Irrigation Advice 101: Loud Irrigation Pipes

NOISY PIPES
Automatic Lawn Sprinklers are
Does your irrigation system make a loud noise (sounds like someone is hitting your house with a bat) when your system is running? Well I know this can be an extremely frustrating issue with owners that have a two story home or a home with hardwood, marble or tile floors which are more and more popular in newer homes. I have heard some homes where it sounds like the copper lines in the basement are so loud one would think they could break. I am now going to go over the different types of noises. I would like to break the noise down into 3 different types. One would be when the system is pressurizing or basically there is a lot of noise for few seconds when each zone is starting but then goes away. The second type would be a steady noise during the duration of the time the system is running. The last type would be only when a zone is shutting down and will only last a second or two. Before I go into possible solutions, I would like to simply explain a few things about water needs: irrigation vs. house. When you flush a toilet in your home you may use 1.6 gallons per a flush. Now when compared to a residential irrigation system you would have to flush that toilet 6.25 to 7.5 or more times a minute, every minute to realize how much water you are using when irrigating. So if your overall run time is 2 hours it is like flushing your toilet 825 times. The reason for that explanation is when you flush a toilet or take a shower you are only using a fraction of the available water supply in your home. When a irrigation system is running it will pretty much demand the majority of the water supply, this is another reason why systems are best utilized early morning before everyone is up and either cooking or taking showers. If you are having any of these problems you should call a professional plumber or experienced irrigation professional. If you system is making the noise when it starting or shutting down a correctly placed (water expansion tank, dual check backflow preventor, shock arrestor or strategically placed pipe straps) could help solve the problem. If the system is making a constant thumping noise during the duration of entire cycle you may need to call and have a new water meter installed. There is no one solution for every house, it is similar to finding a needle in a haystack. One thing to keep in mind that any irrigation system will make some noise since you do have water flowing at a high rate through pipes and meters.


Any questions: email Bob info@rilawnsprinklers.com