[WARNING: THIS IS MY LONGWINDED ATTEMPT AT EXPLAINING SOMETHING THAT HAD PLAGUED ME WITH FRUSTRATION FOR ALMOST FOUR YEARS]
This year, instead of celebrating Labor Day in observance, Michelle and I participated by doing an insane amount of physical labor. On Friday, we took Gabe up to Big Bear to help clean-up the yard at the cabin. At first glance, it didn't look like the job was going to be too hard. However, after approx. 15 trips to the dump and what had to be atleast on 1 1/2 to 2 dumpsters full of pine needles, we got the yard into decent shape. One more weekend trip before snowfall should do the trick.
We came home Sunday afternoon and after a quick nap I decided to mow the backyard lawn in preparation for a bbq the next day. Now, ever since we've lived in this house, I've had a problem with the backyard sprinklers. There has always been a few areas where the sprinklers do not cover and the grass either is dead, or just barely living. I've tried adjusting the spray heads and or replacing them on atleast three occasions. Each time resulted in frustration because the new sprinklers performed just as poorly as the ones I replaced.
A while ago we had Verizon come out to install phones, cable, and dsl. In the process, they broke a sprinkler line on the side, front yard. I eventually fixed it, however I did not realize that the pipe was broken in two places. A few months later, the other break (what must have been just a hairline crack to begin with) gave way and I had flooding again. This time, I just capped off the line because I thought it would only effect the three side sprinklers which mostly just get my truck wet. Unfortnately, it also served as the delivery source for the backyard lawn sprinklers. Instead of fixing it, I reburied the line and went to Lowe's to buy a hose sprinkler and promising myself that it was just a temporary fix to get me by until I fix the broken supply line.
Another five months went by and my lawn was suffering. The problem with a hose sprinkler is that you have to remember to go out each day and turn it on. Both Michelle and I started off good, but lately had been neglectful. After mowing my dying lawn last night, I decided I was going to fix the broken pipe. I succeeded after one unsuccessful attempt and two trips to Lowe's and one trip to Home Depot. However, as I said earlier even before the break, the sprinklers never worked quite right. After testing my repair and seeing that I had considerably low water pressure, I went on a mission to find out the root cause of the problem (while I was supposed to be helping Michelle get ready for the bbq).
At first I checked for any broken sprinklers and big leaks and even removed a very large flax plant in the process (I hate them and I am glad I killed it, would've been sweeter if it were Arbor day). Although I found a leaky sprinkler, fixing it was not going to dramatically increase water pressure. By this time, I had to start getting ready for the bbq and decided to ask my friend Mark for his advice. When he arrived I asked him what would cause low water pressure? We replied with two options, 1) Leaks, broken pipes; and 2) Two many sprinklers on one line. I thought about number two during several unsuccessful attempts at fixing them in the past. After counting them up, we both decided that 12 sprinklers were too many for one line.
What transpired next is a good example of root cause analysis and the potentially wasteful work that almost came out from it. After a bit of brainstorming, the first viable solution was to put in a separate line and split the 12 sprinklers into two sixes. While this solution was not impossible, it would be very labor intensive and time consuming and I'd have two timers which in turn would add complexity plus increased maintenance to the system. The second good idea generated was to shutoff as many non-essential sprinklers as we could which would increase the overall water pressure. I identified five sprinklers and we adjusted them so no water would flow. However, after the first test, still no improvement in water pressure. What we did find was a pool of water forming in one of my planters. One of the five sprinklers we shutoff was buried deep under some bark on the edge of the property line. Through some digging in a very tight place, we uncovered a broken sprinkler head adjacent to the yard drain pipe (a long pipe running from the backyard to the front yard which allows drainage to occur in the event of flooding). Mark had noticed the unusual amount of water coming from the pipe in the front yard in an earlier attempt to identify leaks, but dismissed it as regular runoff since we were running the sprinklers continuously to find the leaks.
In the end, the problem was a broken sprinkler head in a remote area of the property, behind a giant Bird of Paradise and under decorative tree bark. Flooding, which usually is evident with a broken pipe, was masked by the fact that the broken sprinkler was right next to the yard drain so instead of flooding, the water would just drain unnoticed through the drain pipe. Mark and I found the root cause of the poor performance, capped-off the broken sprinkler, and dramatically increase water pressure. The problem existed before I moved into the house and has continuously frustrated me over the past four years. Now, the sprinklers are working great, and I have good coverage. I am looking forward to bringing my lawn back to new life.