As I was drying off after wading in the water to clear the weeds I started the pump. I got dry and dressed while the pipes were pressured up. I didn't see any sprinklers going as I walked to the hayfield. Then I realized I forgot to open the sprinkler valves when setting up the sprinkler lines. I ran as fast as I could to open the valves but it was too late. The mainline pipes came apart due to the pressure.
The last three pipes shot away from the mainline when a wire holding one pipe to another came undone. Two steel pipes and one aluminum pipe. With the water flowing I had to go get the tools and sledgehammer and rubber boots and then try to put the pipes back together. I got one steel pipe connected to the mainline. Then the aluminum pipe. But I could not get the last steel pipe reconnected to the mainline. The steel pipes can be difficult to attach to the aluminum pipes, and with water filling the pipe it was harder still.
As I walked back to the river to turn off the pump I saw the rubber gasket from the first steel pipe laying on the ground. So that is why that steel pipe slid into the aluminum pipe so easily.
With the water turned off I fixed the mainline pipes. I restarted the pump. With the water flowing I noticed one sprinkler head would get stuck at either the 2 o'clock position or the 8 o'clock position. Don't know why, but sometimes when the sprinklers sit a while they act up. I replaced the sprinkler head.
Now I have about a week of moving pipes before I can quit for the year. Because I made and added the 44 foot pipe my mainline is off. It is about 15 feet too long. I'll have to wing the end sprinkler lines back away from the road when I get those pipes there.
I lost about a half hour fixing the mainline pipes and restarting the pump. I was furious that I forgot to open the sprinkler valves.
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