How to Move Sprinkler Lines to Make Your Irrigation System More Effective
Get water where you need it with clever rerouting
- Shovel
- Trowel
- Pipe cutter
- Sprinkler line
- Flag or stake markers
- End cap for pipes
- PVC cement
- PVC pipes
You’ve installed a sprinkler system, but you notice that the sprinkler heads along one water line aren’t reaching a far corner of your lawn, leaving the grass wilted and yellow. What if you could reroute the sprinkler lines to make sure every part of your lawn gets the water it needs to grow lush and green? Follow this guide to learn how to move sprinkler lines in your yard to help your lawn look its best.
Note that if you plan to DIY, moving a shorter line is easiest. If you have a long sprinkler line attached to several different sprinkler heads or multiple sprinkler lines that need to be relocated, leave this job to the pros to minimize damage to your lawn and avoid any potential leaks from rerouting your sprinkler system.
Prepping to Move Sprinkler Lines
Follow these important preparation steps before moving sprinkler lines:
Call 811: Any time you plan to do digging in your yard, like when you’re going to move sprinkler lines or replace a sprinkler valve, call the Call Before You Dig hotline at 811.
Check the line depth: Know how deep sprinkler lines are before you start digging. Sprinkler lines are 7 to 10 inches underground, although they may be as shallow as 4 inches or as deep as 12 inches.
Plan your system: The other major task to check off before you start learning how to move sprinkler lines is designing the new sprinkler system layout. Make sure you have a plan for where you’ll be rerouting the sprinkler lines, and place markers along the new route.
Better yet, call a pro to handle all of these steps, and the job itself, for you.
Mark the Sprinkler Valve Box
Photo: Tomasz Zajda / Adobe StockIt’s easiest to start laying pipe near where it will connect to the sprinkler valves, so locate your sprinkler valve box and mark it with a flag, stake, or other marker. The valve box is usually buried mostly or completely underground in a container with a black, plastic base and a green lid.
Shut Off the Water
Photo: Sabrina Umansky / Adobe StockNext, shut off the water supply to your sprinkler system to prevent water from spraying out while you work. You can find the irrigation shut-off valve location in a few different places. It may be located near your water heater, outside in a protective box near your water meter or well, or even hidden inside an artificial rock protective cover somewhere in your yard. The irrigation shut-off valve may also be inside the valve box that you marked in step one.
Once you’ve found the valve, turn it until it stops to shut off the water to the sprinkler system. The handle will be perpendicular to the pipe when it is off.
Dig a Shallow Trench Over the Existing Line
Using a shovel, begin carefully digging out the soil around the existing line. As you get closer to the line, you can switch to a trowel to carefully remove soil without accidentally piercing the line and causing a leak. Make the trench for the entire length of the line, from where it connects at the valve box to the final sprinkler head at the end of the line.
Remove Old Pipes
Photo: ungvar / Adobe StockUse pipe cutters to cut the length of the water line every few feet to make removal easier. Pull out the old pipes one section at a time. When removing the sprinkler heads, be sure to carefully twist them off counterclockwise to avoid damaging the threads, since you’ll need to reinstall them again on the rerouted line.
Cap the Old Line
With the pipes removed from the former line’s location, you can now cap where the old line connected to the valves. Clean the remaining pipe, and apply PVC cement to a pipe end cap. Then, hold the end cap in place in the old pipe for about 30 seconds to allow it to adhere.
Outline the New Line Location With Pipes
Now, lay out your irrigation pipes next to the location of the new pipes, where you placed your markers. Make sure they are off to the side enough that you have space to dig, but having them close by will make for easier installation.
Dig a New Trench
Following along the new sprinkler line location you outlined, and after receiving the green light from your municipality and the 811 hotline, use the shovel to carefully dig the trench for your new pipes. They should sit between four and 12 inches deep, so dig according to your preferred depth.
Install New Pipes
Photo: rschlie / Adobe StockStarting near the valve box where the new line will connect to the existing sprinkler system, begin installing the pipes in the trench. Use PVC cement to attach pipes as you go. You'll use PVC elbows to make these connections if you need to turn a corner along the line.
Attach Sprinkler Heads
Work your way along the line until it’s time to attach risers and sprinkler heads, two important parts of a sprinkler system that serve as the end of the sprinkler line. Connect a tee fitting to the sprinkler line, then thread the riser to the tee fitting. Finally, screw on the sprinkler head to the riser.
Test System
Before you cover the newly laid pipes, you should test that the sprinklers work as expected. That way, you can easily make adjustments if needed. Go back to the water shut-off valve and turn it until it is parallel to the pipes. If the sprinkler system is turned off, go to the controller and power it on.
Let the sprinklers run and inspect the area where you removed the old line for any leaks. Check that the sprinkler heads' new location gives your lawn adequate watering coverage.
Cover Pipes
Wait about 15 minutes or up to two hours to give the PVC cement time to dry. If the rerouted sprinkler line works as you intended, go ahead and cover the pipes with the soil. Make sure to fill in the trench where the former line was removed at this stage, too. The fresh soil may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, so consider laying sod or planting grass seed to make your lawn look like new again.
DIY vs. Hiring a Sprinkler Installation Pro
No matter how short or long the sprinkler line you want to reroute is, hiring a local sprinkler installer is the best option for moving sprinkler lines. If you tackle this yourself and make any mistakes along the way, from not properly fitting the end cap on the old line to installing the new line incorrectly, you risk damaging your sprinkler system and lawn. If the system leaks, you could also be left with a muddy and expensive mess.
Frequently Asked Questions
Relocating sprinkler heads will cost about $0.50 to $1 per linear foot for new pipes, and you’ll need to connect the sprinkler heads in their new location to the rest of the sprinkler system. Additionally, if you need to replace the sprinkler heads, expect to spend about $2.50 to $30 for each new sprinkler head.
Moving a sprinkler zone involves moving multiple sprinkler heads and rerouting multiple lines from one area of your lawn to another. Because this is an even bigger project than removing a sprinkler line, a job that is already best left to the pros, you should hire a local sprinkler installation pro to help you move, add, or remove sprinkler zones.
You can rent or purchase a pipe locator tool to help you estimate sprinkler line locations without digging. A no- to low-cost method to find sprinkler lines without digging is to tie a string from the sprinkler head at the end of the line to the preceding sprinkler lines until you reach the valve box, although this won’t be a very accurate method if you’re sprinkler line has a lot of twists and turns in the pipes.
