The weather has warmed up here and we’ve now moved into trenching season (the time after third winter and first false spring just before summer meltdown). That’s right, it’s time to dig up landscaping irrigation pipes, fix the ones frozen over winter and make the needed upgrades. I had a pipe burst this winter and discovered that the valve that controls the pipe is broken and needs fixing or replacing. Sadly, the pipe is 32 inches underground so my new exercise program is to grab a shovel and dig for one hour a day until I get a hole big enough and deep enough for me to get to the valve.
So far I’m about 26 inches deep with a hole just barely big enough for me to stand in. I calculated that I need to move about 30 square feet of dirt to replace the valve. I’m at about six moved so far:
And here’s the hole it came out of:
For the record, I won’t be using my exercise bike while this project is going on – at least I’ll be doing those upper body exercises the doctor wants me to do.
If you need me, I’ll be looking for my bottle of ibuprofen.
Andrew's View of the Week 
You are one busy little beaver, Andrew. Good for you!
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very busy.
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So sorry you had to do the replacement. Little by little is the smart way to go. I hope it gets resolved soon. 🙂
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I’m hoping in a week or two.
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Yikes, that’s a lot of digging! Your measured approach is a great idea – slow and steady wins the race. (Or the excavation.) Stay safe out there! 🙂
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It is a lot of work, but I figure an hour a day will save my back and since it’s not an urgent repair, doesn’t matter if it takes a week or two.
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We had to dig down to our septic tanks on our Colorado property because the previous owner apparently decided they never needed to be pumped. Then we installed casings and surface caps so we could easily get to them from then on. Seems like the right approach for irrigation valves as well. If Reno’s soil is as clay-filled as Colorado’s, the digging is brutal. Also, you reminded me how many seasons there really are out there (most of them “winter”). Four? Not even close.
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Surface access for the valve is just big enough to turn it off and on. I am thinking I might be able to relocate this valve closer to the surface. Here the soil is clay and rock (big rocks) and is hard digging. So far we’ve only had three winters, I’m expecting fourth winter to hit the day I’m ready to actually replace the valve.
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Mercy! You make my arms ache just thinking about all that digging. My hubby dug a bunch of trenches for drains around our house when we built it 23 years ago, but he just told me the other day his digging days like that are over. Just digging in the vegetable garden is enough. Anyway, good luck getting your project completed. Should I buy stock in ibuprofen?? 😉
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I don’t know how many more years of digging I have left, but I figure I’d better doing it now. Yes, an investment in ibuprofen might pay off while I’m doing this. 😉
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I’m sure that somebody in Las Vegas would be interested in buying your huge hole once you’ve finished with it. 26 square feet should be big enough for their needs.
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Good point, I’ll make some calls … 😉
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You’re the man! We had a pipe burst in the garage but a friend rode to our rescue. How great you have the skills to be your own hero!
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I like to be able to handle most of these kinds of things myself, but getting older is making it more difficult.
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Wow – Are you wearing one of those bright orange/yellow neon vests while you work. LOL
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Darn, I knew I forgot something … I got to go the safety store, be right back …
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Good grief, why is a valve on an irrigation system buried so deep?? Sure, our systems here are just under the surface, but we blow out all the water in the fall, so no freezing valves, broken pipes, etc.
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This is the valve that connects the irrigation system to the mainline of the house and out here they burry the mainlines about 2 feet down. The last owner did weird things and added a bunch of fill on top of that.
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Oh, I see. I once had to have a main line of some kind dug up in Oklahoma City. Two feet down through summer-baked Oklahoma clay. Had to pay a pretty penny for that.
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I’m trying to avoid paying a large digging bill. I figure the plumbing part will cost enough.
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Yikes!
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That’s a good word for it.
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