I have discovered that two of my irrigation system pipes were broken when an internet cable was being installed. They stayed like this for some time, including when the irrigation system was working – there must be dirt in the pipes at this point.
How do I go about fixing this, other than just glueing the pipes together with a shorter pipe? What should I do about the dirt in the pipes?
Best Answer
Welcome to the wonderful world of kneeling above a hole with a can of PVC pipe cement. :)
To repair those breaks, dig them out a bit so you have enough room to cut back to non-cracked pipe, then repair with couplers and replacement pipe. The big-box home stores usually have 2' sections of popular sizes of PVC pipe so you don't have to go home with a 10' length of pipe you'll never use.
As for the dirt - once the joints have finished curing, remove the heads and flush until no more dirt comes out. You can do them one at a time working from valve to end of line if you know how the lines run, or you can do them all at once if you want to pretend you live at the Bellagio. :)