SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

We had a sprinkler system professionally installed about 6 weeks ago by a reputable local company. As each zone starts the system makes a whirring noise as the zone fills that can be heard very loudly in the house. This then settles to a rhythmic chugging as sprinklers do their watering. The noise is loud enough that we cannot run the sprinklers at night as they wake us up so we have to run them in the late evening so they finish before we go to bed.

Here is a good description of the noise from another poster.

Continuous banging noise in house plumbing when sprinkler is running

To me it is very similar to someone starting a lawnmower outside.

The sprinkler folks have thus far been really nice, and they came round and installed a check valve on the house main line to ensure that water was not being sucked from the house when the zones started and making the noise. This made no difference to the noise. They did charge us $200+ for this though.

A few weeks later we were woken in the night to the loud noise the sprinklers make on start up, and it did not stop. I looked out of the window and water was gushing down the street. Eventually I managed to get the water to stop by shutting of the valves on the backflow prevention device. This turned out to be a failed joint between the back flow prevention device and the first master shutoff solenoid. The sprinkler company came out and fixed it the next day and also replaced the check valve with a different type to try and stop the noise. This made no difference and they told me I just had noisy pipes and nothing could be done about it.

Today the sprinkler system is leaking again, this time from a different spot and it is bubbling up through the lawn. I can here the chugging in the house, but not too loudly so the amount of water fortunately seems to be less than last time. This time I cannot turn off the water and I am currently waiting on the city to come and turn it off for me at the meter.
I am yet to get a response from the sprinkler company.

I fear to see our water bill this month.

My questions are this:

1. is something fundamentally wrong with the system? Sound is made by vibration so to me there is obviously something moving that shouldn't be.

2. Is there any chance that the next time one of these pipes break it will be in the house?

3. Since this is the second leak in a month, would you trust the repairs made by the sprinkler company. Should I get another plumber out for a second opinion?

A final important piece of information is that we have very high water pressure. ~120 psi I believe.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

They did but it is after the location of the two leaks.

From what I understand the system looks something like:

meter --> split to house (2) --> back flow preventer --> (1) main shutoff solenoid --> regulator --> rest of system

Leaks have occurred at point 1, and I assume point 2. After split to house there is a check valve on the branch that goes to the house.

I do not actually have a plan of the system, so up to the back flow preventer is an assumption because it is buried and wasn't installed by me.

Thanks for your response.

The vibration can be felt in the pipes on the back of the toilet in the house where it is loudest. It is this that I am concerned about eventually breaking. This is unlikley the source of the noise as the water in the house pipes cannot be moving as a check valve was installed. It is likely IMO to be coming from the area where the problems have been and reverberating in the house and seeming louder there. There is no noticeable vibration/banging in the lawn when the system is running though, nor is it audible from outside the house.

We are in Texas, which just had its hottest summer :-)

The connection point and check valve are buried and is what seems to be leaking this time. I'll ask them what type of valve and backflow preventer it is and check the max pressure ratings.

Also should a pressure regulator be installed before the connection to the sprinklers and cover both house and sprinkler system or after covering just the sprinkler system?

Thanks for all your responses. Much appreciated.

The leak was eventually stopped by the city in the early afternoon. The guy estimated about 1.5 gallons per minute lost. The sprinkler folks turned up late afternoon and replaced some pvc piping and I think the check valve on the supply side of the backflow preventer with copper or brass. Would have been nice if they had at least come round and stopped the leaking at 7:00 am when they were first notified.

I got no decent explanation as to why this leak happened, so I am still not convinced that we wont get yet another. I'll follow up and see if I get a response.

I'll also go to home depot and pick up one of those pressure testers and check it on the cold water from the washer and see what it is in the house. If it is really high then I assume there is no regulator anywhere and we will need to get one.

Also on the reverberation, are their any simple products that can deaden the noise, such as pipe lagging. We have about 20ft of the main line exposed under the house so this would be easy to add without needing a plumber.