Under pine tree leak in sprinkler system

[golfere]

------------------------------------- I had a leak 18" under a pine tree roots. I found and repaired the leak, but now I can not stop a dripping leak in one of the repaired joints.

I am using 3/4 tubeing and 3/4 connecters and hose clamps. I used a heat gun to get the connectors into the tubing and all is OK until I install the hose clamps and theen the dipping leak starts. If I tighten one clamp, the other starts to leak so I go back an forth hoping to tighten just enough to stop the leak. At this point, the leak is 3 drips per minute.

Should I use plumber's tape around the connectors? Help, this is killing my back working 18" under the tree roots.

Thanks,

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[Eric in North TX]

Have you considered plumbing around the tree? It might be less aggravation in the long run.

[JIMMIE]

I dont understand about using the heat gun. Is this something you are suppose to do with tat kind of pipe.

Jimmie

[sligoNoSPAMjoe]

I would recommend re-routing it. You are just going to have more problems.

[Paul Oman]

----------------- widsom of the old: in cases like this best to rip it all out and start fresh. ---- replace a bigger section so that you aren't working/fighting the roots...

#2 - put tape on the connectors so that the hose and hose clamps have something sort of soft to 'bite into.

paul

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Heat gun? Use water or vaseline to push on the tubing. Also while at it I'd reroute it to more accessible spot. I had a leak under a concrete flower bed edge. I just rerouted it using same method as you tried. Make sure you get high quality clamp(no China made crap) and no heat gun please.

[Bob F]

Is this on a section that only supplies one "zone"? IF so, as long as it doesn't get worse, who cares about 3 drops/ minute.

It might help more if we knew what kind of "tubing" and "connectors" you are talking about.

What on earth did you do with a heat gun? If this is PVC, it could be seriously degraded and misshaped by heat.

PVC is usually attached with glue, not clamps.

[Red Green]

golfere_at_gmail_dot [e-mail] (golfere) wrote in news:4a77148e$0$5506$ [e-mail]:

Dear Suckocompany.com user:

Working around the roots is OK. Just show a little patience and intelligence like this fine fellow.

[SJF]

I too, had an old system with that I repaired with connectors and clamps. The old pipe (not polyethylene) loses its flexibility and I too needed a heat gun to facilitate inserting the connectors. I also filed down the ridges on the connectors to facilitate the job. I would consider a leak of

3 drops per minute a successful repair. The water loss will not be significant and no damage will result from such a leak from a buried pipe.

SJF

[Jerry - OHIO]

But !!! it shouldn't leek. But But the pine will be happy !!!! Jerry

[Pennywise]

(my suggestion)

Assuming your not working with threaded pipe (tho it would work just as well).

Automotive gasket sealant, between the tubing and connectors, (type of sealant in a can with a brush inside of the lid), Then tighten the clamps. This works well, and a trick I've always used to stop a leak between two materials, (mostly metal and tubing); it would work on PVC just as well.

It doesn't have to go on the connector, just coating the inside of the water free tubing, then connecting it would work just as well.

[trader4]

Using a heat gun or torch is a widely used technique with poly irrigation pipe. I've done it many times over the years and seen pros do it too. All you're doing is warming up the plastic enough so that it becomes more flexible and will easily slip over the barb fittings. Never had a problem with it causing a leak.

If the leak amounts to 3 drips a minute and is in a line going to a zone, as opposed to being a supply line that is always pressurized, the easiest option is forget about it. If you're watering for an hour on a zone with four 1.0 GPM heads, you're putting down 240 gallons of water and maybe a cup of water is coming out of the leak. Insignificant.