Dog Proofing Your Irrigation
Sally Washo of Surprise, AZ just adopted a rescue dog a few weeks ago. Recently, when outside for yard work, she noticed large wet spots throughout her back yard. “The wet spots went beyond the normal ones that appear when the drip system runs. I knew something was wrong. When I started looking around I noticed my drip system was leaking all over the place. Drip heads were chewed off and many were yanked completely out of the ground. Then I saw Bandit digging around one of my bushes and he had a piece of drip tube in his mouth.”
Bandit apparently attacked the drip system causing a lot of damage. According to Dennis Lee of D&L Sprinkler Service, the company Sally called for repairs, it’s a very common problem. “A dog is a sprinkler repair man’s best friend,” jokes Dennis. “They see and hear the water running through the system and they go after it like it’s a toy. Left unattended, dogs can do a lot of damage to drip systems, digging up tubing, chewing drip heads and yanking the ¼” spaghetti tube out of the main ½” drip line. This can cause major leaking and if the owner isn’t aware of the problem it can increase the water bill dramatically.”
So what can you do to dog proof your drip system? Dennis has this helpful advice for dog owners, “There are several things you can do to lessen the damage or stop this from happening altogether.”
“First, never set the timer to run the system when the dog is outside. Pick a time when the dog will be indoors to run the system. Maybe that’s very early in the morning or late at night. If the dog cannot see or hear the system run he will not be so enticed to go after it.”
“Second, make sure your dog has plenty of water when he’s outside. If he’s hot and thirsty, a running dripper head looks like a good place for a drink. If he’s got plenty of fresh cool water in a dog dish or dispenser, he will be a lot less likely to chew drip heads looking for water.”
“Third, you may want to consider burying all of the exposed ¼” line and dripper heads. Normally, these are left exposed for the homeowner to inspect for water output. But in cases when the dog will not leave them alone, the best course of action is to bury them. Out of sight, out of mind as they say.”
“Lastly, there is no substitute for supervision and training. Dog owners have to manage their dog’s behavior. Dogs should be discouraged from digging and chewing on the system as often as needed until the dog stops engaging in the behavior.”
Dogs not only attack drip systems but sprinkler heads in lawns as well. Dogs have been known to chew the tops of the sprinkler heads so they don’t spray properly anymore or dig at the base of sprinkler heads until the pipe underneath is exposed to the sun.
Dennis says, “For lawns, make sure sprinkler heads are installed properly. Sprinkler heads should be flush/level with the grass when they are fully retracted (when the system is OFF). If they stick up beyond the grass line not only are they more exposed for dogs to find but they are also more easily damaged by lawn mowers and trimmers.”
Experts agree there is no foolproof way of dog proofing your irrigation system but you can definitely catch problems early before they become a crisis. Dennis has more helpful advice, “I always tell new dog owners to do a weekly inspection of their irrigation system. They can do it themselves. All they need to do is turn the system on and walk around the property.”
He says to make sure the drip heads are not damaged or putting out too much water. Watch for puddles and unusual wet spots. Watch for water bubbling up out of the ground. Make sure lawn sprinkler heads are still spraying an even spray pattern over the grass and nothing is exposed or bubbling up out of the ground. A brief weekly inspection you can do yourself will familiarize you with your system and make problems easy to spot when they occur. Keep inspecting the system on a weekly basis until the dog is no longer interested in the system.
Dennis recommends homeowners regularly inspect their irrigation systems for leaks and problems before the effects are seen on the water bill. According to Dennis, leaks that go on for long periods of time can lead to other problems such as sink holes, molding soil, dying plants and trees, wet foundations and decaying walls. In the worst cases, he recommends you shut the timer off and stop the system from running until the leaks can be fixed.
And when problems occur that you cannot fix yourself, give Dennis a call he says, “I’ve been doing this since 1999 so there isn’t a problem that I can’t fix.”
To get your irrigation system into tip-top shape, make repairs or get advice about your landscaping, give the expert irrigation techs at D&L Sprinkler Service a call at 602-329-3396. Our friendly staff is available Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm.
