Last Modified: 12/20/24

Finding sprinkler lines can seem tricky, but there are effective ways to locate them without unnecessary digging. If you’re wondering how to find sprinkler lines without digging or need tips on how to find PVC sprinkler lines, tools like wire locators or electronic line tracers can help pinpoint their location with ease. For those trying to figure out how to find sprinkler heads or how to avoid sprinkler lines when digging, start by identifying the layout of your system, often guided by the location of valves or control boxes. In regions like Texas, where irrigation is common, knowing how to find sprinkler lines in Texas can save time and prevent costly repairs. Using these methods ensures you avoid damaging your system while keeping your yard intact.

Why Locating Sprinkler Lines is Important

There are essential reasons behind seeking a precise location of the property’s underground sprinkler lines. For one thing, digging or installations on your property that interfere with your system’s lines can compress or puncture those lines, leading to expensive repairs and the risk of water damage.

It’s also helpful to immediately locate lines to remedy:

• Leaks.
• Water pressure problems.
• Maintenance or repair issues.

As experts like American Irrigation Repair will tell you, locating lines with precision is the first step to handling this sort of work efficiently. After all, causing unnecessary property damage is something everyone wants to avoid! 

Methods for Locating Sprinkler Lines

So, what are the methods professionals use to locate underground sprinkler system lines?

Check for a System Map

While it might seem obvious, the easiest method for quickly locating sprinkler lines is to refer to a system map. Installation companies often prepare a detailed map that shows the exact location of sprinkler heads and service lines. When properly drafted, these maps provide accurate measurements from building foundations, curbs, and fixed property markers.

Have you lost your system map? Are you unsure if you received one when you installed the system or when you bought the property? Try contacting the company that installed the system for a duplicate map. 

Look for Sprinkler Heads

Do you know how to find sprinkler lines? Well, lines always connect to sprinkler heads. In the absence of a map, the sprinkler heads’ locations provide you with great clues as to the location of any underground lines.

A technician might approach this process by marking the position of each sprinkler head to trace the approximate path between them. Installers usually run straight lines between each head, forming a grid (unless there are some obstructions or other reasons to deviate from straight lines). A grid formation is the most efficient distribution system, and you can easily mark these lines between sprinkler heads with flags or spray paint.

Find Valve Boxes

Valve boxes are another essential component of your property’s sprinkler system. The boxes house the valves that control water flow to each zone of your irrigation system. Installers usually place valve boxes close to buildings or sprinkler heads in a round lid mounted flush with the ground. 

When repair technicians locate a valve box, they can trace lines from valves to nearby sprinkler heads. (Some valve box designs place them below the surface, so you would carefully dig around it to expose the box without damaging the lines that connect to it).

Use a Line Tracer

As its name suggests, a line tracer is an electronic device that helps locate underground lines without extensive digging. Knowing how to find sprinkler lines with a tracer is quite simple: 

• You send an electronic signal through the wires that run alongside sprinkler lines. 
• A receiver picks up the signal.
• The tracer interprets the signal, indicating the precise path of the sprinkler lines.

This technology is helpful with older irrigation systems that lack a reliable system map.

Probe for Sprinkler Lines

Have you thought about using a probe to locate underground sprinkler lines? The probing tool enters the soil to feel for resistance from pipes buried under the surface.

It’s low-tech, and you must exercise caution to avoid damaging buried lines.

Ground Marking Techniques

One final technique is ground marking, a straightforward sprinkler line location method that involves digging around sprinkler heads or valve boxes to locate a section of the pipe. After the dig exposes a line, mark its path with flags or spray paint. 

This process is time-consuming. It requires a good bit of digging in precise locations, but it does offer certainty in your search for water lines.

Contact American Irrigation Repair for Complete Sprinkler System Maintenance Today

That’s how to find sprinkler lines. As you can see, some professional assistance would come in handy to leverage the technology and tools needed for precise sprinkler line mapping. 

Serving property owners around Georgetown, Round Rock, and Austin, Texas, since 1997, American Irrigation Repair offers award-winning service and risk-free system analysis. Call (512) 943-6080 today to schedule service or learn more!

If there is one thing in a sprinkler system that you want to be able to count on, it’s the lawn sprinkler valves.  When the Texas heat is blistering, and the lawn is struggling you need to be able to count on them to turn on and supply water to the sprinklers.  Put the control valves need to fire when you ask them to reliably and every time.

Toro Flo-pro, a Leaking Sprinkler Valve You Can’t Count On

Toro’s flo-pro valves were popular in the 90’s especially around the Austin area.  When American Irrigation started servicing irrigation systems we’d see these valves many times per week around the Austin, Round Rock, and Georgetown service areas.  They were common and during that time some contractors seemed to prefer them.

Why Should the Toro Flo-pro Sprinkler Valve Be Replaced?

There were a handful of issues with these particular valves.  I suspect they were trying to release something new and improved with the jar-type style valve being promoted as a quicker tool-free way to enhance the serviceability of control valves.  Honestly, jar top valves just aren’t necessary if you build a high-quality valve that doesn’t need to be serviced often.

A Poor Valve Solenoid Design

In continuation of the idea of easier servicing / easier on contractors, Toro used a proprietary solenoid on the valve that was sold as quicker to install and didn’t need wire splices to connect the wires.  The solenoid was like the push-to-insert light switches where they have a copper spring-type conductor that is supposed to hold the wire and contact it.  Contact with the wire was iffy at best, and removing the wire from the solenoid would easily damage it or make it difficult to reconnect.

Later versions of the control valve were manufactured with an improved solenoid more like those sold today, however, the other issues with the valve remained.

Prone to Leaks

It was not uncommon to see the jar top threads work their way loose over the cycles.  American Irrigation Repair responded to calls finding a dead dying lawn with green dots where the flo pro valves were located.  The top of the bonnet would loosen over time causing the control valve to leak.  Often the leak would start small – roots would search out the water and you would end up with a control valve in the middle of a big wad of muddy root ball.

The Valve Diaphragms Were Notorious For failing.

The diaphragms would fail resulting in a no-open condition.  The marker for a failed diaphragm was that you could open the control valve from the controller and the solenoid would trigger but the valve would not open.  Most of the time the valve would hiss, you could hear it was trying to open.  This was caused by the bleed opening on the diaphragm becoming oversized which prevented the solenoid from being able to bleed enough water from the top of the diaphragm to open the valve.

Photo of Flo-pro with the push to insert solenoid:

Picture of the diaphragm:

Grouping of the valves with the later improved solenoid:

Helpful article: How To Tell If a Sprinkler Valve Solenoid Is Bad

Hunter and Rain-Bird Control Valves Have Raised the Bar

If you have toro flo-pro valves in your system, I wouldn’t necessarily replace them if they are working correctly.  Once they act up or if you see any signs of leakage you should consider replacing them with a Rain Bird DV valve, or Hunter PGV control valves which have proven to be solid reliable performers.

If you need help, give us a holler at American Irrigation Repair at 512-943-6080.  We can do a full tune-up and 20-point analysis of your system and present you with any recommendations we find.

Because of the age of these valves, I did not have recent photos so I grabbed a couple of photos from other sources so I want to give them credit and shout out below!

Sources:

https://www.lawnsite.com/threads/help-identifying-this-toro-valve-pic-attached.327979/

https://www.doityourself.com/forum/lawns-landscaping-outdoor-decor/605220-toro-flo-pro-valve-diagram.html

https://www.doityourself.com/forum/lawns-landscaping-outdoor-decor/605220-toro-flo-pro-valve-diagram.html