DIY guideLawn sprinklers
Shut off the sprinkler system's water
A sprinkler line broken or a zone that won't stop: turn the controller off, then close the sprinkler's own valve, inside or at the backflow device.
- 5 to 10 min
- 7 steps
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Turn the sprinkler controller to Off, so no zone starts again.
Find the sprinkler line's own valve: indoors where a pipe leaves the main line, often near the main water shutoff.
Turn a lever a quarter turn across the pipe, or a wheel clockwise until it stops.
No valve inside? Outside, at the brass backflow device by the house, turn both its handles a quarter turn across the pipe.
Watch the heads or the broken spot: the water should slow and stop.
If it keeps running, turn off the main water to the house.
A broken pipe, a cracked backflow device, or a valve that won't turn: ask Handyman for a sprinkler pro.
What you need
- A flashlight
- A towel to grip a stiff handle
Call a pro if
- A pipe or a head is broken
- The backflow device is cracked or leaking
- A valve won't turn or won't close
- A zone keeps running with the controller off
Handyman says: Leave it off. I'll find a sprinkler pro.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
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a pro do it?