# Need help deciding how to correct broken irrigation



## Bermuda_Triangle (Sep 20, 2019)

I am told irrigation is run throughout 20,000+ sq/ft of the yard. I have 7x zones but have only been able to find 4 of the zone boxes that are not centralized and scattered across the property. I am on septic and the leach field covers 50%+ of the front yard. Power, water, and gas are all at different areas of the yard. The septic system and pump is run at the side of the yard and the power for the pump is not buried deeply. All of this to say I do not feel confident in running a trencher and making a mistake that could cost me a couple thousand.

Last year I redid a portion of the plumbing near the main supply line. I put in shutoff valves and regulators just behind the main and they are easily accessible.

When I initiate running the zones only three of them are easily identifiable. The other four I have no idea where the heads are located; my best guess is buried under mulch or topsoil.

At this point I feel I have one of two choices:
1. scrap the current system and design an all new system. 
2. start at the main irrigation line, dig, and trace everything down.

I have already exceeded my lawn budget for this year and I am ok with waiting until next year to tackle this project. I am working from home so I do have time to invest in tracking down portions of the system. My only concern is spending so much time correcting issues I do not want to lose most of the progress I have gained in getting my lawn healthy again.

Sorry if this is not 100% cohesive... writing on mobile and dog tired today.

FYI, I do have a Rachio that is 16 zones capable. I will upload a topography map in a few hours. The irrigation is not buried very deep: some areas around 6" and some less than an inch under the topsoil. No matter what I will need to rebuild large portions of the system. The main zone in the front has heads that are spaced from 19' to 33' apart which do not come remotely close to head to head coverage.

Have you ever found ground radar equipment for rental? I would like to track down as much of the installation as possible.


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## Utk03analyst (Jun 8, 2019)

To your last point I'm not sure you can rent the radar equipment. It may be cheaper to pay an irrigation company to do it versus renting or buying the tool. Have you checked the wires feeding into the controller to ensure you get the correct ohm readings?

Due to the size of your property it may be time consuming to find it all and I've never tried it but because the valves have metal screws I'm not sure if you can at least find your valves with a metal detector but it may be worth a try and then you can see if you are at least getting water to the valves.


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