Irrigation fun!

The current irrigation system on the golf course was installed in the late 60's and early 70's.  Irrigation professionals in this industry state that a typical lifespan of a properly installed irrigation system is somewhere in the 20-30 year range.  We are into the 40 year range for our system that was not installed properly, as the above 3rd photo down depicts.  We are constantly fixing and repairing leaks and breaks throughout the season.  The repairs add up to a significant labor expense every year just to maintain the system.  The above pictures represent the struggles we encounter with our aging irrigation system.  The first pic is that of iron deposits and calcification on the inside of a pipe we had to pull out to repair for a leak.  The buildup represents a big loss in pressure as friction would be increased over the bumps and ridges inside the pipe. Sometimes the leaks we find are subtle and other times the leaks more than obvious as the bottom picture shows. The leaks we don't see are the ones we worry about.  If we take a pin sized leak, it doesn't seem like it would be much water, but when the pin sized leak is under 120psi and runs 24 hours a day 7 days a week, that adds up to a lot of lost water and money.

Mike O'Neill
Golf Course Superintendent