How to Find a Sprinkler Valve

If you are doing any type of irrigation work, then you know that the sound a screwdriver makes when you poke it through the lawn into the grass and you hear plastic. You know that is one of the most rewarding sounds. That means you've been looking for an irrigation valve in a yard and you finally have hit plastic. Now you can actually begin the work of replacing the faulty valve. So, I want to give you a quick outline of what this yard looks like.  It is really, really big. It's fall and there are leaves all over the ground.  I looked at this yard knowing I had a leaking valve somewhere and thought, "This is going to be a really long day trying to find this."

Look for the Green

But one thing that I did as I came around the side of the house, and what I noticed is about a 4ft diameter patch that is much darker green than the surrounding area. So, it made me think, "Why is that so much darker of a green color?" Well if water is leaking, it's irrigating it very well and it's going to grow better in that area.  So out of this whole entire yard, I took my valve finder here.  I went right into the center of that dark green area, inserted the screwdriver and on my second try. I found the valve right in the center. So, one alternative to finding a valve that is leaking look for the spot that is darker green. That won't always work. In fact, that's one of the first times that's worked, but I wanted to share with everybody.  It's one other way that you can use, one other method you can use in the field just look for a spot that’s darker green, Hope that helps you in your irrigation jobs.