Whenever possible, everyone prefers to avoid reticulation repairs altogether and prevent any damage from happening in the first place. There’s not much that’s more frustrating than going out on your verge and noticing that your pop up sprinklers have been damaged by a passing car. It can be even worse if the pipe underneath has also been damaged. Let’s take a closer look at how this all works and how to avoid damage to your sprinkler system.
How Are The Sprinkler Heads Attached?
A pop up sprinkler head is typically screwed directly onto the PVC pipe that delivers the water. This pipe is located under the surface of the lawn, and the sprinkler connects via a nipple attachment. If stress is introduced to the sprinkler head, the nipple joint is the part that tends to break first. But, sometimes the actual PVC water pipe or a nearby fitting could break instead. If the nipple snaps, it’s fairly easy to fix, but if the pipe or pipe fitting is broken, it can be a far more complicated task.
Preventing Damage to Your Pop Up Sprinkler Heads
Using a swing pipe or funny pipe is a great way to protect your sprinkler heads from damage. The sprinkler is offset with a piece of flexible pipe to give the system a little more flexibility if the sprinkler head is kicked or knocked. The flexible pipe section will bend independently of the sprinkler head, and this will protect the nipple fitting and the PVC pipes below. This is also useful if you upgrade or need retic repairs. Perth homeowners will find it easier to locate misplaced sprinklers if a piece of swing pipe is in place.
Use a Poly Elbow and Riser System
This is similar in principle to using a piece of swing pipe at each sprinkler head, but it’s a bit more involved and more effective in use. The system uses four poly elbow joints and a single riser to act as the swing pipe. The main problem that you may encounter if you use this method is that it can be tricky to adjust the sprinkler after this system has been put in place. Also, this obviously requires more parts than the simpler swing pipe method described above. In many cases, this system would be too elaborate, and it should be reserved for use in extreme circumstances when damage is occurring on an almost daily basis.
Some Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you have found this article useful. It’s all too easy to damage a pop up sprinkler system. Any impact from the lawn mower, pets, passing cars, and the odd football can damage your sprinkler system. The last thing that you want to do with your valuable gardening or leisure time is fixing your sprinkler system. It’s a great idea to get some professional help to get the Perth sprinkler days in working again and ask for some advice on how to keep them safe.
If you’re in need of a reticulation repair in Perth, Luke’s Landscaping specialises in landscaping and irrigation since 2008. Based in Perth, it would definitely be a company to take a look at.
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