SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

Hi
So back around February, I guess, one of the sprinkler heads broke. There is a possibilty the lawn service did it but i do not know

One of the nosey neighbors mentioned it, otherwise I would not have known about it because the rainbird goes off at 5 am before I am up

Well, i noticed no significant change on the water bill so I ignored it.

Recently, two other nosey neighbors have been bugging me to fix it. So i watched the video, learned how to unscrew and replace the sprinkler head, went to lowes bought a part triedvti fix it

What i found inside was no broken sprinkler hesd or parts of one. All that there is at the sight is a jagged broken verticle pipe which seems to be anchored and notvremovable. I noticed that the sprinkler part, when mounted on the pipihg, wound stick up above the ground. The other sprinkler heads all sit below or at lawn level, not 3 inches above.

So I started looking for help on this and found none. The system is only 5 years old, so it may be finished
anyway.

My question then was how to cap the pipe, so that water cannot shoot out of it. I suggested a large piece of pvc pipe with a cap over the end, slide it over the broken part, then pour concrete over it. This way concrete does not get into the pipe to clog the other sprinklers that still work.
But my son says no, because it will create a backpressure back into the pipe when the water hits the barrier and can damage all the sensors. I want to keep what works for now working, i have given up on this one spot as unfixable.

So can we cap the pipe that is broken and just not worry about it wwtering that section ?
Oh and I am not paying some repair service $100 +to fix it. It is a luxury, not a neccesity. As far as being a convienence, I am not sold on that either anymore.
Thanks

I was not able to get a decent photo because of the shadows and such, but I did make a sketch of the problem



As you can see in the drawing, there is a gray vertical pipe which sends water upwards (like a fountain) from the deeper underground source when the rainbird is turned on.
The end pf the pipe sits about 1.5 to 2 inches under the level of the gbround, and cannot be removed or turned. It is jagged, like plastic that was broken off.

When we tried to attach a new replacement sprinkler, the result was having the sprinkler sitting several inches out of the ground, when all of the others are flush with the ground.

Since this is not a common problem (I can find nothing about it online) We were suggesting capping it with concrete. However, it would appear that we could take a piece of pvc pipe, slide it over the edge of the broken pipe. It could be cemented in place. The end would be capped with another end piece of pvc conduit end cap. This will stop the water from coming up out of the end.
But I want to make sure it will not ruin the overall system because the other sprinklers appear to work. I want to make sure that backing pressure into the pipe from the PVC cap will not cause a greater problem.

Otherwise, I say leave it alone. It may not look good, but it is at least watering some of the yard.