New Water Srvc - Can I use 1.5 pipe with 3/4" meter

[A_Numbie1]

Hi - I'm putting in new city water service (tired of the well). My home is ~400 feet from the 16" main with 60-65psi. Originally, I was thinking of going with a 1" tap & meter hooked to a 1 1/2" line to the house. I only have 27 fixture units. Only 2 adults live in the house and there is very little elevation change (ranch house on flat land). I talked with a neighbor who has a similar distance and he has only a 5/8" meter connected to a 1 1/2" line and says he has no pressure issues. I have found Terry's chart on sizing & distance (below) but he didn't list 3/4 meter with 1 1/2" line. The highest the chart went in pipe size with a 3/4" meter was 1 1/4 line. My only choices are 1"line or 1 1/2" line here locally. Will a 1 1/2 line be okay with a 3/4 meter/tap or should I use 1" pipe with my 3/4' meter instead?

 

[wwhitney]

You can put any size pipe on any size meter you want, assuming you can make the transition itself.

The reasons to upsize the meter are just to get higher peak flow with less pressure drop due to the meter. While the reasons to upsize the pipe also include to reduce the pressure drop attributable to a very long pipe run. So the farther your house is from the meter, the more it makes sense for the pipe to be oversized relative to the meter.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Sponsor]

 

[A_Numbie1]

Thanks Wayne! With just the two of us I less worried about a volume issue compared to a pressure drop issue bc of the long run. Sounds like 3/4 meter/tap and 1 1/2 line is the plan!

 

[Breplum]

The nomenclature can get a little confusing. Though the meters will have 3/4 ends on them. The most conventional meter is a actual five eights meter like your neighbor has.
1 1/4 is what you only need to use. Avoid 1 inch for the long run. And if you can’t get Inch and a quarter there’s no harm was going inch and a half.

 

[Jeff H Young]

1 1/2 is fine as long as you have no more than 27 fixture units . no credit for going over 1 1/4 as long as you dont care , ahj , or anyone else future buyer or something I guess it dosent matter . I recomend following the guidlines or take chances as you decide of courece if i tell you go ahead and it backfires it wont matter to me. I dont know the odds of having issues now or down the road if someone can force you to up the size to the main

 

[A_Numbie1]

1 1/2 is fine as long as you have no more than 27 fixture units . no credit for going over 1 1/4 as long as you dont care , ahj , or anyone else future buyer or something I guess it dosent matter . I recomend following the guidlines or take chances as you decide of courece if i tell you go ahead and it backfires it wont matter to me. I dont know the odds of having issues now or down the road if someone can force you to up the size to the main

Thanks Jeff. 1 1/4 pipe is just not easily acquired here. And 1" seems too small....so.... 1 1/2 by default.

 

[Jeff H Young]

Thanks Jeff. 1 1/4 pipe is just not easily acquired here. And 1" seems too small....so.... 1 1/2 by default.

oh bummer not available , no biggie as far as upping the size other than cost and working with bigger can be a bit more cumbersome 1 inch wouldnt comply with your chart so you are good. What type pipe? black poly? is cheap and not manny joints good choice

 

[Reach4]

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They have 1-1/4. I am not trying to talk you out of 1-1/2.

When burying poly pipe, snake the pipe in the trench, rather than pulling it tight.

Take the altitude change from the meter to your house into account. For every foot of rise, you lose about 0.43 psi.

See http://irrigation.wsu.edu/Content/Calculators/General/Pipeline-Pressure-Loss.php for a simplified pressure drop calculator. Pressure drop is the sum of the altitude change and the friction loss.

So what GPM should you calculate with? I would tend to say 10 psi, but others make a good case for 20 psi. You will no longer have a pressure tank to smooth quick load changes, such as running the washing machine.

 

[Jeff H Young]

1 1/4 pipe minimum , so 1 inch wont fly 1 1/2 is okj

 

[A_Numbie1]

Nevermind...confusion at the water department about what I can and can't use. All is good now. 3/4 tap/meter with 1 1/2 line.

 

[A_Numbie1]

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They have 1-1/4. I am not trying to talk you out of 1-1/2.

When burying poly pipe, snake the pipe in the trench, rather than pulling it tight.

Take the altitude change from the meter to your house into account. For every foot of rise, you lose about 0.43 psi.

See http://irrigation.wsu.edu/Content/Calculators/General/Pipeline-Pressure-Loss.php for a simplified pressure drop calculator. Pressure drop is the sum of the altitude change and the friction loss.

So what GPM should you calculate with? I would tend to say 10 psi, but others make a good case for 20 psi. You will no longer have a pressure tank to smooth quick load changes, such as running the washing machine.

Actually I was going to bore vs open trench the poly. So I'm guessing it will be rather tight vs. snaking it. Also, per my last post I am stuck using only one size up from meter size so I am being "forced" to upsize the meter.

 

[Jeff H Young]

Not making sence on the sizing but water company rules . I havent been involved with boring but over a 400 ft run some expansion could occur there could be a fitting to use on the ends that might help . I dont know how thats usually addressed my guess is to allow for movement at basement wall penetration. possibly at meter as well

 

[A_Numbie1]

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They have 1-1/4. I am not trying to talk you out of 1-1/2.

When burying poly pipe, snake the pipe in the trench, rather than pulling it tight.

Take the altitude change from the meter to your house into account. For every foot of rise, you lose about 0.43 psi.

See http://irrigation.wsu.edu/Content/Calculators/General/Pipeline-Pressure-Loss.php for a simplified pressure drop calculator. Pressure drop is the sum of the altitude change and the friction loss.

So what GPM should you calculate with? I would tend to say 10 psi, but others make a good case for 20 psi. You will no longer have a pressure tank to smooth quick load changes, such as running the washing machine.

Actually I was going to bore vs open trench the poly. So I'm guessing it will be rather tight vs. snaking it.

 

[A_Numbie1]

Additional Question: I am going to have to put a backflow valve on my new city water service line (1 1/2" coming into the house). What size backflow valve should I use? The new line will connect to a standard 3/4" in the house. Should I size the back flow valve to the incoming line (1 1/2') or the line it is connecting to (3/4")? My concern is the possible impact on water pressure in the house.

 

[Jeff H Young]

Additional Question: I am going to have to put a backflow valve on my new city water service line (1 1/2" coming into the house). What size backflow valve should I use? The new line will connect to a standard 3/4" in the house. Should I size the back flow valve to the incoming line (1 1/2') or the line it is connecting to (3/4")? My concern is the possible impact on water pressure in the house.

If the back flow valve is close to the house it would have no need to be a full 1 1/2 size, but your entire house can feed off "3/4 standard main" either dont know how you are going backwards after all the pipe sizing figuring , the house cant be fed on 3/4 with 27 fixture units.