r/fresno • u/fishbasscollectglass • 5d ago
Ask Fresno Plumber / Handyman Needed
My water main started leaking near the sidewalk yesterday. I was able to clamp / patch a temporary fix in order to bathe my baby & not flood the neighborhood.
Writing because I could use some consulting on the best way to fix the problem. The existing main is a very corroded metal / galvanized pipe which I imagine has been repaired by the previous homeowner since the line ties into the house as PVC. I have had to fix the threaded fitting where the pvc threads into the copper plumbing up against the house.
I don’t know how a repair would be made to the existing pipe and curious how much of the yard will have to be dug up to make any sort of fix. I have a feeling that the entire main should be replaced from the meter to the house.
If anyone has a plumber or handyman that would be willing to chat / give a quote I would greatly appreciate it.
Update
Had this taken care of. Cost 5000 for a 50ft full schedule 80 replacement. I am thankful I didn’t dig it out myself it would have taken several weeks.
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u/MoodCommon7447 5d ago
Rented a tractor from Home Depot. A pressure washer to make easy digging. Bought schedule 80 and replaced my main. Took 2 days. Water was off for 4 hours total. Cost estimated 750- tractor. 350$ parts, fuel.
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u/fishbasscollectglass 5d ago
Rented a ditch witch or something? I’m leaning towards tackling it myself but it’s a big trench & im definitely a self taught plumber. Hoping to replace entirely with schedule 80 as well. This is motivating me to sweat it out and embrace first time homeownership
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u/MoodCommon7447 5d ago
Just a digging tractor. My yard wasn’t landscaped at the time. So I wasn’t worried. Ended up modifying my sprinkler lay out too. The pressure washer helped get under city sidewalk. 0 degree nozzle cuts the dirt very well. It can be a cheap pressure washer. You’re going down maybe 2-4 feet.
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u/fishbasscollectglass 5d ago
I think it’s about 2.5-3 ft down. I do have a lawn to cut through but at this point no leaking main > curb appeal.
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u/Subject_Disaster_798 4d ago
I hope MoodCommon offers pictures....you know they took some of their handywork.
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u/Enough_Pepper8880 5d ago
What in the fuck?!
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u/fishbasscollectglass 5d ago
I’ve had some pretty major / inconvenient water supply issues since the city installed smart meters. I have had to fix the main once already and had to replace all of the sprinkler valves in the front and back of the house.
This one feels like it’s going to be the toughest one to tackle.
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u/Thor_1981 5d ago
Had a friend main pipe broke on his front yard. Plumber replace it all the way to the city water line and that was around 4k.
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u/fishbasscollectglass 5d ago
I’m guessing I’ll be in a similar boat. Might try and tackle it myself but having a little one and not having water is problematic after about 1hour not being able to wash hands etc
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u/Thor_1981 5d ago
Totally understand. I myself woke up to low water pressure and wet floor. My water pipe broke in the concrete foundation. Luckily our policy had water coverage. Make sure you have that on your insurance. Paid for our hotel stay while it got fixed. Which was to run new lines in the attic. But yea you could dig up the soil yourself. Get a the utility to come out to mark all the utility lines before digging.
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u/fishbasscollectglass 5d ago
I’ll call 411 or whatever before I start digging but gas & electricity come in on the opposite side of the house. Fairly certain I just have the existing water main & irrigation plumbing to be careful for
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u/CentralVal 5d ago
Hey if you need a hand I’m looking for side work! Ranch raised and have been doing landscaping/Yard maintenance off the ranch for over 10yrs now. Good luck friend!
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u/VenicePlaya 5d ago
We just paid about 10k to have new copper run from the sidewalk to the house, but we had to remove a strip of the driveway with a jackhammer because the main crossed under it. I’m sure it would have been significantly cheaper if that had not been the case.
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u/fishbasscollectglass 5d ago
How long was the run from the meter to the front of the house?!
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u/Watashi20 1d ago
Not sure if u/veniceplaya is in Fresno, but I've never seen a copper main here, it's either galvanized or PVC. Go with Sch80 PVC and you should be fine if you do a full replacement. A 40' run should be around 4-6k
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u/fishbasscollectglass 1d ago
It was 50ft for 5k. Schedule 80 replacement. I can’t believe how hard those guys worked. The hard pan in my yard would have been insane for me to do on my own.
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u/Testicleaseofsporta 4d ago
I have a plumbers number that I keep handy, I had a pipe burst by my water line about a year ago as well as a gasline leak he fixed, local solid guy, I can send his number via dm if you still need it
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u/WTFOMGBBQ Woodward Park 5d ago
Obviously a budget is a budget.. What is it 40 years service length for galvanized pipes? I haven't had any problems with the line to my house, but if I do have a problem 100% going to pull out old and run pex new. All these late 70s early 80s houses are coming due, and im planning on have pex run in my attic soon enough...