How to Find a Leak in Your Irrigation System

Why Finding Leaks is Important

An irrigation system keeps your lawn and garden healthy, but even a small leak can waste water, raises your water bill, and harms your yard with extra water supply through leakage. You can save water by perishing, reduce high bills and keep you system running smoothly by early leakage detection.

Signs That Your Irrigation System Has a Leak

Leaks can be hard to notice, but there are some common warning signs. If your water bill is unusually high, you see puddles forming where they shouldn’t be, your sprinkler pressure is low, or you hear a hissing sound when the system is running, you might have a leak.

Checking Your Water Meter for Leaks

Turn off all the water tap and yard and note down your meter readings. Wait for 30 minutes and check your meter again, if it showing an increase in the meter readings, you have a leakage in your system.

Inspecting the Sprinkler Heads

Sprinkler heads often leaks. You must immediately turn on the irrigation system and take a walk around to check for broken sprinkler heads, cracked or clogged. If you see water collecting around them or spraying in the wrong direction, they may need to be cleaned, fixed, or replaced.

Checking Valves and Pipe Connections

Valves and pipes help move water through your irrigation system. Open the valve boxes and check if they are very wet, have puddles of water, or show rust. If you notice any of these signs, there might be a leak in a valve or pipe.

Looking for Soggy or Wet Spots in Your Yard

You might not notice any water if there is an underground leakage. But you could notice some areas in your yard staying wet or muddy, even when it hasn’t rained. If one part of your lawn is always damp while other areas are dry, it might mean a pipe is leaking under the ground.

Testing the Water Pressure

If your sprinkler system has low water pressure, there might be a hidden leak. You can check this by using a water pressure gauge. If the pressure is lower than normal, it could mean water is escaping from a leak somewhere in the system.

Using Special Leak Detection Tools

If you still can’t find the leak, you can try using leak detection dye. Adding a small amount of colored dye to the irrigation water can help make leaks more visible. Professionals also use special sensors to detect leaks underground without having to dig.

Fixing the Leak and Preventing Future Problems

Once you find the leak, you may need to replace a broken sprinkler head, tighten loose pipes, or fix a cracked pipe. To stop leaks from happening again, make sure to check your system regularly, clean any filters, and replace old or damaged parts.

By staying on top of your irrigation system and fixing leaks right away, you can reduce high DEWA bills, lower your bills by saving water, and keep your yard looking nice!