Sometimes you might see a wet spot in your lawn and think it might be your sprinkler leaking but how do you know for sure? An easy way is to first make sure no water is running inside your house such as a washing machine. Find your meter and your backflow prevention device (the one below is called a double check) – usually it’s a big, green rectangle next to your meter. Open the meter box – you’ll probably need a meter key to open it and those can be purchased at any hardware store. When you look in the meter you’ll see a very arrow or triangle – if the triangle is turning and you’re sure no water is running in the house then you have a leak somewhere. If it isn’t turning then you probably don’t have a leak.
Let’s assume the arrow is turning and you have a leak. The next question is whether or not it’s the sprinkler system. Open your doublecheck box and turn either of the handles so that it is perpendicular to the pipe. Turning the handle cuts off the water to your sprinkler system. Look again at the little meter arrow. If it is still moving the leak is in the house water line, if it has stopped you have a leak in your sprinkler system. At that point you have a choice – start digging and get really muddy or leave it off and call a professional – I recommend Village Green, of course.
