Home Projects & Repair

Broken sprinkler lines, what a pain. Water gushing out everywhere….. Here are some ideas to get it fixed.

Tools:

• PVC Cutter
• PVC Glue
• PVC Pipe
• Shovel

Cost

• $5-$20 depending on what you already have.

Broken sprinkler lines occur for various reasons varying from lines that were not drained before winter, digging in the wrong place or various other reasons. Regardless of how the pipe broke, it still needs to be fixed. Some people will often resort to calling a landscaper to come in and repair the sprinkler pipe without even considering doing it themselves. However, depending on the severity of the break, it can often be repaired in less than a half hour and just a few dollars in parts.

You can tell if you have a broken pipe by looking for certain characteristics. First you will probably notice that there is little or no pressure getting to your sprinkley heads. If left like this you will have dead spots of lawn. Next, make sure that none of your heads are broken, broken heads are much easier to repair than a broken line. If you do have a broken sprinkler head check out our tutorial on repairing them. Once you know you have a broken pipe you then need to isolate where it is broken. Often times your lawn will bubble where the line is broken. These are the easiest breaks to locate. Other times you will have a mini marsh land in your yard, if this is the case and the break is thought to have been caused by frozen water you may have long breaks spanning several feet along the line, keep this in mind when you think you have found the break. These two can be easily isolated with a little work. Now simply follow these steps:

• After isolating the break you need to dig out the dirt from around the dirt to allow yourself enough room to work. Clear up to a foot on each side to the break to make sure that the break does not go any further up or down the sprinkler line.
• Using a PVC cutter cut out the broken part of the pipe. Make sure that you cut out at least 6-8 inches to make the repair work easier.
• Now that you have removed the broken part of the pipe you will now need to clean the ends of the line removing any dirt or mud. Once clean some people will apply a primer to the ends of the pipe and the inside of the PVC couplers, for most of my work I have not used a primer and have never had a problem.
• If you have PVC pipe laying around you have probably noticed that one end of the pipe usually flares out into a coupling connection. If you have a line like this, then you will only need one coupler, if not you will need two. First you will want to glue on the two couplers. This is done by simply applying the PVC glue to the inside of the coupler and the end of the pipe. This glue sets rather quickly so quickly push the coupler onto the end of the pipe in a turning motion until you have pushed it on and the inner stop in the middle is flush against the end of the pipe in the ground. Repeat for the other coupler. If you are using a pipe with a flared out end. Cut this put an inch or two longer than you will need to fill in where the pipe starts and the other coupler is. Remember that the pipe goes into the coupler at least a 1/2 inch, and the last thing you want is a section of pipe that is too short.
• Once you have glued on the PVC couplers you will then need to measure a length of pipe to fill in the gap. Using a measuring tape, measure from the middle of one coupler to the middle of the other coupler. Then using your PVC cutter cut a section of pipe this length. If you are using the pipe with a coupler on the end, then you can simply cut the pipe where it reaches the middle of the opposite coupler.
• Now you need to glue in the section of pipe on one side. Do not try to glue in both ends at the same time because you will not have enough time before the glue sets. Remember to push in hard using a twisting motion to make sure that the pipe has been inserted completely.
• Once one side has been glued in, you need to glue in the other side. If you have dug out the pipe on each side this is much easier because it will be necessary for you the pull the pipe up or to the side to get the end into the connector. PVC pipe is extremely strong and can be bent pretty far without breaking it.
• Now that the pipe has been repaired you will want to make sure there are no leaks before you cover the sprinkler line back up. Some people recommended waited up to 24 hours before putting a lot of water pressure into the lines. This allows the glue to set, and gives you a break. Since both sides of the pipe are buried in the ground you probably don’t need to worry about the pipe being pushed out so you can run a short test to make sure there are no leaks.
• Once repaired you can bury the line again, and replace the grass. If you are still having problems, you may have other breaks in the line. I have seen a sprinkler line that was broken along a twenty-five foot section because of water that froze during the winter.

Tools:

• Ratchet Wrench Set

Cost

• None, unless you must call someone

Perhaps the most common problems with trash compactors are all due to the fact that trash finds itself into the small crevices inside of the trash compactor

If your trash compactor won’t close completely, it is most likely due to trash behind the trash can. Most times you can simply pull out the drawer, and take the trash that has fallen out and put it back into the trash can. This should allow the drawer to close completely.

However, the trash may have found itself along the rails of the drawer, and into an area that is not easily accessible. In order to get this trash out will require more work. The first step is to remove the trash can drawer. This can be accomplished simply by pulling the drawer out as far as it will go, then lifting slightly while pulling. It acts just like any other drawer in your kitchen.

The next step is to actually remove the trash compactor out from under the counter, or wherever it is located. Now that the drawer is removed it is much easily. You may at this time wish to vacumn out where you removed the drawer as there is likely to be a lot of trash that has fallen there. Generally the trash compactor can be pulled out by lifting it slightly and pulling.

Once the unit has been pulled out from under the counter, you will want to unplug the unit. Once unplugged you will then need to take the cover off of the back. Now is the time to use your ratchet wrench, and with the correct bit remove the cover. You should be able to see where the tracks go along the side. Remove any trash that you find back here and replace the cover.

While you have the unit out, take your time to thoroughly clean it. There are a lot of moving parts inside of it, giving trash a lot of opportunities to go where it isn’t supposed to.

Replace the unit in the same manner that you removed it, remembering to plug it back it

Ever wonder how to change a door knob?

Tools:

• Flathead Screwdriver
• Phillips Head Screwdriver
• Replacement Door Knob

Cost

• ~$20+ depending on the quality of the door knob and locking features.

Changing a door knob is not nearly as complicated as it seems. In general there are three different types of door knobs. There are dummy door knobs which are simply used to open and close a closet and have no latching mechanism. There are simple knobs which have a latch but do not lock, or have a simple push button type lock on one side. Then there are knobs that use a key lock on the outside and a push button type lock on the inside.

Before you go off and buy a new door knob there are two things that you will want to measure. First get a measurement of the thickness of the door. Then get the diameter of the hole in the door for the door knob. If there is already a fixture, removing it is detailed in the next paragraph. If you are going to repair a knob with a latch then you will also want to measure the distance between the middle of the hole to the edge of the door. When purchasing a new knob make sure that the latch length is correct. Now days most knobs are adjustable in about every direction.

Removing an old door knob is quite simple. However, there are many variations of door knobs, and it may require a little trial and error to get it out. In general door knobs have a removable knob on both ends, a cover plate hiding the functional insides of the latching mechanism, and the latching mechanism itself. Some knobs will have the cover plate and knob in one peice. You can easily tell the difference, the combined ones will have screws showing on the inside, while the seperate ones will not show any visible screws.

The first step in removing the old knob is to remove the knob and cover plate. If you see screws, then take them out. If not, then look for a metal tab on the shaft of the door knob. Pushing in on this tab with a flat head screwdriver and pulling on the know should remove the knob. Then look for a seperate tab holding the cover plate on, pushing this in as well and gently prying the cover plate from the door should also result in its removal. Once the inside knob and cover plate have been removed there should be a couple screws holding the other side in. Simply remove those screws and pull the other side off. If you have the combined setup, once the outside screws are removed you can remove both knobs by simply pulling them out.

The latching mechanism can be removed by simply using an old screwdriver and using it as a lever to push it out towards the edge of the door.

Once the old knob is removed the new one is easily installed by following these steps in reverse order. Be careful not to lock yourself in a room by closing the door with only the latching mechanism installed. If you do, then you will have to manipulate the latch with a screwdriver or your fingers. Also, be sure to install the knob so that all of the screws are on the inside of the room. It makes no sense to have the screws on the outside of a locked door, as the lock can be simply removed. Follow the instructions for the new knob in order to adjust the knob for door thickness and latch length.

Parts:

Total Cost:$5-15

A broken sprinkler head will cause you more grief than a huge water bill. It will cause your system to unevenly water your ward causing unsightly dead spots to appear. In addition, it may also cause errosion to appear

There are various causes for a broken sprinkler head. The most common causes are because of damage caused by yourself or a child. Either a lawn mower got to it, or even a shovel. The safest way to avoid this type of damage is to not run over your sprinkler heads with your lawn mower, or to place them level with the surface of the dirt, not protruding from the ground.

In order to repair the broken head, you first need to first dig out the broken head. Be careful when you dig it out, or else you might damage the piping supplying the head.

Once the head has been dug out, it usually suffices to unscrew the broken head from the piping. However, if the adapter on the piping itself is broken, you will have to replace the adapter. If your system is using ‘funny pipe’ don’t waste your time trying to remove the broken piece from the pipe, it is much easier to cut the pipe just below the adapter and insert a new one.

In order to insert a new adapter, simply push and turn the adapter into the funny pipe in a clockwise motion.

Once the adapter has been replaced the head can be simply screwed on, however before you do so, wrap some sealing tape around it so that water won’t leak.

Make sure you have the proper piece in the head. These pieces determine in which pattern the head sprays. The next best thing is to do is turn on your sprinkler system and verify that the head is spraying the right way, and that nothing else is damaged.

That is how you repair a broken sprinkler system.