Water main bursts in plumber's face - GIF

**Altair** · Oct 31, 2023, 01:56 PM

Water main bursts in plumber's face.

Previously:

Worker calmly fixing burst pipe - GIF
Burst water pipe erupting like geyser - GIF
Free car wash from burst hydrant - GIF
Pipe bursts in plumber's face - GIF
Burst sewer pipe spewing sewage on car - GIF

**Karl_H** · Oct 31, 2023, 08:22 PM

Another case of the cameraman missing the money shot!

**Hoosiersmoker** · Nov 1, 2023, 05:38 AM

I wonder what shot into his face along with the water?

**mwmkravchenko** · Nov 1, 2023, 08:22 AM

What did this genius expect to happen? Or maybe this was a setup by the other guys. I hope he was wearing eye protection.

Mark

**BuffaloJohn** · Nov 1, 2023, 11:46 AM

They have special tools to do this kind of work and it is not a cordless drill with a hole saw...

The money shot is there, it just goes by fast. If you go to 0:04 and stop the video, you can slowly step forward by pressing your cursor just ahead of the dot which is the current position.

Water main bursts in plumber's face - GIF-ms1.jpg

Water main bursts in plumber's face - GIF-ms2.jpg

Water main bursts in plumber's face - GIF-ms3.jpg

**drivermark** · Nov 4, 2023, 02:11 PM

1. On the bright side, it wasn't a sewer pipe.
2. Why would anyone be cutting into a live water main like that?
I mean wouldn't you shut it off and relieve the internal pressure before cutting? Just curious.

**WmRMeyers** · Nov 4, 2023, 06:04 PM

Originally Posted by drivermark

1. On the bright side, it wasn't a sewer pipe.
2. Why would anyone be cutting into a live water main like that?
I mean wouldn't you shut it off and relieve the internal pressure before cutting? Just curious.

Amateur hour right there.

**BuffaloJohn** · Nov 4, 2023, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by drivermark

1. On the bright side, it wasn't a sewer pipe.
2. Why would anyone be cutting into a live water main like that?
I mean wouldn't you shut it off and relieve the internal pressure before cutting? Just curious.

2 - Actually they cut into fully live pipes like that all the time. There is a special saddle they put on the pipe. There is a special fitting that is a combination of drill, fitting, and coupling that are part of the assembly. You make the hole into the larger pipe and it is capped auto-magically... You hitch up the tap pipe and remove the saddle assembly, all without making a mess. I have watched the tapping of PVC and asbestos concrete pipe for the water system my house is attached to.

All this was done, in each case, without depressurizing the main. Main was about 110psi, 6" to 8" (depending on the job and branch). Barely a drop spilled...

**Frank S** · Nov 5, 2023, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by BuffaloJohn

2 - Actually they cut into fully live pipes like that all the time. There is a special saddle they put on the pipe. There is a special fitting that is a combination of drill, fitting, and coupling that are part of the assembly. You make the hole into the larger pipe and it is capped auto-magically... You hitch up the tap pipe and remove the saddle assembly, all without making a mess. I have watched the tapping of PVC and asbestos concrete pipe for the water system my house is attached to.

All this was done, in each case, without depressurizing the main. Main was about 110psi, 6" to 8" (depending on the job and branch). Barely a drop spilled...

Its even done on large high pressure live natural gas pipelines. You might think it is crazy, but a welder will weld a collar or a flanged coupling to the pipeline then a valve is mounted and the special penetrating device makes the hole in the main pipe.