Finding buried sprinkler system control box

[GON]

Need to repipe a barley buried underground sprinkler system.

Challenge is the control box is buried under a large tarp, and then covered with gravel. I prefer not to remove all the gravel and then the tarp. That makes a mess, and always a chance the box is not anywhere I think it might be.

One course of action is to cut the sprinkler pipe, and run a Milwaukee plumbers scope from the cut towards the control box. Once at the control box, Milwaukee has a camera finder, that above ground will pinpoint the camera underground. Not excited to spend that kind of money. Looking for alternatives.

One alternative may be a voltage finder, but I suspect the unknown controller is 5vdc, so not a lot of power to find.

Any recommendations to find this hidden/ buried sprinkler control box?

 

[AZjeff]

Are you talking about the solenoid zone valves in a box? Maybe use a piece of pipe or digging bar to bump the ground and see if you can hear or feel the box when you're over it?

Did you ever try to use divining wires to find buried pipes and electric wires?

 

[GON]

Are you talking about the solenoid zone valves in a box?

Did you ever try to use divining wires to find buried pipes and electric wires?

Yes, looking for the solenoid zone valve box.

Will have to Google divning wires, never heard of it.

 

[spasm3]

Is there metal in the box? Friend with a metal detector ?

 

[mrsilv04]

Did you ever try to use divining wires to find buried pipes and electric wires?

I can do that. My Dad is a retired Electrician and he would call me to jobsites to locate stuff for him.

I worked with a guy who was a big follower of James Randi. Co-worker insisted that it was impossible for me to locate things underground. Well, OK.

When I can walk across a piece of property that I've never set foot on in my life, and find things like water lines, field tiles, and buried electrical cables.... I must be really, really good at guessing where they are.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

I've found buried sprinkler heads with a metal detector. Guess it picked up a signal on the metal spring inside the head. The detector I have only penetrates 4" deep though. It's a cheap one, but works. If you're looking for that solenoid zone box, like AZjeff said, you should get a signal. Depends how thick the layer of gravel is over the box. Purchased my metal detector online from Walmart. It was 50% off. Cost me $ 40 bucks. Use to use divining rods on my old job as a Natural Gas mechanic at a utility company. Their nothing more than 2 metal rods bent at 90 degrees. I used welding rods. They worked well for me, but takes some practice to learn how to use them.

 

[mk378]

Use an underground wire finder. Put tone on the wires at the timer control box then trace them out through the yard they will end at the solenoids. The voltage and the size of the wires does not matter, any conductor can be found.

 

[Allaned]

"Challenge is the control box is buried under a large tarp, and then covered with gravel. I prefer not to remove all the gravel and then the tarp. That makes a mess, and always a chance the box is not anywhere I think it might be."

How big is this tarp?. You state you DO have in idea where the box is (under the tarp's area). I see the problems as you see it is removing the gravel. I think I would start probing the perimeter of the tarp area with a steel rod and find the water line coming out of the box and the direction of that line. Should aim you right at the box.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I second the wire finder. I got a cheap one to find where the speaker wire in my home theater walls was before cutting holes to pull it out.