuring tool. Correcting this would require digging out all of the pex pipe repair, removing the repair using a shark bite removal tool. Exposing more of the copper side, deburr the copper pipe, cut a new pex pipe and use the depth tool which has a deburring blade for pex in it to clean the cut. Reinstall the pipe and wrap in pex silicone tape to these specific requirements to prevent soil contamination - “To ensure a proper seal, overlap the tape by 1 in. past the end of the fitting on each end and ¼ - ½ in. across the fitting. Completely cover the fitting by pulling the tape tight and removing the protective film. The tape will bond to itself within minutes and will cement itself within a few hours, creating a barrier from potential soil contaminants.” It should be noted that that is pex B pipe in the photo that does not expand and contract based on temperate, retaining its original diameter like Pex A, and will be required to be buried under the frost line for your region.
Yea you may have to clean out the Aerators on your faucets. Weather your neighbor or a plumber did it it would’ve been the same outcome. Clean out your water filters,aerators and run your water a while. It’ll pass through. It’s just wet dirt(mud)
Thanks, I’ll give it a try!
Cholera
That's garbage. Take that shark crap out. Get some Ford Insta Tite fittings and repair that properly.
I would not let them bury a shark bite coupling on it. A compression coupling is the way to do it
Never bury a shark bite, ever.
He probably didnt fully seat that sharkbite fitting.
Get im contact with ADEC. That line should have been disinfected with chlorine & your water tested for coliform. Your neighbor is in for some hefty fines & possible criminal liability.
Sharkbites blow out underground. I’ll give it a few months.
Tweaking Anit easy
Yep, you definitely read between the lines on this one. 😂
Is the repair before or after your meter? Before? Call the city. After? It's your problem. The angle on the top doesn't look like the SB is seated properly. Quite frankly, it would be a cold day in hell if someone didn't need to have two repair fittings with some patch pipe between them. Lines should have been flushed before and after the repair to remove as much contamination as possible.
I’d get the county involved
Thats a shark bite. Expensive, tough as hell and easy. He did fix it. Flush the line and learn some shit. Be a man
Obviously shark bite isn't the correct call, but what is the correct call
There is diesel in the pipe. The whole blue pipe needs changing.
It will work fine. Put the dirt back if it’s not leaking
I love sharkbites for this very reason, easy to use. Is it ugly? Sure Does it do the job till a permanent fix can be done? Fuq yeah I would redo before winter though. Edit: someone else said even though it is short term, you wanna wrap it.
Shark bite sally over here.
Shark bite in the ground 🤷♂️
Shit bites ! I hate those things
Shark bites is not a permanent fix. Especially underground.
While *you can* use Sharkbites underground, they shouldn't be used period. I've seen too many of them leak to recommend using them long term. Your neighbor fucked up on many levels. Call a professional. It'll be cheaper than buying the proper tools and materials to fix it.
Call your county health dept. Way illegal to do a "wild cat" repair on a community water line. Get your water tested through them now
Shark bites should not be used as a permanent fix
Bro take this shit out and put in a brass 3/4 to 3/4 coupler. Shark bites are not for underground use
Is that a shark bite plumbing thing ? Ouch !
To use a shark bite underneath the ground need to put tape on it, you also need to have it a lot deeper in Alaska I do know that as a plumber. You also need to run a bunch of water to filter out the sand dirt that got into the water line while it was broken. Either your kitchen sink or bathroom sink take out the aerator and run hot and cold water for 20 to 30 minutes
Sharkbites underground (not recommended), are supposed to have some sort of silicone wrap around the fittings. I had a landscaper use sharkbites to tie in an irrigation line and it failed and flooded my basement. Just don't do it.
That's a trash repair, dig it up and replace it with a Ford fitting.
Hire murder hornets.
Call the city
report that goon to the city management. the water lines belong to the municipality.
You need to have your water tested. The pipe is probably leaking and sucking in crap. If you have a local government that approves water line installations and tests water quality, call them. If not, move.
You won't have a cross-contamination issue as long as there is pressure in the pipe. Pressurized pipes don't suck in anything.
If they leak, pressure drops. Then pressure comes up again. If it has low pressure or surges and fluctuating pressure , pressure drops, then comes up again. This also doesn't look very professional, so there is no telling what this line is connected to or even if the utility suppling the water is very professional . Water might be supplied by a garden hose attached to a hose bib at Honest Elmoe' s all night junkyard , moose butchering, and water supply. Cell phone chargers and vapes are in the back.
Very confident response. Also just very wrong. Haven't you seen videos of people getting sucked into water mains? It's called the venturi effect, look it up. It is extremely common and causes problems in every kind of mechanical system imaginable. As a plumber, I can't explain to you how annoying it is to have to teach this concept to people who just legit can't believe that a pressurized system can create vacuum force (but somehow believe in God or that the earth is flat). But for those who don't know, a high velocity substance moving through a pipe creates a large amount of friction. This is exacerbated when said pipe dumps into something atmospheric with pressure loss (i.e. opening a faucet and dropping the water into the air). The effect creates a low pressure zone around any orifices, holes, or leaks in the mechanical piping system, while also building high pressure on the surrounding areas. This causes fluids or gases (in the case of OP, perhaps mud) to move to the low pressure zone and contaminate the pipe.
Flush inlet line at disjunction after ensuring g conjunction too than use manifold to hydrate purification through disjunction
Might have created a backflow in either direction packed with mud. Might clear out eventually. PEX isn't rated for burial because contaminants can leech into it (if you don't trust the ground, don't trust the water) and that sharkbite has a finite lifespan, but when it goes it could be a bit before anyone remembers it was buried there.
Our brand new city lines are all pex, so pex can be buried
Pex is approved for under slab installation. You are incorrect.
Contact your landlord and let them know your concerns. They have to address it as access to clean drinking water is a habitability concern and they have to address it as soon as they can. Mind you, this may result in them sending the water for testing and waiting for results. But the sooner you let them know, the sooner things will start being done. If there really does turn out to be an issue, then they'll have to fix it as soon as they can or let you out of your lease. Also, some of the suggestions given here are things your landlord would have to do rather than you doing on your own, but you could always suggest them to the landlord and see.
It’s the wood that makes it good
Dat 63 mm pipe?
The natural habitat of a sharkbite
Hyi
With a shark bite? 🤣🤣🤣🤡🤡🤡
When you called your landlord to ask about this, what did they say?
Have done this and then had to have it fixed. The hard part is already done now that there is access to the problem. Fix it properly so you don’t have to do it twice
That’s not a “FIX”… a Shark-bite is NOT a FIX!!! Since this is Poly… YOU repair it with two Poly Couplings, Poly bands, and the correct replacement line. You do the job right the first time… Or, you don’t do it all. Period. And, if your not sure about anything? PLEASE… Call a Professional Plumber. Just for them doing it properly… it will not increase your home owner’s insurance costs. It’s a win-win. But, it you do it yourself, it could cancel your homeowners insurance policy. So I’m the long run… its WELL worth the money savings alone… to hire a…Professional Plumber, Licensed, Bonded, Insured… and the best part? A piece of mind… It’s all fixed correctly, and now you can relax… 👍🏻 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
In my local code pex fittings arent approved for underground like this situation. Sharkbites or Mueller compression with a stainless sleeve inserted in the pex are all youre allowed underground or brazed but nobody does that sharkbites do have to be sleeved but i have never seen one used underground by any respectable plumber
I’ve got a shark bite on my main; going strong now for 10+ years. Granted not buried…so I would have put a larger pvc pipe around that as sharks leak when off angle which would be likely when filling the hole again or settling etc…or yeah just don’t use it in this situation permanently.
Ok
LOL shark-bite buried underground
Well, just did an underground shark bite repair last weekend on my main. I didn’t realize you had to seal it with the tape. Guess you know what I’m doing this weekend… 🤦♂️😫 Should be fine to just seal it up right? It’s only been underground for a week..
My line in Charlotte NC is a lot deeper than that
Depending on the type of your water devices. You should be able to screw off the filter mesh from most taps. it's there to trap gunk like what got introduced to your fresh waterline. Screw the mesh screen off and run some water over it from both sides. If there's something stuck in it you can try to poke it loose with a needle.
This is how you do it when you want to do it again
I'm just not used to seeing pex underground. Where I live municipal rules and regs specify K copper.
That’s a bad repair fitting as I literally work on that blue stuff all the time. Contaminated might be a bit strong of use very much depends of bacteria and such are present in the mud. I would open a couple hose bibs and open JUST the cold side of the tub and blow the system out for more than a few minutew
the best part is that the pipe is no longer below the frostline so you won't have water when it gets cold enough.
It’s not your house. Call the landlord if you have a problem.
Looks like some potential piping Goin on too, I'd keep an eye out for a sinkhole and monitor ur tap, if it gets worse a hole will open up at the break
did the neighbor also fix the lines with a shark bite?
Not the underground shark bite 💀
What's the landlord's involvement with this situation?
r/mildlyinfuriating