OT plumbing/construction question?

[TopCatGr58]

Thanks for the info folks, just what I was looking for. As for possible risk factors, surprisingly we DO have a weeping willow tree in the front yard, but the meter which is at the road's edge, is on the OTHER side of the driveway and willow tree. Also, the willow never dropped any deep tap roots, they were all surface runners! We know this because when a hurricane came thru several years ago, the ground got waterlogged, and the wind blew the tree over! I was told, and did a salvage job...dug under the exposed rootbase, then used the SUV to pull the tree upright, but dug a little too deeply, and the roots caused it to LEAN a bit when it was uprighted! But.. it lived, and is still growing, tall as the house now, but the roots have not penetrated into/under the driveway as far as I can see/tell!? So....looks like I will probably ignore the sales pitch. I, too, can dig a trench if necessary to repair, replace the line.

T.C.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Hey, TC...

One thing to bear in mind if it's PVC... it should last a long time. But... the main thing would be the depth of the ditch it's installed in.

The ground freezing / thawing in the winter time is what's so hard on water pipes. Expansion / contraction of the ground's a real problem around here.
(Causes them to break.)

18" is our area's frost line. May be different there, of course.

But even if it's depth is proper, warm days followed by cold nights are hard on buried water lines. All depends on your area, though.

Here, any line that the city installed is their baby. Any line a plumber installs belongs to the homeowner. Plumber usually installs the customer side of the water meter to the house... so what they're telling you sounds correct about responsibility due to a break. But as for the cost?

If a leak does occur from a break AFTER the meter... it's metered! You know how many gals. leaked, right? If a break occurs prior to the meter... it's their deal.

I seriously doubt it would leak long enough to run up a $4k water bill before you discovered it!

And it's doubtful that it would cost that much to repair on your side of the meter WITH the water bill included!
Doubt I'd worry about it much... and only take the insurance if it's really guaranteed... and really cheap...
Bob

[latexeses]

In my burg the line from the house to the city conection is our responsibility.

All the homes in Kalifornia must have a water meter by, I believe, 2018. That means a huge effort ot retro all of the older homes.

To even make it beter in Lodi WE have to pay for the meter. Installation will cost every homeowner without a meter between $300 and $1200 per house. Lodi, being some 64 million in debt wants the meters in early (2013). I believe it is so they can use the meter as a revenue generator.

[XJOK2PLAY]

Wow...
How have they been keeping up w/ water usage then on the older homes there? They haven't?

I can't believe they're gonna make the homeowner pay for their meter...
Isn't that like double jeoperdy?? ( I gotta pay big $$ for a device that's gonna start sending me a monthly bill...)

Around here the only ones that pull that on the homeowners are the RWD's.
In the rural areas, ya have to usually pay a $750 water tap fee when you get on the water line. BTDT...

[latexeses]

We have been on a flat rate fee for water here.

I have an electric meter on my house I didn't have to pay for.

I have a natural gas meter I didn't have to pay for.

Now I will have a water meter funded by me. I'm sure sometime before it is over we will wind up having to get a permit for the installation!!!!

Like having to go out and buy the rope you are going to be hung with.

Oh, by the way...The 64 million debt the city is trying to pay off came from trying to sue local businesses for groundwater contamination. Cost at the time to fix the problem..$9,000,000. City hires big deal law firm. City pay lawyers and law firm $34,000,000 in fees. City looses lawsuit. Groundwater problem now close $20,000,000. Ex police chief, turned city councilman, turns $34,000,000 legal fees into $64,000,000 long term debt (don't ask me how or why). Groundwater problem not fixed. Cost still rising. City broke.
Explain to me why they are not all in jail.

Whew, I feel better now.

[cywelchjr]

The only reason that water meters are being put in up here in Northern Ca is that Socal is upset that we have unmetered water, seeing as we have so much of it. So they passed a law requriing meters throughout the state, and there is a deadline for them being installed. I expect the next step is that they will mandate the water being metered. Then they will want to limit how much we can use per household (or per person). They really hate the fact that we have water, nice weather AND cleaner air than they do. They really do.