possible to dig under a tree?

[tr888]

We found out that the curb stop for our domestic water is on an adjacent street and the Customer Service Line passes under our neighbor's lawn. The former owners of that property planted a tree (something like a dogwood) directly above the line. If something should happen requiring the line to be repaired/replaced, is there a digging tool that could bore horizontally below the tree's roots so it wouldn't have to be taken down? And are the supply lines typically far enough below ground that tree roots won't harm them?

Thanks

[Caduceus]

Yes. Expensive piece of equipment, but boring is used for access below driveways, sidewalks, trees, etc. Not a DIY project if you rent a compressor and the equipment. A ditch must be dug at the starting point and the end point. A guy with experience and a good eye for the lay of the land should direct the "air missile" and definitely a One-Call...you don't want to see what happens if a gas or water line is hit or discover that a sewer line was in the way.
Tree roots typically do not effect water service lines, as long as they are not leaking slowly, and also if they are copper.

[tr888]

Originally Posted by Plumb-Crazy

Yes. Expensive piece of equipment, but boring is used for access below driveways, sidewalks, trees, etc. Not a DIY project if you rent a compressor and the equipment. A ditch must be dug at the starting point and the end point. A guy with experience and a good eye for the lay of the land should direct the "air missile" and definitely a One-Call...you don't want to see what happens if a gas or water line is hit or discover that a sewer line was in the way.
Tree roots typically do not effect water service lines, as long as they are not leaking slowly, and also if they are copper.

Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure what you meant by "air missile" in this context. Is that the borer bit?

[Caduceus]

Yes, it is the borer bit. It's about 4 feet long and about a 3" diameter. I'll bet there is a website somewhere with more detail on the equipment. Look for Air Missile, pneumatic boring or horizontal boring equipment in your search.

[plumbernyc]

YouTube - Trenchless Pipe Replacement with GRUNDOBURST

YouTube - Trenchless Pipe Replacement with GRUNDOBURST

[tr888]

Thanks for that video link.

It explains very clearly how the process bursts the original pipe. But what sort of pipe replaces the original rigid pipe in a residential domestic / potable water situation?

Let's say you have a pit dug into the street and anotherr pit up at the house, crossing under a lawn 75' wide. Does the original pipe get replaced nowadays with a flexible hose rated for potable water, or are short sections of rigid copper pipe pulled into the bore-hole? If short sections of rigid pipe are used, are they connected with threaded couplings? Swaged?

[Mr_David]

Usually when I've had a problem with a water line that has failed below a large tree I just reroute it around the tree.

[tr888]

Rerouting is not likely to be possible here -- sewer line to the right, dogwood directly above, and to the left, another tree, an ancient towering oak tree.

Besides, the current or future neighbors may be able to prevent me from claiming new ground for an alternate route, even though I may have a claim against them for planting a tree directly above the water line.

[Caduceus]

The bursting is for sewer lines. The longest shot that I have made with a bore was 25 feet. It saved time trenching as well as a driveway, sidewalk and a retaining wall when replacing a water service. Very useful and expensive tool.

[tr888]

Originally Posted by Caduceus

The bursting is for sewer lines. The longest shot that I have made with a bore was 25 feet. It saved time trenching as well as a driveway, sidewalk and a retaining wall when replacing a water service. Very useful and expensive tool.

25' feet should be long enough to save the tree. 12 feet on either side of the tree trunk should be enough to protect its roots. Roughly, by how much does the need to use a boring tool typically increase the homeowner's total cost of the repair? By $1000? By $2000?