I'm trying to troubleshoot a leak that I discovered in my yard. I suspect it's the irrigation system but I don't know for sure. Here is what I know so far:
-There was a large accumulation of water near my shed that is away from the house (at least it appeared that way)
- The leak appeared right after I ran my irrigation system
- all of the indoor water sources work fine (shower, faucets, etc.)
- front yard spigot works fine
- BUT outdoor spigot near the leak was NOT producing water
My fear is that it's a water line in the house. I have someone coming out midweek but I'd like to get more info for myself if possible. I live the DFW area of Texas which is an infernal, ground-shifting hellscape so I suspect the hot temps are causing the soil to shift, snapping the pipes.
Irrigation lines normally run in a straight, obvious line and they’re not very deep. Turn the sprinklers on, look for the wet spot to appear, and start digging in between the two sprinkler heads where the water is appearing.
I appreciate it. Hopefully this question isn't too idiotic but how would that affect the outdoor spigot that isn't turning on?
Plumbing is entirely built around pressure manipulation. Somewhere, it's probably connected in line with your irrigation. It working or not working isn't necessarily indicative in either direction that the leak is or isn't coming from the house and not the system. I would bet it's the system, but that's not necessarily your marker.
Depending how it’s setup, I guess you could also have the spigot in line on the way to the sprinklers.
Where is the sprinkler timer and the little zone selector thing? Is that right by the shed spigot too? Because then it sounds like there’s a leak from the line between the house and that spigot by the shed. If that’s the case, I imagine it would be leaking 24/7? Unless somehow your spinkler timer is near the house and that spigot only works when the sprinklers are on, but that would be moronic.
I still wouldn’t discount the spigot failing independently because those things always crap out after a few years.
They’re not going to bury those lines much more than 12” deep, probably less. I would get out the shovel. If it’s PVC, that’s even an easy fix for a rookie.
That spigot being at the end might make sense for purging purposes. But that's beyond my knowledge.
So if that’s the purpose of the spigot, maybe it only pushes out water when the sprinkler system is on?
Where is the sprinkler timer box? Near the house or near the shed?
If that spigot with zero pressure was a regular hose spigot and the line running to that was leaking, that would be a lot of water dumping into your yard 24/7.
When was the last time you used the spigot before testing it recently?
If it’s an old spigot, those things go bad after some years. It could be independent of the leak. Sometimes there will be a spigot right where the water comes into the house, but if you had low pressure there because the water line coming into the house was leaking, you would have a big puddle in the yard 24/7 and the pressure inside the house would be shitty. If it only appears after the sprinklers run, then it’s very likely the sprinkler lines and the spigot is just old and not working, but that’s a $10 fix that takes 5min.
Thank you both. The spigot was working fine yesterday -- I use it daily to water the garden. The interior water pressure is normal so that's a bit of a reprieve.
no, it's italian today
FYI, I'm an idiot and found the issue. Thanks everyone.
You can't just tickle our balls and not let us cum. What was it.
WHAT WAS THE ISSUE!?