I developed this irrigation repair technique out of desperation. A sprinkler head had launched itself out of the arena right not in accord of me one day and landed in a potted tree-forest. The resulting geyser was spectacular, but the location was wretched!
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The place in the region of this particular sprinkler head was surrounded in paving stone and brick, and worse, right taking place adjoining a fence. To make things harder, I had installed a french-drain by yourself a foot away! The riser’s nipple was missing. Sure ample, a replacement stand-pipe wouldn’t even begin to screw in! Obviously, the blinking off portion of the nipple was beached in the t-connector – deep underground! Before I developed this technique, I would have had to dig lateral trenches roughly 2′ long regarding each side of the connector, scuff the supply lines off each tilt of the connector, late growth a sleeve and spacer, later glued in a replacement t-connector. Not this period! There was too much in leisure outfit in digging this connector out of the sports sports auditorium!
I have a special endeavor tool I’d bought from The Home Depot just for this encumbrance. It’s the PVC variant of an “easily reached-out.” Unfortunately, it wouldn’t accomplishment! I couldn’t profit passable pressure (the connector was buried re the extractor’s full length), and I kept scraping my knuckles considering-door to a fence totaling. The stand-pipe wasn’t PVC, it was vinyl. It was for that excuse rub, the knife edges of the extractor wouldn’t bite into the inside edge.
But vinyl melts! I have a 1200 watt heat gun I’d bought for paint stripping. The extractor’s tip is metal and by using this heat gun, I got the extractor’s tip hot. Real hot. Sizzling hot! By pushing the extractor straight by the side of the hole, it gently melted into the broken off nipple – deep underground! I consent to it set and cool for a few minuets in the by now giving it a direction. Two seconds highly developed, the damage off nipple was extracted!
After screwing in a replacement riser, I cycled the irrigation pump to that zone to rinse out all of the dirt that had fallen into the connector. I put a adding together sprinkler head upon the replacement riser, and guess what? That irrigation repair was finished. Not unaccompanied curtains, I didn’t have to dig one spade of dirt!
The trick was heating happening the extractor’s tip hot allowable to melt into the damage off vinyl nipple to get a sticking together.
A few weeks sophisticated, I had a rotate encumbrance. I had mounted added window boxes along one side wall of my habitat and wanted to use my in-field irrigation system to water the gathering flowers. I had a capped off riser right where I dependence to place a 4′ riser. Unfortunately, this was an archaic steel riser that I’d bumped into several period behind the mower, and behind I removed the pipe it left the t-connector’s threads stripped and choked taking into account rust-scale! Unlike most of my irrigation repair projects, this lineage is utterly shallow. Shallow plenty for me to chafe away the pinnacle to essentially see the damage.
There wasn’t anything I could operate to thread the option riser into place, I was going to have to replace the t-connector – or maybe not. I have a beautiful unlimited shop and I have metal in force tools to tap holes for screw threads, or graze uncovered threads for bolts. Since I had to add The Home Depot or Lowe’s anyway for a replacement t-connector, why not tune if they had a tool for pipe threads?
The staff at Lowe’s laughed following I asked them for a tool to graze internal 1/2″ pipe thread for an underground PVC t-connector! Their single-handedly advice was to dig it in the works and replace it. No Way! The staff at The Home Depot didn’t giggle out noisy, but they as well as suggested replacement fittings.
I did obtain the fittings, but I along with found the unlimited tool – an 18″ length of 1/2″ steel pipe! Once anew, the 1200 watt heat gun came to the rescue. By heating the pipe fade away, the thread section, I was dexterous to plunge it into the buried t-connector. It sizzled as it sank in and I speedily worked it in deeper as I screwed it into place. Without letting it sit, I unscrewed the steel pipe to prevent it from welding into place. I repeated this operation several epoch until all of the pipe’s threaded section was within the t-connector’s nipple.
Guess what? The substitute replacement 4′ PVC riser threaded itself right in! By using heat, pressure, and steel threads, I was clever to partially melt the underground t-connector and clip toting uphill threads. Not a spade full of dirt was dug going on for this irrigation repair!
Since subsequently, I’ve helped neighbors after that their irrigation repair projects that left them surprised – “you can actually scratch subsidiary threads underground without having to dig” – Wow, thanks Bill, genuine terrible thanks!
Not the complete irrigation repairs can use this technique. Let’s position it, if the t-connector’s nipple or connecting pipes crack or niche, you will have to dig. But attempt this tip first and post if it works. You’ll know within minuets if there’s a more colossal difficulty. You’ll acquire damp standing there, but you’ll speedily impression upwelling on the sprinkler head in operation if there’s a broken pipe or cracked nipple. Oh dexterously, at least you gave it a attempt!