Today I set to dig out one of the many Agapanthuses in my yard, and as I was digging ALL of the roots out, I hit PVC pipe.
Because we're not the first owners of this house, we don't know where everything in the yard is, so this was a pleasant (although not surprising) find.
1. I believe this to be the pipe in which the sprinkler timer wiring is, because it is not sealed.
2. I believe this to be one of the pipes installed under the walkway when the house was built. Doesn't go to anything, but I wonder if this is also for wires?
3. I believe this to be the sprinkler's water supply since the pipe is sealed.
I was going to plant something in place of the Agapanthus, but was wondering: (for now) should I simply leave this hole filled in, just in case we need to access it again during landscaping? Our sprinklers in their current state actually work well and are well-positioned for the landscape plan we have. (Although we will be adding one more station in the back, I hope it's already wired for it)...
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Nov 14, 2009
Sprinkler Archaeology
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6 comments:
Not making a permanent planting right now seems like a good idea, but instead of just filling the hole in, you might consider planting something annual and colorful (like maybe pansies)
Hi Katie, I think you are on the mark with #1 & #3. #2 is probably an extra conduit laid under the walkway in anticipation of future need. Maybe wiring for lighting? I'm sure you are making notes and drawings of your archeological finds, so whether you plant here or not is relevant to what you feel the odds are that you will need to access these lines in the future. Doesn't seem to have been an issue for previous owners.
Hi Katie~~ I don't know and wouldn't venture to opine, leaving that to the more qualified.
I just stumbled upon your blog, am enjoying it and wanted to say hello.
You're probably right about the pipes. PVC does sometimes run water without being glued, but not if it was installed by anyone legit. If it's not glued, you should be able to look inside, see if there's wiring or water, should be able to push it back together without incident. You can probably plant the agapanthus and later it pull it up if you want to access under it. That plant is like the terminator, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or pain, and it doesn't care if you dig it up.
Anon - Thanks for the tip about annuals. I hadn't considered that. I just ended up backfilling the hole with dirt and placing a potted plant on top. Viola!
Dirt Guy - Dead on the money! I'm pretty sure the extra conduit is for lighting. But that begs the question for me - this conduit goes into the garage wall - it seems like it would be a lot of work to run the wire to put the switch INSIDE the house. Hmm. I plan on digging up the irrigation valves this weekend, taking pictures, and heading to an irrigation shop. This is what nerds like me do on vacation.
Grace - Thanks for stopping by and leaving such nice comments! Look forward to chatting more.
Ryan - Thankfully, #1 IS wire (phwew!) AND I just checked tonight and they ran more wires than are currently hooked up, just in case one would ever need to add another station to the irrigation box. SWEET! (Happy dance) I am SOOOO glad I don't have to run more wire. Or should I say have to PAY someone to run more wire! PS - Getting rid of ALL the Agapanthus in my yard, one at a time. Perhaps we can arrange a swap if you're interested in free Agapanthus?
Actually, I misread what you said about the agapanthus. Thanks for the offer, though, but I've spent too many hours demo-ing it and its wormy white roots. But we do try to put plants that can similarly be lifted without consequence, when we are planting on top of pipes. It sucks when the pipes you have work on disappear under a beautiful manzanita or something.
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