Locating Buried Irrigation Lines Before Fence/Tree Installation

New homeowner needs to map underground irrigation lines before digging for fence posts and trees.

Practical Methods

1. As-built drawings: Rarely exist for residential systems
2. Valve box location: Find boxes (green lids), trace pipes from there
3. Head excavation: Dig up one head per zone—see pipe direction at bottom
4. Shallow digging: Pipes typically <12" deep—hand-dig carefully
5. Wire tracing: Follow controller wires to valve boxes

Professional Option

Irrigation contractors use wire tracers to map entire systems. Cost: $150-300. Worth it for extensive landscaping projects.

Safe Digging Practice

• Hand-dig first 12-18"
• Use rounded shovel, not pickaxe
• Mark found lines with flags
• Take photos for future reference