Wooden Water Line Pipe

Since wooden pipes had no salvage value they were often abandoned underground when replaced by metal.

Wooden water line pipe. Buried underground and filled with water wooden pipes can last for decades or centuries. Although each year the miles of wooden pipe used dwindled the last year portland used wooden pipe was 1953. A wooden water pipe that dates back to world war i. Water department crews found 200 year old wooden mains while replacing a line in center city.

Long abandoned wooden pipes. Wood s natural insulation eliminates the need to clad or bury the pipeline to combat. City of baltimore wooden water pipe early 19th century remember water matters j. That means wooden water pipes served the city for almost a century.

The log would be somewhere between 20 to 30 inches in diameter with the bored pipe hole being a mere 3 to 6 inches in diameter. The wooden pipes were apparently laid on back of spruce from ninth to tenth between october 1811 and october 1812 according to a report from the department s archives. There are two main kinds of wooden water pipe. Wooden pipes likely remain buried in many older communities but rarely is one dug up utility says.

The interior of an old wood stave pipe found a week or so ago at the charleston water system s hanahan plant during installation of a new 42 inch water main crossing the road at the plant. The more primitive are log wood pipes hollowed out tree trunks or logs. Scott shipe january 2015 video production questions contact js. Abandoned water pipes have been uncovered during street excavations such as these pipes and those above removed in 1901.

The wood absorbs the water and expands against the steel restraining bands creating a watertight pipeline. After the fire was out they would drive a wooden plug into the water main. Photo courtesy of the philadelphia water department historical collection.