A broken sprinkler pipe can leak gallons of water every day and cost you lots of money. It can also cause a loss of water pressure to your sprinkler heads, as well as cause water damage to foundations, or other structures in the immediate area.
Fortunately, fixing the problem isn’t too hard if you don’t mind getting dirty. Buy supplies. Nothing is worse than having to run to the hardware store in the middle of a project. See the list of things you need below. PVC pipe, PVC sleeve connectors, PVC pipe cutters or hack saw, PVC glue, PVC primer and safety glasses.
To fix a break in PVC, the most important step is to turn off the sprinklers; if you don’t this could be a very hard task. Turning it off can be done by either turning off the water supply to the house at the city meter or shutting down the shut off valve connected to the sprinkler. Moreover, it is also recommended to wear the safety glasses while performing such types of work.
Dig around the area where you believe the broken pipe is. This is usually the area where water is bubbling up. Next take a hack saw and saw a straight edge on either side of the cracked PVC pipe. Remove the broken pipe. Sand the ends with sandpaper to get rid of the rough edge, this also helps to keep the area clean and ready for priming/gluing.
Measure the broken piece and cut a replacement section from the new pipe. Compare your new pipe to make sure that it will fit into the gap. Dry fit the connector sleeves onto the new section and install it on the existing pipe to verify the fit.
Having, acquired the exact pipe length that is needed, coat it completely with the PVC primer. Allow the set up to dry completely.
Once the primer has dried, apply a coat of PVC glue to the inside of the connectors and the outside of the pipe ends. Assemble the new pipe by installing the connectors to the new section and then installing the new section in the gap left in the existing pipe. Push the sections together to ensure a tight fit. You will want to work quickly, as the glue dries in a short amount of time.
Allow the glue to dry according to the directions on the package. Once the new section is completely dry, turn on the water and check for leaks.
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