Fence Installation Damage Exposed an Older 8-Zone West Bloomfield Irrigation System Updated Piece by Piece Over Time

Hunter HydroTech was called to a West Bloomfield, Michigan property after a sprinkler leak appeared following fence installation. The source of the leak was direct construction damage: a fence post had been installed through an underground polyethylene irrigation line.

Once the damaged poly line was exposed and repaired, the service call also gave us a look at the larger irrigation system. The property had an eight-zone sprinkler system that appeared to be several decades old and likely dated to roughly the 1970s era, although the exact installation year was not documented.

Fence installers put a post through an irrigation line

Fence work is a common source of irrigation damage because posts must be installed deep enough to remain stable. Underground sprinkler piping is often shallow enough that a post hole or auger can pass directly through a lateral line.

In this West Bloomfield case, the post penetrated the poly irrigation line. Hunter HydroTech exposed the damaged section, rebuilt the pipe connection, and tested the affected irrigation again under pressure.

An older 8-zone irrigation system

Hunter HydroTech identified eight zones and eight station wires at the controller. The overall system appeared substantially older than the current timer and some valve components.

Based on the age and style of the existing irrigation infrastructure, the system appeared to be from approximately the 1970s era. Because original installation records were not available, Hunter HydroTech does not claim a precise installation year.

A newer timer and two apparently newer valves

The controller had already been updated to a newer timer. Two valves also appeared newer than the other valve equipment. We could not verify whether those valves represented later-added zones or replacements completed during earlier repairs, so the article does not assume either history.

This is common on long-lived irrigation systems. A property may contain original buried piping, valves from different generations, a newer controller, older backflow equipment, and sprinkler heads that have been replaced multiple times.

An AVB located in the basement

The property also had an atmospheric vacuum breaker, or AVB, located in the basement. That arrangement reflects an older irrigation plumbing layout that can look very different from the exterior PVB or RPZ assemblies commonly seen on newer systems.

Backflow requirements depend on the municipality, plumbing arrangement, device type, and current local requirements, so older systems should be evaluated as they actually exist rather than assumed to match a newer standard layout.

Why sprinkler systems should be tested after fence work

After fence installation, landscape excavation, patio work, utility trenching, or similar projects, Hunter HydroTech recommends operating affected zones and checking for unexpected wet areas, loss of pressure, heads that no longer operate, water surfacing near posts or trenches, cut wire, and disturbed valve boxes.

West Bloomfield sprinkler repair

Hunter HydroTech provides sprinkler repair, irrigation leak detection, pipe repair, valve service, wire tracking, and system troubleshooting throughout Southeast Michigan.

For local information, visit our West Bloomfield irrigation service area or West Bloomfield sprinkler repair page.