Replacing Your Water Supply Line

 

This article explains how to replace your water supply line. Before doing repairs on your main water supply line, contact your homeowners’ association or water supplier. Many areas require you to obtain special permits before doing any work on your main water line. The main water supply line provides all the water to your house, including drinking water. Therefore it is crucial to keep dirt out while you are working on it. After completing the project, run all water faucets for several minutes in order to flush out any debris. Use the diagram to identify the different parts of your water supply line. If the pipe needing repairs is not on your side of the corporation stop, contact your water supplier and have them provide the repairs. The information below will help you to know How to replace your water supply Line by narrowing down possible actions.

Should You Add A Second Pipe Or Replace The Original Supply Line?

If your water meter is installed right next to the corporation stop, or you don’t have a water meter:

• It’s best to tap into the existing water supply pipe right after the water meter. Then install a new larger size pipe. The pipe leading to the sprinkler system would be the “new” supply line, using the revised GPM from the table below. The existing line and flow to the house would remain unchanged. Only the sprinkler system would be affected.

• Or you can tap into the existing supply pipe right after the corporation stop/water meter and install a new second pipe to the house parallel to it. About a foot out from the house, connect the new pipe back into the old, smaller pipe leading into the house. This creates two supply pipes side-by-side to the house, with water flowing through both. This method can sometimes create problems, therefore, it is not recommended by most professionals.
• Another possibility is you could remove the existing water supply pipe between the corporation stop/water meter and the house and replace it completely with a new, larger pipe. About a foot out from the house connect the new pipe to the old, smaller pipe leading to the house like the method above. This is the most common method.

Learning How to Replace Your Water Supply Line: Water Meter Size Chart