Water hoses in the grass |
It's not quite a 50 foot hose anymore |
I have had a project on my to do list, though, for quite a while to run some underground PVC pipe out to the pasture to eliminate the hose in the yard. It is would be one less thing to pick up. Having never done this, I got some advice from a friend who has extensive knowledge of running water line and he gave me some pointers. But before we get going, right by where I was going to be working, I noticed a cactus blooming that I've never seen bloom before. This cactus is growing in a terra cotta frog. We kind of forget about it and it just continues to grow. Here is the frog cactus:
Cactus in Bloom |
I tried to get a close up shot. Very pretty flower on it!
Yellow cactus flower |
On to the project. The length of the pipe run was exactly 53 feet. The biggest job is trenching. I used a shovel to do the work and have the callouses to prove it. I'm getting soft in my old age. My materials including pipe, cleaner, glue, and all fittings totaled $59, so it is costing me (excluding labor) about $1.11 per foot. It took no time to cut the pipe, clean and glue it and assemble everything.
The trench looking north |
Once I have it all together I'll move the big water trough back out into the pasture. I just trenched it about 6-8 inches deep.
Trench looking south |
At the end of the run, I just barely came out of the ground and knocked some concrete off of a 4 x 4 fence post so that I could secure it snug to the post with an old leather belt. I don't want the cows OR GOATS breaking the line. A shorter segment reduces the opportunity for breakage. In cold weather, I learned that if the segment is short, you can just pile up a mound of dirt on top to insulate during freezing weather.
I'll put a "Y" connection on the faucet and make a short, flexible hose to run to the water trough and connect the water hose to the other connection for watering the garden and running water further out to the barn.
The end of the line |
Now all I need to do is allow the glue to dry, pressure it up and see that there are no leaks. I only had to tighten up one fitting to stop a drip, but once that was done, we deemed the project complete and began to fill in the trench with dirt and pack it down. In no time the grass will grow over it and you won't even be able to tell that work was done.
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