# Poly Pipe Separation



## brianj53 (Dec 14, 2013)

A ripper on a cat tore up a 1 1/4" 200 psi poly pipe line which I was asked to repair a couple weeks ago. Today I had a call back because the pipe separated just now- thank God the trench was not yet filled. I had attached it with barbed nipples very securely (two opposing clamps on each side), plus I even warmed the pipe with a torch before tightening the clamps. I even gave it as much pipe as I could. It is clear the line has moved apart a 3-4 inches even though I had done my best to tamp down the very sandy fill. It's a very long line. I'm wondering if the poly pipe had been stretched and now has resumed its normal length. The owner's neighbor, who is the go between, thinks I should have used ford fittings. Has anyone experienced this before. I've never heard of using ford fittings outside underground. Most plumbers I know use barbed fittings on flat ground and ford fittings are used inside only. I need to repair it tomorrow morning, so any comments would be extremely helpful. Do you think it could pull apart even more, so how will I know this repair will hold?


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## bdaltonph (Nov 23, 2014)

I have never used anything but Ford or McDonald fittings on poly pipe underground. Just be sure to use the stiffiners and tighten the lock nut good.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

brianj53 said:


> A ripper on a cat tore up a 1 1/4" 200 psi poly pipe line which I was asked to repair a couple weeks ago. Today I had a call back because the pipe separated just now- thank God the trench was not yet filled. I had attached it with barbed nipples very securely (two opposing clamps on each side), plus I even warmed the pipe with a torch before tightening the clamps. I even gave it as much pipe as I could. It is clear the line has moved apart a 3-4 inches even though I had done my best to tamp down the very sandy fill. It's a very long line. I'm wondering if the poly pipe had been stretched and now has resumed its normal length. The owner's neighbor, who is the go between, thinks I should have used ford fittings. Has anyone experienced this before. I've never heard of using ford fittings outside underground. Most plumbers I know use barbed fittings on flat ground and ford fittings are used inside only. I need to repair it tomorrow morning, so any comments would be extremely helpful. Do you think it could pull apart even more, so how will I know this repair will hold?


what is the pipe carrying? natural gas most likley? yes the pipe stretched from being pulled then snapping from the dozer...I know this as I ripped a phone cable out of the ground upstate with a dozer and did a quick fix, but over time( a week) the copper in the cable started pulling out of the quick connects as it was shrinking( eventually the phone company came and dug up about 20 feet of cable and re spliced it)..but the repair on that pipe with barbed nipple is sorta of a hack repair..they sell special compression fittings just for poly pipe, thats all the utility here uses...but im thinking even with those on a stretched pipe it would have pulled out ....you probably have to dig back to virgin pipe maybe 20 or 30 feet , also the stretching has weakened and thinned out the old pipe..


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## Fatpat (Nov 1, 2015)

Ford fitting for sure, that locking nut makes the ford coupling a "mechanical fitting" Vs a "compression fitting"


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## wyrickmech (Mar 16, 2013)

If it is black Polly the expansion over 100 feet is almost a foot. If it was warm you needed to put a loop in it. When it cooled down it simply pulled itself apart.


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## brianj53 (Dec 14, 2013)

*Update*

Thanks everyone! It is a water line, and we figured out it pulled out from one end from settling, that the cat had done the damage long ago, so stretching wasn't the issue. Good to know that you can use ford fittings under ground. In this case the owner was not willing to pay for ford fittings, so we just redid it with the galvi coupling and more pipe and will leave it uncovered a while to be sure nothing will move. We also checked for earthquake activity as it is near a fault line, but there was no seismic action this week. Always more to learn!


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## tim666 (Mar 11, 2014)

We use brass and heat the fitting too. It helps the pipe form to the barbs


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## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

8 years ago i crimped some 1 1/2 PE with a pex crimp ring & coupling

Still holding fine....110 PSI


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## paultheplumber1 (May 1, 2014)

Barb insert fittings are all you should need on regular poly under ground. You should only need the ford fittings if is water service diameter pipe.


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## GREENPLUM (Jul 27, 2008)

Sdr-9


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

Electro fusion???


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## BOBBYTUCSON (Feb 8, 2013)

was it blue colored ? vangaurd brand ? you talkin hdpe ?


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