Hey guys, I'm thinking of finally running a water line into our property. The only problem is that we have about 1500' of entrance before we get to the actual ranch. Which means that I have to buy a lot of 20' sections or source a roll of pipe. What have you guys used for something like that? Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks.

How about something like this?

roll of pipe

Or this

a different roll

I would go with poly on that distance.

How much water are you looking to run?

Not much water needed for now. But in the future I would like to be able to run a home with it. Think 1.5" pipe will work? Poly is HDPE?

Like most people I'm trying to get something that works for a reasonable price. 1" pipe is way cheaper than 1.5", but I worry about the long run and how it might affect the GPM or pressure.

You want to to this once and not do it again IMHO. I'm not a plumber but someone will chime in with better info on the subject

Yes, poly is HDPE and that’s what I’d use.
What are you tying in to, rural water?
What size are you tying in to?
What’s the pressure where you’re tying in?

I just installed PEX on my place. Bought a 300' roll, longer lengths likely available on a spool. Due to driveway and rocky soil, I installed it in conduit. I am told PEX is extremely durable.
Contact a plumbing supply ad/or local water system for your answer.

For a long run such as yours I'd install a block valve(s) at intervals along the line. You can troubleshoot leaks easier.
Go deep or protect where driven over.

Papalote

Poly would definitely be easier and less chances for a leak at the joints. At 1500’ there will be approximately 11 psi of pressure loss at 15 GPM in 1.5” line. Your source pressure may be high enough for this to be acceptable, and maybe not.

I wouldn’t do anything less than 2”. 20’ sections of pipe are easy to install and pvc is cheap.

Regarding this, FWIW, two things I found about PVC pipe when I did ours to the house, is the two big box stores were $5.00 a joint higher than my locals on the 1.5” PVC. The other thing was, while laying it, I stayed way ahead of the ditch witch gluing the pipe together, and we were digging 200’ per hour at 36” deep.

I also would go 2” if I were in your shoes as JMan suggested.

you need to know supply pressure, out here on county water system I had 160psi and had to have a pressure regulator installed recently. I too would recommend 2" to house, valve in ground so you can shut off if needed then from valve into house with 1" to bring pressure back up. pvc is your best bet, easy to fix if you ever have a leak. valve every 3-500' as said above so you can shut down if repair is ever needed. lot easier to work on pipe with less water in the hole.

If you are planning this from scratch, you definitely want to know what the water pressure is at the source. Class200 pipe is typical for what I use and perfectly fine in long runs. As its label mentions, it is good up to 200 psi. You will lose some pressure due to friction loss of the pipe, fittings and connections but if you are starting at 165 like Hop mentions than you have plenty to work with. If you intend to use this for farming and ranching purposes, having access to all that is not a bad thing. If you intend to plumb a house, you don't want that much pressure inside your walls and under your foundations at the shutoffs.

Isolation valves are good ideas to allow you to shut down the system to work on it. And if you do have too high pressure, pressure regulators would be a good idea to plan into the system as well.

You also might find the pressure at the source to inadequate to even consider running that long a distance and would need to consider a different plan.

On the money advice here
Well stated a Sir

1st step. Determine pressure at tie in.

Yep. That's what we did. 3/4" 100 foot rolls. Works great

If pressure at tie in is high enough, you could use 2” Class 200 gasket pipe (that may be what Jman is suggesting but he didn’t specify). Cheaper and easier to install than SCH40 solvent weld.

Any idea on how I can get the water pressure at the source? It's water from a local water company that supplies to rural areas, not city water. I can call and ask them on Monday but if they don't know the answer, is there an easy way for me to check it? Like maybe use a small section of pipe and a gauge at the source? I was looking at the price of regular PVC pipe at the big box stores and it'll probably be cheaper than a roll of plex. 2" pvc pipe is actually cheaper than 1.5" poly rolls.

When you say 2" class 200 gasket pipe what exactly do you mean? Like steel pipe with bolt on flanges?

Calling the water people should get your pressure answer.
If you do go with PVC be sure to purchase the longer couplings. Seen too many short couplings fail.

Papalote

OP
How much rise or fall in that 1500 ft?

Regardless if which material you go with, do the calculations and choose the correct diameter for the length and rise to avoid problems with the pressure output.

You still might also consider a secondary holding tank and pressure pump at the house as well.

If I do go with 2" pvc pipe, do you guys think i'll need to use some sand in the trench? I read on some forums that people use sand in the trench to prevent line failures. How deep do you guys think I should go? I'm in deep south texas so freezing is not really a hazard.

I used google earth to check the elevation and this is what it's showing. I don't know how accurate it is but it's probably a lot more accurate than my eyeball.

cushion sand would never hurt - it helps with line flex and if you ever have to dig it up later it gives you a visual indication of about where the pipe is.

your elevation should not be an issue.

Go as deep or as shallow as you'd like. Depends on how hard and fast you care to trench. 12-18" is usually a good rule of thumb. Any trucks or heavy equipment going over it? If so, you'll want it on the deeper side.

From TCEQ:
(1) If the manufacturer has not published specifications for depth coverage of piping, the piping must be installed to provide minimum depth coverage of six inches of select backfill, between the top of the pipe and the natural grade of the topsoil. All portions of the irrigation system that fail to meet this standard must be noted on the irrigation plan. If the area being irrigated has rock at a depth of six inches or less, select backfill may be mounded over the pipe. Mounding must be noted on the irrigation plan and discussed with the irrigation system owner or owner's representative to address any safety issues.

Ran a 600' line to house and and another 100 to barn and used 1'1/4 poly (300 foot rolls) and not having any problem with pressure. For the cost wouldn't go any smaller and In hindsight would have used 2". Bigger is always better. Have 65 psi on our water system here in Kingsland.