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1-2 gpm zone leak (when turned on), cant find.

10K views 32 replies 11 participants last post by  1idejim 
#1 ·
Cant find a leak...

How do i find it?

Large low laying deck, underside too low for crawl.

A drain tile will flow the leak after a few minutes of run.
Cant hear the sounds of flowing water from anywhere, Execpt the drain tile exit.

Supposedly the drain tile is under the house...

House addition, but reportedly piped around after construction.

stumped....
 
#5 ·
You isolate - test - eleminate. Turn the system off for a day or 2 and listen for the leak at the same place you are hearing it now. If you hear the noise look toward leaking main or other source.

If you don't have a MV and the sound of water is not present when the system is off and the meter is still or pressure stays up (well doesn't cycle) - eleminate a leaking main line -

With a MV you can listen to the valve with a sounding stick or piece of pipe. No noise - eleminate MV - Listen to all of the valves, no noise or meter movement/cycling - eleminate valves -

Plug or cap all but 1 head on the suspect zone. Attach a pressure gauge at the remaining head POC. Activate the valve watch for pressure drop while listening to the valve. If the valve is silent and the pressure doesn't bounce around - eleminate the lateral -
There are many places where a leak could be but if its in the irrigation system, thats where i would start.
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#6 · (Edited)
When controller off, no flow from drain tile...
when controller on, MV wire in, zone wire out, no flow
when controller on, MV wire in, zone wire in, flow from tile.

I outfitted all sprays nozzles on the zone with Closed VAN's to see if the meter would stop completely, sure enough, still rolling a few gpm's worth when the zone valve is wired in.

Perhaps worth noting, the heads and valves in question are on opposite sides of the house. the outlet from the zone valves is pointing staight toward the new house addition which now divides the yard, (or valve and heads).

___ Thanks guys

P.S. what are my options on tracking the lateral line by cutting into it near the located valve, and attaching a (for lack of the correct term, "chatterbox", "sound-maker", "water pipe tracker".

I suppose a could run a wire down the lateral and track it with a 521, seems that might be foiled by a 90 , etc.

anyway, thanks again yall! (you fixed the hammer issue btw :)
 
#7 ·
The longer it takes to hear the sound or see the leak after you turn it on the farther it is away. If it takes as long as you say it does...

Finding a leak not surfacing on a lateral is very hard. Personally for me what I do is use accoustical equipment when all the heads are shut off at the base of each head.. The probability of the leak to occur at the base of a head and then just flowing into a drain is much much higher then the piping itself.

If I don't hear the sound I try to systemically break down the design of the zone and best guest cut the zone in half to continue on isolating . Sometimes there is no way to figure this out depending on the design.

If you have metal rod you can listen at each head. This would be my first thing to suggest to do .. You could just have a cracked marlex not surfacing and flowing into the drain . recommend to get a cheap phonoscope or stethascope

Try to isolate the piping at a mid way point at least the elimates 50%


I had a awesome job the a few weeks back which I should have taken pictures. A zone had a break somewhere and you could hear after a while a roar of rushing water flowing into the foundation drain. After some bit of time I discovered a failed fitting about 15' from the foundation drain I hear it from INSIDE a corrigated drain pipe middle of the yard. lol
 
#8 ·
RhettMan, Don't know if you really mean a tile drain, or just a drainline? Don't know if all your drainline is under the deck?
I've had the same situation, but I was able to find the drainline and cut it at the midway point. Turn your valve on. If the water comes from your right, go that direction. If it doesn't, go the other direction.
Hopefully your deck boards are screwed down, instead of nailed. I had one that I had to remove the deck boards to get to it.
You mentioned stuff going under the new addition. I would definitely reroute around it.
Some of these issues just take patience. Stick with it. You will eventually find it. I've found that I usually do better after I've slept on it a night.
 
#9 ·
When controller off, no flow from drain tile...
when controller on, MV wire in, zone wire out, no flow
when controller on, MV wire in, zone wire in, flow from tile.

I outfitted all sprays nozzles on the zone with Closed VAN's to see if the meter would stop completely, sure enough, still rolling a few gpm's worth when the zone valve is wired in.

Perhaps worth noting, the heads and valves in question are on opposite sides of the house. the outlet from the zone valves is pointing staight toward the new house addition which now divides the yard, (or valve and heads).

___ Thanks guys

P.S. what are my options on tracking the lateral line by cutting into it near the located valve, and attaching a (for lack of the correct term, "chatterbox", "sound-maker", "water pipe tracker".

I suppose a could run a wire down the lateral and track it with a 521, seems that might be foiled by a 90 , etc.

anyway, thanks again yall! (you fixed the hammer issue btw :)
If I understand your problem right, you almost had it with the closed VANS.

Close all the VANS and set the zone for 15-20 min, then go find the wet spot. If you do not find a wet spot, put more time on the zone and wait.
 
#11 ·
When controller off, no flow from drain tile...
when controller on, MV wire in, zone wire out, no flow
when controller on, MV wire in, zone wire in, flow from tile.

I outfitted all sprays nozzles on the zone with Closed VAN's to see if the meter would stop completely, sure enough, still rolling a few gpm's worth when the zone valve is wired in.

Perhaps worth noting, the heads and valves in question are on opposite sides of the house. the outlet from the zone valves is pointing staight toward the new house addition which now divides the yard, (or valve and heads).

___ Thanks guys

P.S. what are my options on tracking the lateral line by cutting into it near the located valve, and attaching a (for lack of the correct term, "chatterbox", "sound-maker", "water pipe tracker".

I suppose a could run a wire down the lateral and track it with a 521, seems that might be foiled by a 90 , etc.

anyway, thanks again yall! (you fixed the hammer issue btw :)
Close it off again and induce air. Make a .25 npt adapter and start with low pressure. Increase pressure as needed. Sometimes a mixture of air and water has to be used but air will surface when water won't.

Don't get in too much of a hurry to cut or dig, you'll end up with a more harmonious outcome
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#12 ·
BTW Rhett, your best bet to locate the pipe is dowsing with your voodoo sticks.

A chatterbox is a circuit interrupter for finding valves. A plastic pipe locator is too expensive for most of us to buy.

With some practice most anybody can be consistant with a single or pair of sticks.
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#14 ·
Alright now I understand. Sorry, I was on day 3 of staring at a set sheet for a commercial bid... that's another thread through.

Did the original contractor build the house addition over a live lateral, which is now under the house? I have never had that happen on a house addition, but I have seen a lot of patios built over live irrigation laterals that ended up breaking.

You might call in a plumber or rent a snake with a camera, then scope the drain tile and see where the water is coming from. It will at least get you closer.
 
#20 ·
Close it off again and induce air. Make a .25 npt adapter and start with low pressure. Increase pressure as needed. Sometimes a mixture of air and water has to be used but air will surface when water won't.

Don't get in too much of a hurry to cut or dig, you'll end up with a more harmonious outcome
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great advice if nothing else, cuz air is much easier to find than water when it comes to leaks.
 
#21 ·
#22 ·
i am afraid the lateral may be under the house, though it was reportedly re routed.

the drain tile supposedly wasnt re routed however....?

trying to keep an open mind on it, as sometimes the client is dead-on, sometimes way-off.

___________

Voodoo sticks?

plastic pipe finder too expensive? yall are paying 10,000 for central controls.....how much is a plastic pipe finder?

......voodoo sticks?
 
#24 ·
betcha if those voodoo sticks were up your ass you'd know it ..... says dad.
Yes, indeed! I've been on a ton of re-models where an addition or a deck was built (with no crawl) and locator's were worthless, even voodoo sticks. I had one where the deck had a dweeb hatch built to supposedly "get to the valves". Only problem was, you could not reach them. I always wondered if you could hire out-of-work circus people and lower them in. :dizzy:
 
#26 ·
well hey, tell me something, if i closed the vans, and power on the system, with an assumed 100+psi is this bad for the system components?
_____
The first few leaks I found on this zone were exploded 1/2 cut-off nipples under caps from previous repairs I suppose, all uncut/full length, flemsy as heck-i assume?....

I really hope this pipe isnt under the crib, and that these deck screws back out easy and strip free.

What should i do if the break is in the middle of this new driveway....

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