If you need to have your water service line replaced, be sure to consider your options before your plumber starts digging. The traditional method is to dig a trench from the meter to your home, lay the new waterline in the trench, and then bury it. This method leaves an ugly scar across your yard. It can also be very trick if the water line runs under a driveway, sidewalk, or landscaping feature.
An alternative is using a trenchless excavation water line replacement technique. Instead of digging an entire trench, your plumber digs a hole at the meter and another hole where the line enters your home. Then a flexible water service line is pulled through the old line, breaking up the old as it goes.
Once the new line is in place, your plumber hooks up each end of the line and fills the holes. Trenchless pipe replacement is a little more expensive than trenching, but the big advantage to trenchless water line replacement is that there is limited digging and damage to your yard.
Trenchless pipe replacement only works in a relatively straight line. If there is a sharp bend in the old water service line, a hole will need to be dug at that point and a fitting will be installed to make the sharp bend. Also, only flexible pipe such as polyethylene or soft copper pipe can be used for the replacement water line. If you want to use hard copper line or PVC, your only alternative is trenching.
