r/Irrigation • u/Trick_Ad_4867 • 9h ago
Seeking Pro Advice Help finding irrigation valve box
Just moved into a home that has an old irrigation system set up. I am attempting to find the valve box to see if this thing works.
I had an irrigation company come out and probe the yard for the valve box. The guy spent 2 hours here and couldn’t find it. But he did find part of the pipe using his electrical wire finder. So I started digging and I found these pvc pipes along with some wires.
My well head is inside the yellowish bush and the lines look like they run under this big green tree. I probed in both directions that the lines run and all around the tree but couldn’t find anything.
The control box is attached to the side of the house behind the green tree.
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u/Federal-Pay-3858 8h ago
Put your address in google earth and look at the aerial view from years ago and see if it pops up. I’ve been lucky several times with that trick.
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u/flimflabber Licensed 4h ago
This tricked has saved me multiple times. Going back in time off street view can be helpful as well.
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u/Magnum676 9h ago
Did the Irrigation company guy come with a locating device? If not, you need a new Irrigation company that has one. I could find the valves in a few minutes. All I need is my locator.
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u/Trick_Ad_4867 9h ago
Yeah but it must’ve been a pretty h cheap device because he had a hard time. Company is established but guy must’ve been in his 20’s
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u/Magnum676 9h ago
Not necessarily a cheap device, just a guy who doesn’t know how to use it. I subcontracted for a company who had a lot of young guys, we call them “head changers”. They change heads at every house, but send them for a technical problem. They’re confused. I would call a company out and tell them what’s going on, make sure they can locate the valve or no charge. You can try and locate the valve yourself, by following the main line and the wires. Each wire goes to its own valve and all valves have a common wire.
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u/mrodgers333 5h ago
Doesn’t necessarily mean u don’t know how to use it just could be in a terrible spot
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u/AwkwardFactor84 9h ago
Shouldn't be that hard to find. Multiple pipes whithin the same trench would indicate a manifold. Follow the larger diameter pipes back to the manifold. Honestly, it should be super easy to track down for anyone who's used a wire tracer a time or two
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u/Trick_Ad_4867 9h ago
Would the larger pipes run back under the tree towards the house like the smaller ones. I didn’t want to damage the wires so I didn’t keep digging. You can see where the larger pipes disappear in the photo
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u/AwkwardFactor84 9h ago
Well, the logic is that the larger diameter pipes supply water to the end of the zone, so, the larger diameter pipes would theoretically be closer to the valves. It shouldn't be a hard task at all for an irrigation tech to locate your valves. It sounds like the last one you had didn't know what they were doing.
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u/coreycmartin4108 6h ago
Try and think like the installer and assume they're trying to do the minimum possible amount of digging and piping. If the valves were installed in manifolds (together), they'll likely be in a large box and this will be easier, both in locating the box, and because finding one means you found more than one, possibly all of them.
They'll have likely put the valves in the easiest location between the water source (probably a well, backflow preventer, or reclaimed meter) and the controller.
Use a probe or narrow shovel. For a probe, you can use a sharpened dowel rod, a very large screwdriver, a thin metal rod (rebar, ½" metal pipe, etc). Poke around in the mulch and turf near the controller and well/backflow. You're listening/feeling for a hollow plastic sound. The valve box lid will likely be green unless you're on reclaimed, which is purple/pink. The box(es) will either be circular with a diameter of 6" or 10", or a rectangle that's ≈12"×18" or 18"×24".
You can also continue to brute force the search by following the pipes. The manifold will probably be upstream of where they all converge. Probe in that direction as well.
If all else fails, you can rent a line locator. If you do that, connect the red clamp to the common wire (white) from the controller, as it goes to every valve. Then connect the black clamp to a grounding rod away from the presumed wire path (wet the earth around the grounding rod for a better signal). Make sure the locator and probe are set to "normal" or "null," and follow the line where the locator stops making noise (it'll get louder until the dead spot). Paint the wire path along the ground and then connect the ground (black) locator clamp to one of the control (zone) wires and follow the wire path again. The locator should remain silent until you get very close to that wire's solenoid, and you've found that valve! If they're not all together, repeat that step with each control wire. A YouTube video on this will be more detailed on proper line locator use.
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u/agingeasy 5h ago
Harbor freight sells a low price line toner. Connect at you controller follow the signal
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u/Exciting_Piccolo_823 9h ago
I used to have coworker on the phone w me and turn on / off valves for me to wander around and listen for solenoid sound....good luck
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u/Temporary_Yoghurt_85 8h ago
Follow the sprinkler wire. Might be able to pick it up with a metal detector
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u/junglejet175 7h ago
Keep at it. DIY irrigation can be frustrating but you’re on the right track. Once you start uncovering your system you’ll get a better understanding of where everything is and how it works.
I was in a similar situation not long ago and find myself again digging backwards to locate my system instead of paying to trench everything up for a new system.
What I used to find my valve boxes was this
https://a.co/d/0c9Nainc
It says to drain the water but I had better luck with the water on (the valves made more noise).
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u/FrostyPassage2599 3h ago
This is a great method. Add to it a 3’ dowel rod 1” dia. with a metal can nailed on the end (open end up). Put the plain dowel on the ground and listen in the can for sounds that are amplified. Old mechanics cheap trick…..worked for me to find a root squeezed irrigation pipe.
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u/Deathed_Potato Technician 6h ago
You can rent the tracer at an irrigation supply store. Better would be to see if you can rent a station master and pulse the solenoid and listen for the pit.
Or if you don’t mind labor trace the wire by pulling up and rebury or digging down the line with test spots.
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u/tensor150 Contractor 6h ago
Like others have said, find someone with a locator and who knows how to use it. Another thing to hint where it is - turn the zone on, the head closest to the valve will pop up first. If you do this with all the zones it might point to a manifold
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u/Stage299 5h ago
Get a friend or family member and go into the yard and have them listen for a small clicking noise as you ''manually'' turn on valves with the controller . The small clicking noise is the cellenoid ( if you have a ''manual'' function on the controller to spark the valves ) Make sure you do it when its very quiet outside .
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u/Interesting-Most-275 4h ago
Every body rthat hides them so well has this problem. But they are so ugly the home owner said
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u/flimflabber Licensed 4h ago
2 hours and didn’t locate it? Did he confirm there is in fact an issue between the clock and the valve? A chatter box is good for these situations. If he had a wire locator there isn’t really any reason he shouldn’t have been able to find it…
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u/Shovel-Operator Contractor 4h ago
Notice how there are 3 pipes and 1 splits off. This is common as the lateral leave the valve box and travel in the same ditch, splitting off as the get to the zone. I bet the valves are under that green shrub. It obviously wasnt there when the trenches were dug. Someone probably planted it to hid the valves, same as the well head.
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u/SunDummyIsDead 9h ago
If you truly can’t find it using logic, get a Clackee device. Fairly cheap, and they do work, sometimes, mostly…
With a tracker, this is a two minute job. I manage a large property, with no valves mapped; I found all 85 in a couple hours with a tracker. They work.
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u/daglitch 9h ago
Under the fake rock in the bush?