Replace sprinklerhead with a dowel in winter?

[mikefm101]

Hi,

At the end of my driveway is a specific sprinklerhead that every winter is sheared off and basically destroyed by the snow plow. Even with the head a bit below ground level the plow still gouges up the grass in that area, and it is where the plow always goes. Every few years I need to dig up the entire housing as it gets knocked out of vertical it's been hit so often. I've tried digging it deeper but there wasn't enough slack in the pipe to really make much of a difference.

I've had the system winterized already, and was wondering if I pull out the sprinklerhead and replace it with a wood dowel turned to fit on my lathe is that a viable way to save the head from damage this winter.

I'd put the regular head back in before activating the system in the spring, of course.

Any issues to doing this? It seems like an obvious solution but could not find anything on line about it.

Thanks, Mike

[crokett™]

I'm wondering why you can't pull the sprinkler head and screw a cap on. that presumes the dowel is meant to act as a plug.

[fixtureman]

Drive a post in beside the head

[woodhead]

Move the head!



Al

[Stwood_]

Cut the pipe off and move it up into the yard about 2 more feet.

[Mr_Mike]

Cut the pipe off and move it up into the yard about 2 more feet.

Else, pour a domed concrete ring around it with the head slightly recessed.

If it were me, I'd just move it.

[mikefm101]

Thanks guys.

I'll look,for the screw on caps one person suggested. I had googled sprinkler plugs, but maybe it should have been "cap"

Re moving it the head sits in a corner of the driveway so it waters a 270 degree arc. Moving it in a few feet messes up the coverage. It is a solution but kind of my third choice.

Besides, the ground is already mostly frozen so could not dig it up until after winter. First snowfall expected this Friday!

All the best...Mike

[crokett™]

my experience with lawn sprinkler systems is they are some variety of 'standard' plumbing threads - usually either 3/4", 1/2" or 3/8". yours may be different. what I've seen is the sprinkler head screws into a riser. So unless they make plugs where you can unscrew the sprinkler and screw in a plug I'd figure out how to get a short length of PVC pipe attached to where the sprinkler screws in, and put a cap on that.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Put a snow plow marker or two there. get them at Home Depot or lowes.

[mikefm101]

Driveway markers don't make a difference.

The driveway is 600' long. The guy who plows dumps the first 300' of the snow in the crook where the driveway bends at about 300'. The second 300' gets pushed to the end of the asphalt and that's where the head is. I put a marker out so he knows how far to clear, but he just drives over the marker and pushes the snow far into the yard because If we have a bad winter he needs the extra room to keep a spot for more snow. He just plows right through the marker, digging up the grass and tearing the sprinkler head with it.

Some years there has been enough snow piled up my boy would snowboard down it. The plow guy brings a front end loader if we get a big dump of snow. A Nor'easter will give us 3' in a weekend.

A few more years and we are moving south, probably Rhode Island. Wife and I want to get closer to the water, and get less snow. I also want a shorter driveway.

Mike