Did you notice that water goes over the curb in your driveway? Is there a gushing water spout or a small flooded area in your yard? All these are potential indicators of a problem with your sprinkler system. In this guide, you’ll learn more about irrigation leak detection. Here is how to identify an issue and what to do about it!
Determining the Source of Your Water Leak
First, you should confirm that you are dealing with a sprinkler system leak. You do this by eliminating the chance of a problem in indoor plumbing. That includes the following steps:
- Deactivate your home’s water supply. That means turning off the faucets and not running the dishwasher and washing machine.
- Here is how to tell if your water is leaking. pay attention to the water meter. Write down the numbers, give them around 30 minutes and perform a comparison. If there are any changes, there’s a plumbing issue.
- Begin by looking for a potential issue in your home. Check if there’s a dripping sound, musty smell, or wall discoloration in any room. If you can’t find any signs, it’s probably the sprinkler system leaking underground.
Steps to Take If Your Leak Source Is the Sprinkler Irrigation System
If you are wondering how to find a leak in a sprinkler system, the answer lies in analyzing it step by step. The experts suggest following this path when identifying the problem.
Inspect the Irrigation Controller and Valves
While this component can’t leak, it manages your spring valves. The controller does that via an electrical clock that you adjust to desired times. If you notice a water sprinkler system leak, the detection starts here. Check the clock to see if the timeline is accurate. The device can reset to default sometimes, or another person could have changed it accidentally. If the sprinkler system remains active longer than needed, it could lead to leaks.
The next step in your irrigation leak detection is to check the valves. If they are even a bit wet, it could indicate a problem. Did you notice a damp valve box? It could be a sign of wear and tear, but also damaged fittings and loose wirings.
Inspect the Sprinkler Station
Before you try to identify a problem, see if the station size will require getting a set of helping hands. Someone might need to assist you by deactivating stations while you look for potential issues.
Here’s what you should look for:
- Is there flooding around the base of a sprinkler?
- If you notice a water geyser, your spray head might be missing.
- You might have a problem with a lateral line if there’s spraying between sprinkler heads.
- An underground pipe is the source of the leak if there’s water in the grass between sprinklers.
If there’s no sprinkler head leak, look for the alignment of the heads. If you don’t place them properly, they could send water into an undesired area. That could lead to too much water in a single location, which could make you think you have a leak.
Can a Sprinkler System Leak When It’s Turned Off?
Yes, and two reasons are behind this issue:
- Sprinkler system grading. Your next step in irrigation leak detection is to see the positions of each sprinkler. If one head is at a shallower level than the rest, other heads will run water toward it, which results in leaks at the top. You’ll recognize this issue since the leaking will stop after several minutes since you deactivated the water supply. You can place check valves or elevate the problematic head to resolve this issue.
- Leaking valves. If the valve isn’t working, it lets water in despite you turning the supply off. The solution is to replace the valve, but make sure to check all others, too.
Sprinkler System Leak Detection Tools
You can use irrigation system equipment when searching for a problem inside your system. The problem is they take time and effort without guaranteeing results. You could spend money on buying or renting tools that won’t detect any problems.
If you want to give it a shot, go with an electrical acoustic kit and microphones with sensory rods. They perform irrigation leak detection by identifying if the water is gushing through the tubes, but that’s not reliable with small leaks.
Save Time and Money by Hiring a Professional
If you want to know how to find a water leak, the best answer is to hire a professional. Licensed and qualified plumbers have the skills and equipment necessary to detect a leak efficiently. After identifying the issue, they will fix it in the shortest possible time frame. That means your yard will suffer the least damage, which guarantees it will remain lush, green, and dazzling.
If you’re dealing with any kind of irrigation system issue or sprinkler problem, don’t settle for second best. Get in touch with Visualized Landscape and speak with our team to find out how we can help you with the most affordable sprinkler repairs and installations in Las Vegas, NV.
