Finding Underground Sprinkler Heads Advice Needed

[McKinney_5900]

I've been asked to locate buried sprinkler heads in a local soccer field by the owner. We're looking at freezing temps here soon. My first thought was that those heads were all ultra shallow, nearly at ground level. The last thing I was told tonight by my hunt buddy setting the $$$-job up that there are 3" washers down 8 inches deep.

Has anybody any experience with such a design. A cheaper metal detector has been tried already by others without success. If the metallic washers we will be detecting are at 8 inches then I can see why a Bounty Hunter missed them, and/or they aren't 3" washers but really 3/4 inches.

We'll find out at 10am but I thought somebody here might have experience in finding them. I just can't vizualize why they are buried so deep at 8 inches.

Thanks.

 

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[Beeps in my sleep]

8 inches sounds deep but you should also pick signal up on the water lines connecting them. Follow them. It is how I found my customers system that was no longer working.

 

[watercolor]

I've been asked to do the same on a few private properties. The problem I've experienced with sprinkler systems
installed within the last 10 or 15-years is that the hardware is mostly plastic with stainless fixtures. Stainless steel is
is more difficult to find unless the discrimination on your detector has been allowed to accept "all metal".

Back in the day on older properties, sprinkler system hardware was usually brass and could be located more
readily even when iron "trash" items were discriminated out on your detector.

As far as depth, it depends on how many years the ground your hunting has been "manicured" i.e; how much
cut grass, leaves, etc., have been allowed to accumulate.

Good luck!

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

If you could find an above ground pipe you could cut, you could run a cable down the line, then detect to mark the direction the line runs, then pull cable out, detect along that line until you get signal and that should be your sprinklers, as long as the sprinkler heads are not plastic this would work. What kind of detector will you be using? I use an AT gold and it picks up sprinklers at parks around 40's to 50's on the VDI.

 

[airscapes]

Have not done this, but Sunday my Coinmaster GT found a 3/8" flat washer (hole in the center of the washer is 3/8") at 8 or 9 inches with no problem at all. I was using no discrimination as the park I am in is full of trash, small and large iron so listening to it all. Not sure what Stainless would show up as on VID.
I would make sure you take large markers and a 50' measuring tape with you and if you think it is a target mark it, after you get enough markers you should see a pattern even if some are not good targets. Then start measuring to make things go faster. Good luck!

 

[hvacker]

Couldn't you just turn the system on to locate them?

 

[heepiepow]

I have no advice other than a) see if the owner has any records of the layout of the sprinklers; or check with the company that installed them; and then/or b) if you could find a couple of them you might be able to find the rest by just measuring (if they were set up on a grid with consistent spacing between them).

 

[Frankn]

Option 1 as mentioned above, turn on the water.
Option 2 hook the transmitter of a 2 Box detector to the cold water pipe supply, then use the receiver box to follow the line.
Option 3 Use a PI detector to find the metal washers on a plastic system. There will be a set pattern.

Frank...

 

[McKinney_5900]

Option 1 as mentioned above, turn on the water.
Option 2 hook the transmitter of a 2 Box detector to the cold water pipe supply, then use the receiver box to follow the line.
Option 3 Use a PI detector to find the metal washers on a plastic system. There will be a set pattern.

Frank...
View attachment 908897

It was a WIP new sprinkler installation before the final ground leveling stage and the grass was installed, so the organized way to do this was to NOT put water in the system, plus the heads were deep and laying horizontal. Graders, tractors and rollers were working one field or the other while we we were on a finished field. Hence us detectors pinpointing to the dig crew for the most likely dig spots was premiere.

My buddy and I also thought about a PI machine on this last day as we finished out parts. The two box idea came up between us as well, but you gotta realize this was the first time either one of us literally "worked for pay" with a detector.

I learned a couple of real things though. First, stainless steel washers as well as the newest generation of sprinkler heads really sucks to detect easily, even when outta the hole. The heads themselves are the worst, and I mean worst. Stainless steel's VDI numbers are bouncy as all git if they are not perfectly flat and if they are 6 inches or less. Very few targets were less than 6 and some fields they were as deep 12 to 15 inches. Anything showing depths more than 4-6 inches had little success.

We had one hellova digging crew who happened to have worked on the initial install itself, to pace off distance to really close general areas to detect. main thing about this crew was...they dug more deep holes in hard ground, in short time, than about any human being I personally know, and they laughed and never showed an ounce of being less than a happy bunch.

Anyway, I learned many things as I am sure the contractor did about the stainless SNAFU. Don't use stainless anythings to mark a spot for future plans concerning a metal detector. Guess what the plans are for marking the heads on the next jobs he may get planned. Placing a buried pop can next to the underground sprinkler heads. Even a simple BH can hit cans a foot down. We weren't running BHs BTW.

It's been a real learning experience.

 

[Number9]

Did I misread something? Why do they need to be removed?

 

[McKinney_5900]

Did I misread something? Why do they need to be removed?

Not removed. Just turned upright right before the final part of the playing field prep before the grass is put down. These are new, full field sprinkler system installs at this complex, so you couldn't just place them upright and then expect the heads to not get sheared off with the final gradings right before the sod being put down.

It is apparently an installer's methodology on full installations like this, and really does makes sense, except for them using those stainless washers and stainless bolts as markers.

 

[luvsdux]

Watercolor described what I discovered when trying to locate them in my yard. Modern ones are not very conducive as detector targets, but if one wants to try I'd thing all metal is the way to go.
luvsdux