# Odd size polly



## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Small town called Burkeville, VA. When the new water main was run a contractor won the bid to run all the new lines from the meter to the house. To save money he got a good deal on 3/4 OD polly pipe. This really sucks because 3/4 compression couplings are too big to tighten around the pipe, and 3/4 insert couplings are too small. Finally had to use 3/4 brass couplings and heat the pipe quite a bit and double clamp it. PITA! Sometimes it works, some times it dont. been years now since I done any repairs in that town and I try to stay away from there as much as possible. 

Anyone else ever run into pipe which uses a OD measurement instead of a ID measurement?


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

That's sounds kinda like that CTS garbage we have down here, I haven't run into it much just a few occasions. The utility contractors run miles of it here.


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## Plumber3653 (May 5, 2010)

Yeah. Like Plumberman said. CTS sized HDPE, but the supply house that sold it to the general contractor didn't sell the fittings.Parts had to be special ordered from manufacturer and they were very expensive. That was the last time it was used in this area (as far as I know). Black pipe with a yellow stripe if I remember correctly.


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## plbgbiz (Aug 27, 2010)

I met an odd sized Polly once.


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Bill said:


> Small town called Burkeville, VA. When the new water main was run a contractor won the bid to run all the new lines from the meter to the house. To save money he got a good deal on 3/4 OD polly pipe. This really sucks because 3/4 compression couplings are too big to tighten around the pipe, and 3/4 insert couplings are too small. Finally had to use 3/4 brass couplings and heat the pipe quite a bit and double clamp it. PITA! Sometimes it works, some times it dont. been years now since I done any repairs in that town and I try to stay away from there as much as possible.
> 
> Anyone else ever run into pipe which uses a OD measurement instead of a ID measurement?


 Did that even meet code?

Given the wall thickness of poly pipe, that's just slightly less than a 1/2" ID water service.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Must have! I am quite sure anyone doing hundreds of homes would have needed to pull permits.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

Plumber3653 said:


> Yeah. Like Plumberman said. CTS sized HDPE, but the supply house that sold it to the general contractor didn't sell the fittings.Parts had to be special ordered from manufacturer and they were very expensive. That was the last time it was used in this area (as far as I know). Black pipe with a yellow stripe if I remember correctly.


I've seen it with blue stripes down here, don't know the difference cause I have only repaired it once. It was some kind of compression fitting with a stainless insert sleeve that was pushed flush with the end if the pipe.


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## Mpls Jay (Jan 1, 2011)

I would have tried a polybutylene pex(sp?) insert adapter fitting.
Sounds like the same i.d.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Sounds like Polybutylene not Polyethylene to me...


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Bill said:


> Must have! I am quite sure anyone doing hundreds of homes would have needed to pull permits.


 That isn't what I asked.


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## Bill (Jun 17, 2008)

Widdershins said:


> That isn't what I asked.


I said it must have at the time. I dont believe now it would, but back then it probably did. Its either that or someone got paid off. Minimum now is 3/4 ID up to 80 feet, then I believe it must be 1"


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## Plumber3653 (May 5, 2010)

Yellow stripe is for Natural gas, blue-water. Problem usually is some plumbers see black pipe and don't care what the color code is and just install it...inspectors may not look closely at color of pipe in the ditch. Shame on both.


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Bill said:


> I said it must have at the time. I dont believe now it would, but back then it probably did. Its either that or someone got paid off. Minimum now is 3/4 ID up to 80 feet, then I believe it must be 1"



>shrugs<

Can't see it from my house.


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## Plumberman (Jul 7, 2008)

Plumber3653 said:


> Yellow stripe is for Natural gas, blue-water. Problem usually is some plumbers see black pipe and don't care what the color code is and just install it...inspectors may not look closely at color of pipe in the ditch. Shame on both.


Makes sense, the two gas companies down here Atmos and Centerpoint bury yellow poly. If we have to run a large distance we run the same. The only place I have seen it done with HDPE yellow striped is about 2 hours south of me in Alexandria thats all they run.


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## Plumber3653 (May 5, 2010)

Yeah, depending on the pressure rating and application you really need to know if the pipe you have is IPS or CTS to get the appropriate fittings. A 1/2" id cts compression fitting w/stiffiner sounds like what may have been needed for Bill's original post. Who knows, but I'm sure the good folks at Oil Creek could answer questions if anybody runs into it again.


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## PlumberShep (Sep 22, 2010)

Alot of areas here that were done in the late 70's have poly water services.The poly was manufactured by Yardley and it is pure garbage.It tends to split along its length.If I see it in the meter box I wont even quote a repair,I just tell them how much a new service is.


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Could be 100psi poly. 

Worse than cts.


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