# How can I find buried sprinkler heads?



## ryeguy (Sep 28, 2017)

I have a sprinkler system that was neglected for years. There are lots of buried heads. How can I find them? I've found a few via obvious means, like noticing puddles of water in certain places. I found one by guessing based on the layout. But it just seems like there should be more.

I have a few caps coming and I'll try to cap off the visible sprinklers in a zone to see if the extra pressure makes some pop up. I don't have faith in this method but it's pretty cheap to try.

The system was here when I moved in so I don't have design documents. Aside from the obvious solution of digging from the valve box and following the lines, is there anything else I can try?


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## avionics12 (Jul 2, 2018)

I recently overhauled a 17 year old system that was never maintained. I found missing/unknown heads by the method you described. I found all of the visible ones and capped them temporarily. After I capped a few a new head would pop up, I suppose due to the increase in pressure. After an hour of this I had found several heads I was unaware of. Best of luck!


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## ryeguy (Sep 28, 2017)

That gives me hope! I'm trying this tomorrow.


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## ryeguy (Sep 28, 2017)

Tried this today. I found 3 new sprinkler heads due to the caps routing more pressure to buried heads. I just looked for pooled water around the yard. I had to order more caps because now I have more sprinklers than I previously thought. We'll see if there are any more!


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## avionics12 (Jul 2, 2018)

Glad it worked for you. Keep moving forward!


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