We moved into a 1980s home in Dec of 2021. It was winter so we had no idea what kind of shape the sprinkler system was in. Fired it up Spring of 22 and found many broken lines, sprinkler heads underneath the existing deck, other heads have been landscaped over. The second valve box in the front yard (which receives no water because the line is severed somewhere) was buried under a foot of soil and also had flat stone pavers and walkway placed over it. My guess is the system froze years ago and the POs never fixed it.
I got a few quotes which range between $5-6k. So...no. I can buy parts way cheaper and can sweat my own copper lines and have the tools.
The existing vacuum breaker is on the south side of the house with the backyard valve box 40' away. When I fired it up last year, I had no leaks between the breaker or the box. What I'd like to do is put in new valves, trench a couple of new lines for the 500-600 sq. foot backyard lawn with a couple of soaker lines for landscaping. 2-3 zones.
Now, to pipe water to my front yard, I have a few options.
1) Trenching in a new line completely around the house through the backyard (150' run) (west/north/east). This seems like an excessive length and I worry about pressure. However, that is how it was done originally. This would also require removing a lot of flat stone pavers which encompass the entire northwest, north and northeast side of the house while going under a fence.
2) Pipe in a new vacuum breaker on the north side of the house. This would only be a 15-20' run vs 150'. This would be easy to do as well since my crawlspace is on this side of the house and the water line originates in this area. As I mentioned, I can sweat my own lines. Similar to the backyard, this would be 2-3 zones for a 650~ sq. ft. lawn with another soaker hose for landscaping.
3) Abandon the south side vacuum breaker completely. Pipe in a new breaker on the north side of the house. Remove and trench underneath the stone pavers.
Which option would be better? Honestly, I think putting in a second vacuum breaker would be easier, but is it better? Can to vacuum breakers be installed without any detriments? Or should I basically start fresh on the other side of the house?
I got a few quotes which range between $5-6k. So...no. I can buy parts way cheaper and can sweat my own copper lines and have the tools.
The existing vacuum breaker is on the south side of the house with the backyard valve box 40' away. When I fired it up last year, I had no leaks between the breaker or the box. What I'd like to do is put in new valves, trench a couple of new lines for the 500-600 sq. foot backyard lawn with a couple of soaker lines for landscaping. 2-3 zones.
Now, to pipe water to my front yard, I have a few options.
1) Trenching in a new line completely around the house through the backyard (150' run) (west/north/east). This seems like an excessive length and I worry about pressure. However, that is how it was done originally. This would also require removing a lot of flat stone pavers which encompass the entire northwest, north and northeast side of the house while going under a fence.
2) Pipe in a new vacuum breaker on the north side of the house. This would only be a 15-20' run vs 150'. This would be easy to do as well since my crawlspace is on this side of the house and the water line originates in this area. As I mentioned, I can sweat my own lines. Similar to the backyard, this would be 2-3 zones for a 650~ sq. ft. lawn with another soaker hose for landscaping.
3) Abandon the south side vacuum breaker completely. Pipe in a new breaker on the north side of the house. Remove and trench underneath the stone pavers.
Which option would be better? Honestly, I think putting in a second vacuum breaker would be easier, but is it better? Can to vacuum breakers be installed without any detriments? Or should I basically start fresh on the other side of the house?