Soggy ground - is this a valve problem?

17 years ago

Hi

We recently started having a problem in parts of our lawn. There are 2 patches, each about 4'x4' that are very soggy and soaked through with water. The problem is specific to those areas but appears to be spreading slowly. The two areas are not near each other - at least separated by 25 feet and are around the corner from each other (our garden is an L shaped area - in the backyard and to the side of the house)

The person who helps maintain the lawn etc. said this is a problem with the valves. There are 3 valves and one shows some dripping, the other 2 are dry on the outside - no signs of leakage. His claim is that the gaskets in the valve are blown and that is causing water to drip through continuously at a slow rate. That water is coming out continuously through the sprinklers and making the ground soggy. He offered to replace the valves for a grand sum of $200 which to me seems high for replacing 3 valves (including the valves).

Some things that dont support his argument -

1. I cannot see any sprinkler heads that drip or continuously leak - even the ones in the middle of the soggy patches

2. the patches are in 2 areas only - if there were a valve problem like he says, there would be other sprinklers affected too?

I have very little experience working with irrigation systems except setting the timers and testing the valves.

Can anyone comment on what may be the source of the problem and a test to check this? If you think its a valves problem, would you recommend trying to replace the valves myself - I am fairly handy around the house, just never needed to do anything with the irrigation system.

Thank you for reading this long post patiently.

Please help a newbie.

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Comment (1)

xericgardening
17 years ago
It could be a valve leak problem, but $200 seems pretty high to repair them (although I guess with inflation, it might not be). If it is a valve problem, you can probably get the parts for less than $10 at your local hardware or garden supply store. So it's not the parts, it's the labor.
And, if you're handy around the house, you ought to be able to do this yourself.
First, you'll need to find out what's leaking. (It could be a hole in your line, a loose connection, a connection that hasn't be properly sealed with tape or gunk or something else entirely. So you're going to have to dig up the line in the area where it's wet. That shouldn't be a problem, because lines aren't usually buried too deep (usually a matter of inches). You should have a diagram noting where the lines are, but if it's only a two foot spot, that shouldn't be hard to find the line. Once you have determined where the leak is, Then you'll better know what you're up against. It the line itself is leaking, you can either repair it, or replace it (repairing is a lot easier). Also, the line could very well be hard vinyl or pvc (making it even easier to repair. Also, if the line itself is pvc, it could be old, and could have been broken by any number of things).
But,at least if you see the problem for yourself, you are in a better bargaining position.

Here is a link that might be useful: Desert Gardens
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