Sprinklers-In Ground Problem

[Steve]

Hello.

I noticed today that water was not coming out full force out of a sprinkler head, and that it appears that water is coming up from the ground surrounding the sprinkler head.

I'd like to try and repair this myself. If it's a matter of a line connection to the sprinkler, or the sprinkler is cracked or damaged where water is coming out the side or anything like that, I can probably take a shot a fixing it.

I don't really know anything about these heads other than how to adjust them. For the record, they are Hunter G-Type gear driven sprinklers.

These are probably 15 years old, and I never had any problems before. Do they crack, wear out or break on their own?

How long should they last? Do they have a definite lifespan, and should I be thinking of replacing them all (we have 6 zones and 24 heads).

From what I mentioned above, any ideas as to what is the problem?

Thanks.

Steve

[J.A. Michel]

Steve,

Don't be afraid to tackle this one yourself. Since you have water peculating to the surface around the head, you have a busted riser, head or pipe. You're going to have to get the spade and dig it up. Dig carefully as not to damage the pipe. The source of the problem should be evident after you dig it up and inspect it. If not, cut the system on and see what the problem is. After you know what needs replacing, an irrigation store or big box store should have what you need to fix it. Once the repair is complete, put some good clean dirt in a wheelbarrow, mix some grass seed in it and use it to backfill the hole.

It's probably just a busted riser. It has happened a few times with my sprinkler system. Usually the leak digs a large enough hydro tunnel that not much digging is necessary to locate the leak. :-) I had a busted riser one time that shot the head off with a huge guyser shooting out where the sprinkler was. Those types of leaks are messy to fix and clean up.

As for replacing the heads, that's a big job. If they are working OK, I'd leave them alone. If you do replace, make sure they are all of the same type. Do not mix different head types on the same zone.

Good Luck!

[Larry and a Cat named Dub]

[trader4]

If they've lasted 15 years, that is exceptional. Usually you get a fraction of that out of them. After digging it up, if you find that it's the pipe that's broken, you can get what's needed at any home center, plumbing supply, or irrigation supply. If it's the head that's shot, you can either figure out who carries Hunter locally, or buy them online. I bought some online recently where I got a 6 pack at a very good price. It's best to keep them all the same manufacturer, so the nozzles, tools, adjustment are the same.

Make sure you don't let any dirt get into the system. This usually means loosening up the connection, then letting it drain for awhile and letting the water go down. You don't want to have connections open in a hole full of water.