The summer days are hot and long, and can be absolute torture on your lawn. So, what do you do if your sprinkler system is broken? Do you call a lawn service company and spend thousands of dollars or do you try to fix it yourself? Well, the answer to that question really has to do with your skill level and desire. The truth is that most sprinkler system repair jobs, like replacing a head or fixing a broken pipe, are pretty basic, but they do require a little research and forethought. When things get really bad though, digging up your entire lawn is usually something you will want to leave to the professionals. Of course, that does not mean you can't investigate the problem on your own first, before calling in the top dogs. Here is the basic rundown of what you need to do to figure out if you can fix your own sprinkler system.
First learn about your sprinkler system and try to determine what the issues are when testing its cycles. Here is where YouTube will be your friend. Find out the name brand and see how old it is to determine if you will be able to replace certain parts or if you will need to buy different brand name materials. Next, Google the specific problems you have identified.
Tip: If you see water coming up from the ground in any area you will want to note the amount and the depth of saturation. This will tell you if you have a little problem or a big problem. Most pipe repair jobs are easy enough for someone with general knowledge and the right tools, but if you are seeing multiple issues you may want to consider replacing the majority of the components instead of repairing them.
If there is any puddling around the sprinkler heads you will need to dig them up to determine if it is a head issue or a pipe issue. Head issues are as simple as screwing off the old one, adding some plumbers tape, screwing on a new one, and calibrating the spray.
Tip: If you notice water coming out the top of the head after you have cycled everything through, you are probably dealing with the lowest flow point in the system and may have to buy a special head that cuts of the water supply after its cycle has finished.
Broken pipes can also usually be repaired fairly easily, especially if they are PVC.
Tip: Dig up the affected area by drawing a straight line from one head to the next directly across the wet spot. Then, start digging where you see the most saturation. Usually these lines are buried about a foot and a half to two feet deep. So once you get that far down you should be digging with finesse.
Next, you need to cut the pipe with a hacksaw or pipe cutter, trying to get the straightest edge you possibly can. Bring the broken pipe with you to your local home improvement store and ask for assistance when buying the right materials. When mending the old and new pipe together you will use a PVC primer and glue kit.
Tip: Remember to test your cycles and get everything the way your want before re-burying any heads or pipes! Plus, if you end up not being able to fix whatever is broken, you can always ask your local plumber or irrigation specialist to cut you a deal since most of the manual labor is already done!