Recently in Jamaica Queens our customer decided to replace their 100 year old lead water main with copper. They had been living in the house for several months, with a baby coming, they decided it was time to pull the plug and invest in the upgrade.
At first the couple wanted avoid the cost and try to live with the lead water main for a few years. After speaking with others and researching on the web, they decided that the health risk was not worth the money. It now became extremely time sensitive to replace the water main before the baby was born!
We first began working on the DEP permits for the water main upgrade. Once the permits had been released by DEP, we were able to apply for the DOT roadway opening permit. The entire permit process was completed within one week. This allowed for more than enough time to schedule the work, and install the new water line before the baby arrived.
Our foreman Benjamin’s crew was assigned to this job, they have over ten years experience and specialize in copper water main installations. This particular crew works really well with each other, and are extremely efficient with their installs.
As always, Benjamin began by excavating the roadway to locate the city water main. This is the most sensitive part of the job, if they cannot locate the city water main connection, it can add hours on to the install. Now that the main has been located, the crew will begin with secondary holes before the new copper water main tunnels are completed.
The tunnels are completed with compressed air, they are 3″ tunnels that are made below ground where the new copper pipe will be installed.
The install experienced a small delay, due to the density of the dirt. The crew now had to perform additional excavations for the piping install. Thankfully the crew remained on schedule and completed the installation in one day. It is not often that a standard water main upgrade will take more than one day. There is usually an issue on the job if the crew must return back to the site for a second day to complete the install.
If you are seeking an inspection of your existing water main, it is important to call a licensed master plumber. The house call should be free of charge, along with the estimate.
