How to Dig Sprinkler Lines

By Hand

• 1

  Contact your local utility company to help you mark the utility lines in the yard. Study the ground ahead of time to confirm that you won’t be digging into power or water lines.

• 2

  Water the lawn well two days before you plan to trench. This loosens up the soil and allows the shovel or trencher to dig into the ground more easily.

• 3

  Lay string down on the lawn along the areas where your irrigation plan calls for trenching. Lay out tarps on both sides of the trenching area to make cleanup easier.

• 4

  Uproot the grass on top of the areas where you plan to dig. Insert a shovel into the ground, step on it and dig the trenches as planned starting at the area closest to the irrigation valves. Lay the sod or grass patches on the tarp to one side and the soil on the other tarp.

• 5

  Dig the trenches anywhere from 8 to 18 inches deep. If you live in an area that sees lots of hard freezes, dig the trenches deeper. If the winter weather isn’t so harsh in your area, the trenches can be shallower.

By Trencher

• 6

  Fill the trenching machine with gas.

• 7

  Turn on the trenching machine and move it over the future trenching area with the trencher boom facing away from you. You’ll be standing behind the trencher and pulling it to dig.

• 8

  Lower the trenching boom, which is the chainsaw-like piece at the tip of the machine, just above the trenching area, and activate it. Set the speed to low.

• 9

  Lower the trenching boom into the ground, until you’ve achieved penetration. Raise the speed of the boom, until you’ve reached a comfortable pace, and lower the boom completely, until you’ve achieved the desired depth.

• 10

  Pull the trencher along the path of the future sprinkler system lines, until the system is completely trenched. Only dig straight lines with the trencher. Use a hand-shovel or a standard shovel for corners and turns.