Amateur splicing in new PVC

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DRG32

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I've got a small leak in my 1" PVC main line in my yard. The leak is at a T, and one line is coming from a PRV. That line is attached to the PRV with a union, and the other two lines attached to the T go to the house and sprinkler system. I will have to remove the entire section from the union to the T due to its short length, but how much do I need to remove from the other two lines to make an easy to manage splice? Do I make my new section of lines the exact same length as the sections I removed, or do I cut a little extra off to compensate for the lip inside the coupling? What happens if I get my measurements exact, and I am unable to push the new line far enough into the coupling to make my measurement count, and then my union doesn't line up? I'm a little stressed about getting it right since it is my main line, and my wife wouldn't be very happy if I screw it up, and we have no water. I've laid new sewer line down in the past, but I've never spliced in new sections of line. Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for any help or advice. This forum has been great!
 

Bluebinky

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As a fellow DIYer ... if you don't want the wife mad at you, have *her* call a plumber. Actually, never mind, she would still probably find an excuse to get mad (at least mine would).

The pipe will bottom out inside the coupling, if you do it right and don't allow it to "spring back" before the joints set. You may want to practice on a few joints first, or buy several times what you need so you don't have to make 100 trips to the big box store when you screw it up...

Can't say how much to dig out, but assuming you have enough "wiggle room", only the last joint is super critical.
 

Lakee911

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I've got a small leak in my 1" PVC main line in my yard. The leak is at a T, and one line is coming from a PRV. That line is attached to the PRV with a union, and the other two lines attached to the T go to the house and sprinkler system. I will have to remove the entire section from the union to the T due to its short length, but how much do I need to remove from the other two lines to make an easy to manage splice? Do I make my new section of lines the exact same length as the sections I removed, or do I cut a little extra off to compensate for the lip inside the coupling? What happens if I get my measurements exact, and I am unable to push the new line far enough into the coupling to make my measurement count, and then my union doesn't line up? I'm a little stressed about getting it right since it is my main line, and my wife wouldn't be very happy if I screw it up, and we have no water. I've laid new sewer line down in the past, but I've never spliced in new sections of line. Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for any help or advice. This forum has been great!

Cut the line and uncouple the union. Depending on what type of union it is, you may need to reuse the old "half-of it." There is no guarantee that a new store bought union will mate up to an old previously-installed union, even if they're the same brand.

When you construct your new assembly (union, coupler, pipe, tee, pipe, coupler, if I understood everything), leave it a little long so you have more wiggle room. You'll want the new assembly to be a bit (like an eighth or quarter inch) shorter than the space you have do you can manuever it into place and also to account for the lip on the inside of the last coupler. When you get in on, immediately jam it up against the union and wait a moment for the solvent to cure. After that, tighten it up, wait for the solvent to cure (check solvent label) and fire it up. If it doesn't work out, cut it back again and try again.

Does that help?
 
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