The Irrigation Battle Begins

The worst day of year for the Stillmeadow Turf and Maintenance crew is usually sometime around early March every year.  It is the day when we turn the irrigation system on.  In the last 5 years we have poured countless time, energy and resources into the irrigation system.  This hard work has paid off as we continue to see less issues on a yearly basis.  However, we still see a lot.   

The biggest culprit since our arrival at SCC has been the swing joints for the quick couplers.  This a port that has been installed at various locations around the golf course.  These ports allow us to quickly connect a hose to the system for handwatering and other various task.  Many of these quick couplers are part of the original irrigation system and how the course was watered on a nightly basis before the installation of double row sprinkler heads.  The quick couplers are supported by galvanized steel piping which is where the majority of our problems occur. The following photos show the rusted hole in the steel piping along with some photos of the repair process.  In most cases the couplers are removed and the main line is then repaired.