"no sir you don't have sprinklers in that area"

[greenmonster304]

"no sir you don't have sprinklers in that area" is what the old irrigation company said. This is what I find 5 min after turning on the system.

[Mike Leary]

Poly sucks; especially when installed by dorks.

[DanaMac]

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

Poly sucks; especially when installed by dorks.

What? You don't think tree roots damage PVC?

[Mike Leary]

Originally Posted by DanaMac

What? You don't think tree roots damage PVC?

Never had it happen. We've always gone INTO the root zone rather than across it or gawwd forbid UNDER IT. The root systems,because we took care to avoid pain and suffering by very carefully trenching with hand and water boring, were forgiving. I'm sure I've got some sch 40 down there that's getting stressed after 30 years, but we always were careful to 45 around what I perceived to be a larger root in the future.

[DanaMac]

I've had PVC do the same thing from tree roots. It's amazing how compressed it will get before it breaks. So it's a matter of the installer and the methods, not the pipe.

I used to work on the system at an older synagogue, and for 3 years in a row I had tree root problems in 3 areas. The elm tree were directly over the poly pipe, and I mean dead center over it. Trees had to have been planted after the fact, right on top of the pipe, down the center of the lawn.

[Mike Leary]

Originally Posted by DanaMac

What? You don't think tree roots damage PVC?

Just kidding, Dana, that's a hack system, poly or not.

[Sprinkus]

Is that the "restrictor pipe" I heard about when I first got in the business?
Or perhaps someone used the "pipe stretcher" on that particular piece?

[greenmonster304]

I dont know how they missed this, it sounds like a jet taking off.

[irrig8r]

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

Never had it happen. We've always gone INTO the root zone rather than across it or gawwd forbid UNDER IT. The root systems,because we took care to avoid pain and suffering by very carefully trenching with hand and water boring, were forgiving. I'm sure I've got some sch 40 down there that's getting stressed after 30 years, but we always were careful to 45 around what I perceived to be a larger root in the future.

Never had it happen???

I've seen blue gums, white alders and copper beeches completely surround, fill and break valve boxes, and lift valves, cracking MAs.

I've also seen redwoods completely flatten 1.5" CL 200 pipe, so that you could hear the turbulence by putting your ear up to the trunk of the tree. (We rerouted new pipe far away from the tree.)

A lot of my L/S maint. jobs over the years were older office complexes and condos. They tended to plant trees right on top of or within a few feet of pipes, especially in parking lot islands.

Bad planning for sure, but who hasn't run into that?... Like they say, "Failing to plan is planning to fail."

[DanaMac]

Originally Posted by irrig8r

you could hear the turbulence by putting your ear up to the trunk of the tree.

I get the weird look from folks when I'm on the ground listening to the roots, trying to find the rumbling sound.