It happens to the best of us…
You’re digging – or pounding a stake – in your yard and you puncture a hole in your sprinkler system irrigation pipe.
Now what?
Here’s how to fix a hole in irrigation sprinkler polyethylene (plastic) pipe using supplies from the local hardware store.
- Identify where the leak is and dig out an area to expose the pipe. Make sure you give yourself plenty of room – don’t be shy – more room will make your life easier.
- Clean the pipe with a wet rag to remove any dirt or mud.
- Cut out the damaged section of the pipe. I’m using a pex pipe cutter, but you can use anything that will get the job done – a hacksaw, reciprocating saw, scissors, a knife, etc.
- Slide your clamps on each side of the pipe. I’m using 1″ cinch clamps because I have a cinch clamp tool, but you can use standard hose clamps, too.
1 Inch Hose Clamps on Amazon.com - Insert one end of your hose barb splicer into one end of your pipe. You may need to apply quite a bit of force to push it in there. If it’s too tight, you can try to warm up the poly pipe with a heat gun (or torch), use a little dawn dish soap as lubricant, and tap it in with a hammer. Once the hose barb splicer is where you want it, secure it with your clamp. Tighten it as much as you can.
- Now with one end secure, repeat the process with the second side. If you dug a big enough hole, you should have plenty of room to slightly bend the pipe and push it over the splicer. Secure the clamp tightly.
That’s it – turn the water back on and check for leaks before you fill in the hole with dirt.
Other scenarios:
Sometimes you need to repair a longer section of damaged pipe. If that’s the case, you can use the same concept from above, but twice – once on each side of a replacement section of pipe.
Words of encouragement: don’t be afraid to do this yourself. It’s not a life and death situation – it’s just a pipe with some water running through it outside your house. Also, it’s going to save you money compared to having a professional do it.
Good luck!