PLEASE, help with a non-working sprinkler system

22 years ago

Hi! We purchased a house in Tempe (Phoenix), AZ, with a non-functional sprinkler system. The house was built in 1977, but we donÂt know how old the irrigation system is. It basically consists of:

(1) a main pipe (running directly from the water main) that divides into two separate lines.

(2) 9 sprinkler heads uniformly set in a square lawn, and 2 additional heads running in an adjacent area (see graph).

(3) most of the sprinkler heads are either gone or buried (we guess their location by the little patches of grass remaining)

x x x x x x

x x x

Our questions are:

(1) Can we use this system or do we need to build a new one?

(2) If we can use it, what do we need to do? How do we remove the dirt from the pipes?

(3) If we need to locate the pipes, how deep are they buried? How should we proceed?

Our plans are:

We want to add a drip system around the perimeter of this courtyard, but we still want to keep the sprinklers for a small grassy lawn (a circumference with a 15Â diameter).

Moving from a Manhattan apartment, we donÂt know anything about irrigation beyond a kitchen faucet. And being a young couple with a fixer-upper, we canÂt afford to "experiment". Any help/advice in keeping our cost manageable will be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!!

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Comments (4)

sprinkler_medic
22 years ago
LM,

without being there it is real tough to tell you what to do. Over years sprinkler heads will become buried due to grass and soil build up and they just have to be raised. most sprinkler systems are buried around 6 inches but can be more are less depending on the soil type and any abstructions like tree roots. The best thing for you to do is to turn the system on and see where if any water comes out. You should have a back flow prevention device and may need to be turned on but without knowing what kind you have I dont know where to tell you it is. If you are not sure what to do the best thing is to call a local irrigator which will cost you between 65 and 85 $ per hour I would assume the prices are the same in az as they are were Im at. Sorry I could not be of much help but that is real tough without seeing it.

scott
neilaz
22 years ago
Send me an email at azwaterdude@yahoo.com. I would be willing to come by and look at your system and advise on what to do. no cost
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mentalman
21 years ago
i have a sprinkler system that worked when we first moved in but now the timer and the drip system valves are working together, to turn the sprinklers on or off i have to use the main valve. i tried to reset the timer but it doesnt turn the sprinklers on or off what should i do????
coho
21 years ago
If you folks want to work on your own systems, you need to understand how they work and how to trouble shoot them. Use the link to learn how. They are really quite simple but everything has to worke correctly.Copy and paste the link. The link box below won't work tonight.Everything you need to know is in this site. If you have a question, e-mail me direct.
www.sprinklers4irrigation.com