Irrigation Sprinkler Repair

1,659 Views | 13 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by 75AG
Stucco
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I have a sprinkler system leak while the system is off. I haven't been able to locate the leak because the water is running out of a drainage system. The only way to stop the leak is to physically turn off the water to the system. Any recommendations for this kind of work?

I see Stuart and Prince are the most mentioned on threads from a few years ago. Anyone else I should consider?

75AG
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AG
Watching
UmustBKidding
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I suspect both stewart's are booked for months, and personally not a prince fan but for repair maybe. I suspect right now you will have to call and see if anyone can get to it this summer.
Waterchick will likely be along and say check licenses:
https://www2.tceq.texas.gov/lic_dpa/index.cfm
JP76 recommended http://www.raintecirrigationsystems.com/ and if good for him then he is good.
Lots of the custom landscape people are now doing sprinklers also.


BMo
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UmustBKidding said:

I suspect both stewart's are booked for months, and personally not a prince fan but for repair maybe. I suspect right now you will have to call and see if anyone can get to it this summer.
Waterchick will likely be along and say check licenses:
https://www2.tceq.texas.gov/lic_dpa/index.cfm
JP76 recommended http://www.raintecirrigationsystems.com/ and if good for him then he is good.
Lots of the custom landscape people are now doing sprinklers also.



Raintec is very good. Used them many times.
Hornbeck
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Call Benson at TGC Landscapes
birdman
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If it's leaking when the sprinkler is off, you've got a problem. But it's an easy fix.

You should have a big green spot in your dead yard. That's your leak. If you have a decent sized leak, it should be coming to the surface within a few minutes. It should be obvious.
Marooned_n_Aggieland
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When you say the system is off that can mean off several different ways. For this response I will take that to mean the system is charged with water but you have no zones activated.

Check to insure the value at each zone is completely closing. It only takes a little bit to get the sprinkler head to drop out of sight but then trickle just a little bit. It builds up over time and you get damp/wet areas that don't really go away. This is an easy fix with a valve kit and does not take much time or tools.

If all your values are good and you get a wet area where no values/sprinkler heads are and there is not a wet path to one of these then the problem would get much more difficult.


EliteElectric
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Raintec is awesome, know Larry for years. Give them a call, I am sure they are backed up right now so you might have to wait a few days.
Stucco
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Marooned_n_Aggieland said:

When you say the system is off that can mean off several different ways. For this response I will take that to mean the system is charged with water but you have no zones activated.

Check to insure the value at each zone is completely closing. It only takes a little bit to get the sprinkler head to drop out of sight but then trickle just a little bit. It builds up over time and you get damp/wet areas that don't really go away. This is an easy fix with a valve kit and does not take much time or tools.

If all your values are good and you get a wet area where no values/sprinkler heads are and there is not a wet path to one of these then the problem would get much more difficult.



My PRV was set to 90 psi and about a year ago was diagnosed as faulty. The plumber detected as high as 110 psi while he was there and turned the PRV down from 90 to 60 hoping it would be fixed. I tested it several times since then and it has always stayed at 60 psi, but I believe this is where the leak originated from. The leak is intermittent, so it leads me to believe that the PRV is still failing at times, causing water to seep through inconsistently. Or maybe it is a faulty valve that doesn't close consistently.

I do have a master valve on the sprinkler system, so that narrows down the potential leak points. Unfortunately, I don't know the location of the master valve as it was installed before I owned the property.
UmustBKidding
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I have a cheap underground wire tracker that you probably could use to find your master valve. Not nearly as good as a commercial tracker but works in most cases
Contact in profile
JP76
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Master is valve is typically just outside of the water meter for most installs. Take a rod or screwdriver and probe around for the plastic cover that is often buried under dirt and grass. Also a cheap metal detector can help you locate valves and wires
JP76
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110 shouldn't be an issue unless valve is failing or debris is stuck in the diaphragm. My previous system frequently saw 120-135 psi with no PRV in south Bryan and it never seeped past the master valve.
Stucco
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Well Raintec was able to come out. The PRV is after the sprinkler main, so wouldn't affect anything in the system. After some extensive searching, no leak was found, but two alternate explanations for the excess water were given, and the possibility of a leak remains. I'll watch it for a while to narrow it down.

Thank you for the referrals. Raintec was great.
75AG
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AG
RainTec just left our house. From the swamp in our backyard, Larry immediately found the leak in the main supply line and fixed it. Thanks for the recommendation!
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