# Sprinkler System leak in connection



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Don't know what you have. Is it a sprinkler system with a timer, pop up heads and valve boxes with solenoids.
Or 
Is it a watering device on the end of a hose?
Post a photo of the device for some help, so we can see what you have.
Short answer: if it's a device at the end of a hose. Get another one. Parts will not be available for repair unless it's a very pricy one.


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

My apologies seems as if picture did not upload. I have a 9 zone system with about 3-4 sprinklers per zone surrounding my house. This is running off of a
hydro-saver proline automatic controller.

Thanks


----------



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Okay, I see it now. Looks like you have poly pipe connected to the head. The poly pipe looks kinked/twisted. Replace the poly pipe with some rigid sections.


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

sorry not 100% sure what you mean? Should I cut the poly pipe eliminating the elbow in between the sprinkler base and poly pipe and then put a straight connector in between sprinkler base and poly pipe making it stand up straight? I was also wondering why the 
poly pipe is squirting out water when laid down (sprinkler facing up) parallel next to main pipe. Thanks!


----------



## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

There's a threaded fitting in the gray tee. When you move the assembly you are tightening the fitting and the leak stops. 

If it didn't leak before and nothing was moved, my guess is the fitting might be cracked. 

Try turning the whole assembly one full turn so the fitting gets tight and the sprinkler head is in the proper position.


----------



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

It looks like the poly pipe is just pushed into the gray fitting.
The gray fitting, as was said, is threaded. Either 1/2" or 3/4". The thread going into the sprinkler head is either 1/2" or 3/4". Go to the irrigation store or a big box store and pick up:
Short threaded pipe3-4" long with the gray fitting size
Get a longer piece for the head.
Pick up an "L" threaded piece to put them together.
Look at a few You tube videos to get familiar with the parts and process.


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

Thanks guys I will take fitting out and sees what happens..attached is the pic of the assembly (pipe) when it is laying down. It shows the water coming out of the hole even when the zone is not running.


----------



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

You can take the whole section you're removing to the store and get parts that recreate what you need. Even the guys at Home Depot should be able to do that.


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

Thanks..when I take the assembly out where the Tee is on the grey connector water is still coming out from there when I changed other heads on other zones water wasn't coming out from them.


----------



## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

You have a valve problem if the hole you are referring to is the part that the head screws into. 

Is this head the first head in the zone or the lowest one?


----------



## Seattle2k (Mar 26, 2012)

Ron6519 said:


> Okay, I see it now. Looks like you have poly pipe connected to the head. The poly pipe looks kinked/twisted. Replace the poly pipe with some rigid sections.



I don't know how replacing a section is going to stop water from draining out...

If this is a low spot in the run, gravity will take any remaining water that is in the line to this spot.


----------



## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

Do you know where your valve box is?


----------



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Seattle2k said:


> I don't know how replacing a section is going to stop water from draining out...
> 
> If this is a low spot in the run, gravity will take any remaining water that is in the line to this spot.


From the information supplied at that point, that was the advice. No mention of an entire zone leaking. It was one head. Water can leak out of one head on a zone if the parts have been damaged or not put in correctly.


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

djlandkpl said:


> Do you know where your valve box is?


Sadly I do not.


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

Ron6519 said:


> From the information supplied at that point, that was the advice. No mention of an entire zone leaking. It was one head. Water can leak out of one head on a zone if the parts have been damaged or not put in correctly.


It is just this one part of the one where the Tee is formed all other heads are ok.


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

Seattle2k said:


> I don't know how replacing a section is going to stop water from draining out...
> 
> If this is a low spot in the run, gravity will take any remaining water that is in the line to this spot.


Thanks, what confuses me is that even when zone is off the water is still flowing out when assembly is laying down. It is a little low within this section of the backyard....but the other head couple feet away is not leaking out water.


----------



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Before you remove the leaking part:
Shut off the water to the sprinkler system to see if the water stops flowing.
Are any other heads on this zone leaking? Leaking could be soft spots around each head on the zone.


----------



## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

You can do as Ron suggests. You'll need to wait for the residual pressure to drain off. You can also check your water meter. With everything off, watch the meter and see if it spins. If it does, you have a leak.

Have you run this zone since you found the leak? Cycling it might fix the valve. You're going to need to find the valve box to fix this if it really is leaking and it's not residual water draining out of this head.


----------



## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

Just to chime in... When you do find the valve, the presumed leak will be from a damaged or obstructed diaphragm inside the valve itself. With most valves I've seen you just unscrew the top (carefully) and remove the rubber diaphragm, then either replace with new one or give it and the valve body a good thorough rinse to remove the debris obstructing the seal. The diaphragm should come off easily, but if it's stuck on there, that's usually an indication that it's been in there for a while and has corroded, and now it's time for a new one. You'll probably have to pry it off of the valve body with a blade or flathead anyway which will likely cause a small cut where water will continue to leak from if you try to reuse it.

Of course, this is assuming that there is a leak at the valve. Since you mentioned that only one sprinkler head has what appears to be a leak--most noticeably when it's "laying down" (on it's side?)--I would be inclined to say it's just low head drainage and the pipes are just emptying out the residual water via that sprinkler head because it's the lowest one. However, it shouldn't take very long for the water to drain out, so if water is still seeping out with the sprinkler on its side after 20 min, then yeah, it's the diaphragm. If it eventually stops (you might wanna wait it out overnight to be sure), then the sprinkler will have to be raised so that it's even with the rest of the sprinklers. This will prevent the drainage issue as well as air getting sucked into the pipes through the other sprinkler nozzles as the water drains out. Air in the pipes = water hammer when the sprinkler turns back on = more leaks eventually. So if you get a lot of air spraying out of the sprinklers when they first start up, you know it's a low head drainage issue.

This actually reminded me of something though that I've been wondering about. Recently, I was doing some irrigation repairs and I had what appeared to be a lone leaky pop-up sprinkler. I thought it was low head drainage at first, and since I was just about to take my lunch, I didn't feel like digging a big hole to extend it higher, so for some reason I just unscrewed it at the base and swapped it with a taller pop-up body that I had on hand (I was probably thinking 'what difference does it make if I raise the line or the sprinkler head?') And when I did, I noticed the water slowly rise up and then stop just shy of thy top. And the water stayed there for the entire hour I was on my lunch break. When I put the smaller sprinkler head back on, it continued to run. So I reasoned that it was a leak at the valve, by wondered why the shorter sprinkler leaked while the taller one didn't? I still don't have an answer for that, but my guess is that the weight of the water itself in the taller sprinkler body is equalizing the pressure. But, the static pressure at the source is close to 45psi, so I'm wondering if all the water in the pipe downstream of the valve is putting that much weight on it and keeping the taller sprinkler from leaking. The difference in height between the pop-ups is only 8" or so though, so it's not a substantial difference in water weight. If it is exactly 45 lbs, is this just a coincidence?? Or a careful calculation?? Or none of the above and I'm just trippin on PVC glue?

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread... I did have a way to tie that in with the OP's discussion, but I can't remember what it was.... Oh that's right, the sprinkler having a pronounced leak when it's laying down on its side versus when it's upright and vertical---it sounds a little similar to phenomenon I was dealing with, doesn't it? Is water weight in the pipes a common factor that get's considered all that often? All I know about irrigation has been learned through trial and error for the most part. I never really got into the more academic stuff with flow rates and math and whatnot, but maybe someone else will come along who can answer that. Assuming he/she reads this far into my stream of consciousness post...

TL;DR version: Replace diaphragm when you find valve. Consider raising the height on problem sprinkler or consider getting a taller sprinkler(?) Find someone who can confirm or deny the possibility of water weight counteracting a leak at the valve... phew!


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

Hi guys, I found this under what I believe to be the sprinkler valve box for the affected zone. I do notice a wire not connected to anything hopefully you can also see it.

Thanks


----------



## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Those Wirenuts are supposed to have the gel inside to keep out water and dirt. It may be that those wires are corroded and you need to clean everything up. That would include digging out that dirt, then placing stone in the bottom, to keep the dirt out, along with using waterproof connectors to join the wires.


----------



## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

gregzoll said:


> Those Wirenuts are supposed to have the gel inside to keep out water and dirt. It may be that those wires are corroded and you need to clean everything up. That would include digging out that dirt, then placing stone in the bottom, to keep the dirt out, along with using waterproof connectors to join the wires.



Wrong.


----------



## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

KrisK said:


> Hi guys, I found this under what I believe to be the sprinkler valve box for the affected zone. I do notice a wire not connected to anything hopefully you can also see it.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks



That's a junction box for your wiring. Keep looking. There should be one or more with pipes and wires.


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

Thanks guys what about that loose wire? Is there anyway to tell what it is or where it goes?


----------



## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

KrisK said:


> Thanks guys what about that loose wire? Is there anyway to tell what it is or where it goes?


The loose wire is likely extra. Each colored wire corresponds to a zone plus a black common wire. You have less zones than wires that were in the cable. 

Were you have to try the water on/off tests?


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

Got to loosen out assembly and water is coming out of Tee, so I think assembly was ok. I will shut off sprinkler main value today as if I was going to winterize system and try to run that zone again to see what happens. This is the only sprinkler 1/3 that has this issue. Them again the is the only one with the Tee connection.


----------



## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

I can't think of any reason why having a Tee in the line would make water flow in that particular spot unless of course one leg of the Tee is connected to a separate valve/water suppy line that isn't closed/turned off all the way.


----------



## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

djlandkpl said:


> Wrong.



Why is this wrong? Don't the wingnuts indicate where the solenoids connect to the common wire? And so wouldnt the valves be underneath all that dirt and crud where the ends of one arm of the connection go to the solenoid?

And isn't the common wire typically white?


----------



## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

JustScrewIt said:


> Why is this wrong? Don't the wingnuts indicate where the solenoids connect to the common wire? And so wouldnt the valves be underneath all that dirt and crud where the ends of one arm of the connection go to the solenoid?
> 
> And isn't the common wire typically white?


You're correct. The common is typically white. Thanks for the correction.

Greg goes overboard with his advice often times is completely wrong and unsafe. There's no need for gel filled wire nuts or stone in an irrigation valve box.


----------



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

djlandkpl said:


> You're correct. The common is typically white. Thanks for the correction.
> 
> Greg goes overboard with his advice often times is completely wrong and unsafe. There's no need for gel filled wire nuts or stone in an irrigation valve box.


I disagree about the gel filled wire nuts. Corrosion will interfere with the connections over time. Gravel also helps keeping the dirt below the valves. Every Fall I need to dig down to get to the valve controls to open the zones.
I think I'll try clearing the valves from soil and installing a bag of gravel. Jus to see if it works.


----------



## djlandkpl (Jan 29, 2013)

Ron6519 said:


> I disagree about the gel filled wire nuts. Corrosion will interfere with the connections over time. Gravel also helps keeping the dirt below the valves. Every Fall I need to dig down to get to the valve controls to open the zones.
> I think I'll try clearing the valves from soil and installing a bag of gravel. Jus to see if it works.


Possibly. I have 5 valve boxes that have been in service for 15 years with regular wire nuts and I've never had a problem. A deeper valve box / extender will keep soil off of your valves unless it's coming from somewhere else.


----------



## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

I think what @gregzoll was perhaps getting at is that the dirt sitting on top of the valves is problematic because the dirt can get into the valve body and obstruct the diaphragm, causing it to not seal properly. The dirt could get in through the port where were the solenoid sits, or through a screw not tightened well enough, or a crack, etc. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to put waterproof connectors and gravel in the box. A lot of irrigation pros do it that way to eliminate any possibility that it will be a problem. I'm actually currently dealing with a sprinkler problem and am wondering whether the non-waterproof connectors that are on there are part of the problem. I believe you, @djlandkpl, commented on that thread about the corrosion possibly being a factor. Also, I think you're supposed to put the gravel at a 4" layer around the valves and then sit the box on top of the gravel to keep it from sinking into the mud or shifting around, aside from keeping things clean (not to mention the unwanted pests from seeing it as a nice moist environment to set up shop)


----------



## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

JustScrewit, actually what I was getting at, is the fact that the dirt and water can get inside those Wire nuts and cause problems. As for the Valve. They are sealed, so there is no way for anything to get inside if they get covered with water or mud.

The Gravel is to keep the inside of the box clean so that your valve and wiring does not get covered over with dirt and water.

You are also required to use the Gel filled Wire nuts to keep the wiring from corroding and to not allow water & dirt into the connection. Not using the gel filled wire nuts, means that you will have issues with the system.


----------



## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

gregzoll said:


> JustScrewit, actually what I was getting at, is the fact that the dirt and water can get inside those Wire nuts and cause problems. As for the Valve. They are sealed, so there is no way for anything to get inside if they get covered with water or mud.
> 
> The Gravel is to keep the inside of the box clean so that your valve and wiring does not get covered over with dirt and water.
> 
> You are also required to use the Gel filled Wire nuts to keep the wiring from corroding and to not allow water & dirt into the connection. Not using the gel filled wire nuts, means that you will have issues with the system.


Ok greg. But what do corroded wires have to do with a leak in one of the sprinkler heads on a zone?

I just assumed that your post about waterproof connectors and gravel was intended to be relevant to OP's specific issue with the leak. But apparently I was wrong. My mistake


----------



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

JustScrewIt said:


> Ok greg. But what do corroded wires have to do with a leak in one of the sprinkler heads on a zone?
> 
> I just assumed that your post about waterproof connectors and gravel was intended to be relevant to OP's specific issue with the leak. But apparently I was wrong. My mistake


It was a suggestion based upon the photo that was posted. It showed issues that would crop up in the future. So the suggestion was made to fix the issues now so in the future the OP didn't have to come back and ask questions about zone not working properly.
It happens quite often that a post will expand and not necessarily remain with the initial problem.


----------



## JustScrewIt (Mar 14, 2015)

Ron6519 said:


> It was a suggestion based upon the photo that was posted. It showed issues that would crop up in the future. So the suggestion was made to fix the issues now so in the future the OP didn't have to come back and ask questions about zone not working properly.
> It happens quite often that a post will expand and not necessarily remain with the initial problem.


I can dig it. Ironically, my intention was to lend support to his post and ease concerns that the info was superfluous or "over board"...


----------



## poiihy (Aug 18, 2015)

JustScrewIt said:


> I think what @gregzoll was perhaps getting at is that the dirt sitting on top of the valves is problematic because the dirt can get into the valve body and obstruct the diaphragm, causing it to not seal properly. The dirt could get in through the port where were the solenoid sits, or through a screw not tightened well enough, or a crack, etc. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to put waterproof connectors and gravel in the box. A lot of irrigation pros do it that way to eliminate any possibility that it will be a problem. I'm actually currently dealing with a sprinkler problem and am wondering whether the non-waterproof connectors that are on there are part of the problem. I believe you, @djlandkpl, commented on that thread about the corrosion possibly being a factor. Also, I think you're supposed to put the gravel at a 4" layer around the valves and then sit the box on top of the gravel to keep it from sinking into the mud or shifting around, aside from keeping things clean (not to mention the unwanted pests from seeing it as a nice moist environment to set up shop)


I once was trying to fix a station valve that would not open when the controller powered it. It took a long time to find out what the problem was. I finally found that it was because of corrosion in the connection. It's always a very good idea to have liquid-tight connections to prevent weird problems popping up.


----------



## KrisK (May 25, 2014)

I just changed the T - Connection and raised it a little. The water is still running towards the connection but very slowly hardly visible now. Thanks everyone


----------

