Water Line Replacement
Nate’s Plumbing replaces over 300 water lines a year and does it, and in most cases, with minimal damage or disruption to your landscape. On the day of your water line replacement we arrive on site with our Vac Truck and Boring machine and the crew gets to work to set up. The crew will use the Vac truck to hydro-excavate around your water meter and will then use a boring machine to pull conduit from the water meter to your house, all under the ground, so your landscape isn’t disturbed. Next, they disconnect and abandon your leaking water line and connect the new water line. After everything is connected and your water is back on the crew will backfill around your water meter and clean up. This process typically only takes about half a day!
Get in touch with us now for more details at 360-687-7797.
Big Blue & Quest Piping
Many of the water line replacements Nate’s Plumbing does are due to polybutylene (Big Blue or Quest) piping which was used extensively in the 1980’s and early 1990’s.
Over the years, the preferred material for water pipes has changed significantly. During the 1980s, a new plumbing material known as “polybutylene” was introduced and took the market by storm. Also known as Polybutylene, “Quest” or ‘Big Blue’ piping, this type of plastic plumbing line was both inexpensive and easy to install in addition to extremely durable, making it a popular choice for builders. It remained a common material all the way up through the mid-1990s. If your home was built during this period, there’s a good chance you may still have some of this plumbing.
If you own one of these homes, you should consider replacing your plumbing and/or water line as soon as possible. While the evidence hasn’t definitively proved the problem, it’s widely believed that the inner walls of these plumbing lines became brittle and flaky because of oxidants in the water. Over time, the flaking resulted in weak points, which created micro-fractures, leaks, and the possibility for bursting under high pressure. Today, many home insurance companies won’t even cover homes that have these plumbing lines running in the walls, or at the least won’t offer coverage for damage from water line bursting.
Identifying Polybutylene (Quest) plumbing pipes is fairly simple. Polybutylene pipes come in one of three colors: black, blue, or gray. In our area the most common color for this piping is blue. The easiest places to check are where your main water line enters your home, and where the water line is connected to your water meter.
The first question people often ask when it comes to this type of piping is whether their piping will fail. The easy answer is, yes. This material has a 100% failure rate. Call us to today for an estimate at 360-687-7797.
We also Replace Qest Pipe
We also replace Qest piping inside your house. It is impossible to look at the pipe to determine whether it will fail soon or not. Check out our re-piping page for more information!
Why is Poly Pipe so Bad?
Although a lot of poly piping problems originate from inappropriate plumbing setup and installation, many issues are with the piping itself. Polybutylene pipe tends to wear away from contact with oxidants discovered in public water materials. Often, failure of the plumbing pipe takes place in the plastic fittings. A major plumbing problem with poly pipe is the pipe wears away from within because oxidants are held in the water, and the water is constantly running through the inside of the pipe. This makes it very hard to identify if the pipe is genuinely in good condition from simply an outside examination. Usually the pipe looks fine from the outside, for a while. Most plumbing inspectors cannot offer a trustworthy plumbing evaluation on the condition of poly piping unless there is a noticeable issue with the exterior of the pipe or its installation.
Trenchless piping
Nate’s Plumbing was the first plumber in this area to use a directional boring machine to replace water lines. In most cases trenchless piping means very minimal yard damage!
Meet your water line experts
We cater to both residential and commercial customers. You can also get your water lines replaced with our support.
Great news! We work 24/7! You can call us anytime of the day for your waterline installation and repair services.