Hey everyone! I need some advice about a situation with my neighbor. He's noticed some discoloration on his wall and has been digging around our shared fence, which is about 40 feet long and 3 feet deep. He keeps finding water in the corners of his yard but can't seem to locate any leaks in his irrigation system. On my side, I have rocks and turf plus a pygmy palm, but no signs of moisture on my end. Considering there's an irrigation line buried a few inches down, I'm wondering if it's possible I could have a leak without any visible signs? We're on pretty even ground in Arizona, so it's flat. What should I do?
4 Answers
Try this: shut off the water to your irrigation for a week. I don't think it’ll harm your landscape that much. Just make sure to check your meter before and after shutting it down to see if there’s a leak. If the meter spins while the irrigation is running but stops when it's off, you've got a leak!
Have you thought about a pressure test? Might give you some more clarity.
Have you checked your water meter? If there's a small triangle or star shape on it, watch closely to see if it moves when all water is off. It can indicate if you have a leak. Your neighbor should do the same check. You can find lots of tips on YouTube about this!
Great advice! I’ll look it up. Thanks for the tip!
You could also check it right before bed and then first thing in the morning to see if the numbers change while there’s no water usage.
If you don't need your irrigation to run, try turning it off for a week during a sunny period. That can help you see if the puddle in his yard goes away. Just make sure it's a time when your plants won't suffer too much from the lack of water!
Yeah, we talked about that and I shut it off for a while, but I think I only disabled the timer instead of the valve. With the heat coming, I’m worried about my plants. Do you think shutting it off for just a few days would be enough to show any difference? It's more moist than puddle-like.
Confirmed! The meter spins when my irrigation is on, but it's not spinning with it off. Thanks for the insight! I'm going to keep it off for a few days to test.