Leaks Happen! If you own a sprinkler irrigation system, it is only a matter of time before you are faced with a broken sprinkler head or broken pipe. Unfortunately, these types of thing never happen at the most convenient time. Being able to shut off the water supply to your sprinkler irrigation system until it can be repaired can save you on your water bill. If you have a leak that only leaks when the sprinkler system is running; the solution is simple, just turn the sprinkler irrigation controller to the OFF position.
However, if the leak in your sprinkler irrigation system is constant and leaks 24/7, you will need to take an extra step. We need to shut the water supply off to the sprinklers without shutting off the supply to your house.
In your front yard near the city water meter there should be a large green square box in the ground. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t see it right away. Sometimes the grass will grow over and hide them or they have been covered in mulch. Use a screwdriver to poke around the grass until you hear a hollow sound. We recommend never covering this box or letting the grass grow over, you never know when you will need to find it.
Inside this box, you will find a brass valve with two shut off handles. This valve is what is known as a backflow device, preventing dirty irrigation water from entering your drinking water. The device also serves as a shut off for your sprinkler irrigation water supply. Although the device has two shut off handles it will only be necessary to turn one of the handles. Typically, you will only need to turn the handles a quarter of a turn (usually to the vertical position) in order to shut off the water. Sometimes these boxes fill with dirt so you may need to dig around with a screw driver to locate the handles. Often the handle can be stiff and hard to turn, use a good pair of channel-lock pliers to turn the valve. ***Be very careful not to pry too hard on the valve, you could do more damage if you break the PVC connection at the valve. If the valve is flexing or moving you are prying to hard. Once the valves are turned off check the area of the leak to make sure you got it turned completely off. Then Call The Professionals!
