# This has got to be a leak right?



## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

So this weekend I installed three new zones to my irrigation and as such have been staring at my backyard more then normal. Today i noticed two very obvious straight lines of much greener grass. They both start near where a sprinkler head is placed in the middle of the yard and the one that goes right in the picture basically ends where another head is so the assumption is its greener along where the tubing was run. The one that goes up in the picture does not go into anything that I can tell however that doesnt mean one isnt there as when i was running the pvc tube this weekend for the new zones i found a tube that had been run to the edge of where my sod was but just capped im assuming when the builder cheaped out on sodding the hill.

I did not touch those pipes during my work this weekend so i dont think its something i did plus my wife said it has been like that for a while she just thought it got more water because the water drains off there. She is right about that, the line that goes right is where the water naturally runs off my yard. However the line is too perfectly straight and too exactly the size of the trench you would dig fof me to think its just extra water flowing there. However i know nothing about this. What say you?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Different back filled dirt?


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## Pete1313 (May 3, 2017)

What HOC are you cutting at? Check and see if the grass in those spots are longer and if those spots have settled any and need to be leveled/topdressed with sand. As I go lower in HOC, a couple of my trenches become visible, which reminds me that I need to get some more sand on them. I've had to touch up some of the irrigation trenches 3-4 times already since install in 2017.


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

g-man said:


> Different back filled dirt?


Hmmm this makes alot of sense now that you mention it. The trench i just dug out for my new sprinklers showed me just how compacted and hard my soil is. But when i filled it in was nicely broken up obviously from the trencher. Would make sense that those areas could perhaps absorb and hold water better then the rest of my lawn. If so i am glad i decided to till the hill I just sodded as i wanted it pretty level and it was very finely broken up.


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

Pete1313 said:


> What HOC are you cutting at? Check and see if the grass in those spots are longer and if those spots have settled any and need to be leveled/topdressed with sand. As I go lower in HOC, a couple of my trenches become visible, which reminds me that I need to get some more sand on them. I've had to touch up some of the irrigation trenches 3-4 times already since install in 2017.


Not sure as currently I have a landscaper doing it though i am looking for a new mower to take it back up. Will check this afternoon to see if the grass is taller there.


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

That looks too consistent for a leak. I'm betting better/looser soil accumulating fertilizer etc or something similar.

If you had a leak bad enough to do that you wouldn't be watering the rest of the yard at all


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## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

Remember the water in the pipes in the ground have a different temp when the water is introduced down through the system. That can lead to condensation (extra water for the grass along that trench). Especially the extremely thin walled SCH 40 PVC that's generally used in irrigation. Much easier for the temp exchange and condensation to happen.

Also I think looser dirt on the "fill" of the trench may get longer root growth....and that can result in healthier/greener grass.

When you add the lack of rain we've had across the southeast I'd be shocked if this issue was caused by a leak.


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## TonyC (May 17, 2018)

I'm putting my money on different HOC. Not intentionally, but due to the soil settling more in the trenches, you have an artificial extra ~ 1/2" of growth in the trenches. Go put a ruler to the HOC in the trench and out.


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## Demosthenes9 (May 30, 2019)

I have no idea if its applicable, but in archaeology, those lines show up when there's underlying structure and the surrounding ground is somewhat underwatered or overwatered

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cropmark

In your case, I'd guess that it would be similar to a filled in ditch that collects more water than the surrounding ground.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Pete1313 said:


> What HOC are you cutting at? Check and see if the grass in those spots are longer and if those spots have settled any and need to be leveled/topdressed with sand. As I go lower in HOC, a couple of my trenches become visible, which reminds me that I need to get some more sand on them. I've had to touch up some of the irrigation trenches 3-4 times already since install in 2017.


This is it.

My money is those trenches settled and are effectively at a higher HOC.


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## dpainter68 (Apr 26, 2017)

My vote is that it's a combination of the dirt being looser there and the trenches settling. I have a very similar look to my yard where my sewage lines, gas line, and gutter drains were put in while the house was being built. It's not quite as drastic as yours but it was enough that It made it really easy to mark the locations when I went to trench for my irrigation system. There's no HOC difference where the trenches are in my yard.


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