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Underground Repairs

Most people have no idea how much water can come out of underground fire protection or potable water mains until it ruptures underground! Underground piping ruptures are incredible to see firsthand as they can lift concrete, asphalt, and walls of buildings, and cause hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage. They can completely flood the interior of a building, and displace heavy volumes of dirt leaving sinkholes deep enough to drive a vehicle into.
 
The problem can sometimes be traced back to new construction. The best way to prevent issues with the underground piping is during installation. Many times there is a lack of specifications for the underground piping. If the underground piping is a design/build situation (meaning the contractor installing the underground piping is also designing it), then the contractor will typically install the cheapest materials available that will meet the minimum code requirements.  In return, by utilizing the cheapest materials available, this helps keep their costs low, which will generally give them more job opportunities as the lowest cost bidder (however, what you get in return may be an underground piping system that has a very short life span).
 
  • all materials that are buried below ground need to be high quality
  • all bolts should be a good quality stainless steel
  • all metallic pipe, fittings, and bolts need to be coated with a corrosion inhibitor, before the 8 mm plastic tubing encapsulates it
  • check how long the warranty/guarantee is from the installation or repair company (this will be a good indicator on the quality of job you are getting!)
 
It has been our experience that the issue of underground leaks and subsequent rupturing is accelerated in the newer cities where all the power utilities (Edison, telephone, cable) are run underground; in comparison, the older cities that have power utilities strung overhead on poles do not have as many problems.