Many homes today are fitted with underground sprinkler systems. These systems save a lot of time and they put the water exactly where it should be when the system has been well designed. Periodically something will go wrong and you have to undertake some sprinkler repairs in Spokane.
There are only two elements that make up an irrigation system; the piping network and the sprinkler heads, either one of which can fail. Let’s look at the piping first:
* The first thing that needs to be done is to find the source of the leak. This may be a simple task if water is gushing out from somewhere in the system but at other times, the leak may show up as a wet spot on the lawn that never dries.
* If there is no evidence of a leak on the lawn, the best way to find it is to call a specialist in sprinkler repairs in Spokane. They have a device which amplifies the noise made from the rush of water from the pipe. As they walk the system, they can actually hear the leak through a set of headphones.
* Once the leak has been found, shut off the water supply so the repair can be made. The valve will usually be located close to the house or in a special box set into the ground.
* The next step is to expose the fault; this means digging the ground until the pipe is identifiable. There are codes that mandate irrigation system pipes be a minimum of eight inches deep. This is the minimum, so depending on the overall layout and the lie of the land, the pipe may be deeper than eight inches.
* Once the pipe has been located, you will see where the leak is coming from. If the pipe is galvanized steel, the section that has failed will have to be cut out and the bared ends will need to be rethreaded to make the repair. The people who do sprinkler repairs in Spokane will usually dig the hole larger so that the pipe threader can be used easier. Both ends of the pipe need to be threaded, a coupling placed on the threads and a length of pipe with a union is inserted in place of the failed section of pipe.
* If the pipe is PVC, the fix is considerably easier because there is no need for a pipe threader; the PVC fittings are “welded” with a special chemical which bonds the parts together.
When the fault is with a sprinkler head, the best solution is to replace it, they are inexpensive and once they fail, they have seen the end of their useful life.
Spokane ProCare is specialists in sprinkler repairs in Spokane. Contact them for the repair of existing systems or the design and installation of new systems.
