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The water supply to the irrigation system includes a connection between copper and PVC pipes, located a few inches above the ground. The PVC pipe connected to the copper pipe (blue in the picture) runs underground through a straight connector (white in the picture), has a right angle elbow which after another several inches enters an access box. The interface between the copper and PVC pipes is leaking.Quite the leak

The copper pipe does not line up completely vertical with the PVC pipe coming out of the ground, and I suspect this tension lead to the leak Two pipes are not perfectly aligned.

Are there concerns with cutting the pipe just below the current straight connector, and adding a new straight connector after attaching new PVC pipe to the copper pipe that is slightly longer than the existing pipe to push the copper pipe upwards to straighten the copper pipe? Or would replacing a longer section of PVC pipe (past the elbow) be more likely to prevent this from happening again?

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  • I'm a little lost in your description of your proposed fix, but if you cannot realign everything to get them all nice & straight, I'd suggest reducing the amount of inflexible copper in the vertical run and increasing the amount of (slightly) flexible PVC. That would allow the PVC to do most/all its bending before the misaligned joint. I don't know how much give there is in the particular type of PVC supply line being used here, so that may or may not work. Your best bet, long term, is to get everything in a straight line or use pipe designed to be flexible.
    – FreeMan
    Sep 21, 2021 at 17:23
  • I think you'll find that PVC section is cracked. Threaded connections don't start leaking that much out of no where, so whatever you do is going to require replacing some pipe. Its hard to tell, but the picture also makes it look like the lower connection between the grey and white pipe is also leaking and may be cracked.
    – JPhi1618
    Sep 21, 2021 at 18:21

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I think what you will have to do is cut out the damaged top of the grey pipe and extend it up several inches to try and make the copper pipe section straighter.

The copper pipe and heavy pressure regulator/backflow device (not exactly sure) being unsupported is just asking for trouble. After repairing the pipe, I would drive a metal post next to the vertical section and tie the vertical pipe to it so it won't bend if someone is working around those bushes and leans on it. You might also consider driving in another post to help steady that valve section depending on how its supported on the side we can't see.

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  • That is a good point about the support post. Any suggestion as to depth required? Yes that is a pressure regulator with check valve, required for irrigation water supply here.
    – Sean
    Sep 21, 2021 at 21:09
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    Depth depends on the soil compaction. If you have a thicker clay-like soil then 18" might be enough, but for something looser/sandier you should plan on 24" or more. Its not dealing with wind weight like a fence, just trying to steady it in case someone trips on it. I'm assuming the pipe comes up about 12" - scale is hard to tell.
    – JPhi1618
    Sep 22, 2021 at 15:46
  • Thanks, yes, the horizontal pipe is about a foot above grade.
    – Sean
    Sep 23, 2021 at 16:32

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