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When dealing with sprinkler/irrigation leaks, there tend to be one of two situations that you are dealing with.
1) Some of your sprinklers are working fine, while others on the same line are not. This indicates that there is a broken or cracked pipe somewhere in between.
2) All of the sprinkler heads seem to have low water pressure. This indicates that the break or leak is in between the main water supply and the first sprinkler on the line.
The first thing you should do is run your sprinklers for ten to fifteen minutes so that you can look for a puddle of water developing above the broken section of pipe. When you see this then you can turn off the water.
Next you must determine where the pipe is located underground. It will run in a straight line between the sprinkler heads. If you are unsure, use a garden hose, or string to run from one head to the other as a guide.
Now you must dig to remove the dirt from around the pipe, starting in the center of the puddle. Use a tarp or other plastic to place the dirt on, so that when you are finished you can replace the easily into the hole.
Digging outward from the middle, make a hole at least one foot in diameter, carefully clearing away the dirt all the way around the pipe, including 4 to 5 inches beneath it. It is important that you do not do further damage to the pipe while you are digging.
Examine the pipe for cracks or leaks. If there are no noticeable breaks, turn on the water again to see where the leak is coming from.
After determining the broken segment of pipe, carefully use a hacksaw to cut the pipe 1 inch on either side of the break. Take this piece to your favorite home improvement store to make sure that you buy the correct diameter of PVC pipe, two couplers, PVC cleaner, PVC glue, and medium grain sandpaper.
Sand the ends of the pipe in the ground to smooth the cuttings. Slide a coupler on each piece of pipe. Measure the distance from the center of one coupler to the center of the other. This measurement, less ΒΌ inch, is the length of new PVC pipe that you need to cut. Cut the new PVC pipe accordingly.
Remove the couplers from the pipes in the ground.
Smooth the ends of the newly cut PVC pipe with sandpaper, making sure there are no loose shavings. Use the PVC pipe cleaner to clean both the outside ends of the new PVC pipe, the inside ends of the coupler, and the outside ends of the pipe in the ground.
Let these pieces dry for the time indicated on the PVC cleaner bottle (usually 10 to 15 minutes)
Glue a coupler to each end of the new PVC pipe, using PVC glue. Apply glue to one end of pipe in the ground, and inside coupler, then insert pipe into coupler.
Apply glue to remaining pipe, and inside second coupler, gently pull pipes outward until you are able to insert pipe into coupler.
Let pipe dry for 24 hours. Turn on water to ensure there are no leaks. Then, when you are sure there are no leaks, fill in the hole with dirt, making sure there are no clumps to break the pipe.
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