What to do in an artificial grass installation that has a broken pipe

When calculating how much artificial turf will be needed for an installation, you should always add 10% just in case in the future it is necessary to make any repairs for any damage that has occurred, so there are no variations with the rest of the installation.

Sometimes up to 15% more should be added to the measurement depending on the shape of the terrain. In the article "Before installing artificial grass: How to take the measurements for circular, square, or triangular surfaces" you will get all the details on this topic of the measurements and the cutting of the turf.

What to do where there are sprinklers in the installation field?

When a client wants an artificial turf installation, the contractor should warn them that there are different ways to install in terms of budget in areas where there are sprinklers.

1) The fastest and cheaper way, but the least recommended, is to close or plug the sprinklers. That is to say, seal the tip so it becomes unusable even though the pipe will continue to receive water even though it cannot exit.

This system may result in a future rupture of the pipe. Because it will begin to leak, and the water will damage the base and dissolve the soil in the area. Therefore, the synthetic turf will be sinking in that specific place and forming a kind of navel in the turf that in most cases is about 6 inches by 6 inches or maybe a little bit bigger in some cases.

2) The second way to work in the areas where there are sprinklers has two options:

- First, they can be relocated to the perimeter. If the owner wants to keep them, either for watering some natural garden nearby or because this area will be used by pets or children, it needs to be refreshed.

- Secondly, those sprinklers can be completely removed from the ground, and the main inlet where the water comes from can be plugged. This is more expensive, and it takes more time, but it guarantees that in the future there will be no problems with the synthetic turf in terms of water overflows.

The contractor must warn the client that if the pipe is not relocated or shut down, any future damage will be their responsibility, not the contractors.

In case the first option is chosen, it is important to relocate and install them above the turf, not below it, so that when repairs are needed, the synthetic turf will not have to be perforated or peeled off.

What to do if a pipe breaks under the grass?

The correct way to lift the artificial turf to repair a broken pipe is:

1) Cut the grass in the shape of a cross slightly larger than the size of the sinkhole caused by the hole under the turf. This cut must be made with force and firmness because the grass is made thick and heavy by the sand on top of it and that makes it more difficult to cut.

2) Once the cross-cut has been made, it is necessary to put plastic or cardboard on top of the synthetic grass to start digging and not to damage or dirty the lawn with the aggregate that must be removed or excavated to be able to repair the pipe. If the installation has a weed barrier under the artificial turf and on top of the aggregate, it must also be cut.

The cut should not be made very close to the size of the sinkhole but a little larger to have enough room to maneuver, because in many cases the break is not exactly located at the point where the cut is made but farther away, so it must be easily located.

3) Once the pipe break has been identified, it has to be cut and replaced by another pipe, and two new joints have to be made.

4) Now you have to fill again the space where the repair was made, for which it is necessary to use more soil than was removed to compensate for the void that had been produced before by the water canister.

5) A board is placed on top of the aggregate, and it is beaten with a mallet until it is compacted. Then, a new piece of weed barries has to be placed on top of that space, and finally, the aggregate has to be added on top, compacted, and leveled again the piece of land at the same height as the rest of the installation.

6) When closing the open cross layers of the artificial turf, the back side of the artificial turf should be taped in an X-shape and glued.

7) Before gluing the grass to the floor, it is necessary to vacuum the edges that were cut in the shape of a cross very well and thus eliminate any trace of sand, dirt, or dust so that the joints can be well glued. So no lumps or residues can be noticed, spoiling the work.

8) Now, apply the glue to the tape and proceed to glue the joints. Then, when finished, the area should be filled again with one or two bags of sand. Then the grass should be brushed to ensure that the joint is not noticed because of the cuts made and that the fibers of the new grass remain upright.

Grass remnants

If the grass is torn, damaged, or broken when it is detached from the base at the time of cross-cutting, then it is necessary to use the grass remnants that the customer must have saved.

The steps to follow are:

-Cut in a square shape and remove all the area that was to be cross-cut.

-Take the measurement and prepare a sheet of the same size with the saved grass remnant.

-If the cut of the new grass is larger than the space to be covered, it is necessary to make the joint with the cross seam method.

-It must be ensured that the new piece of turf does not have any sand residue before applying the glue strips and glue in all the new joints.

If you want more information or have any questions, please contact us. We are here to assist you personally in any of our stores, also by phone or by any of our other means of communication. In addition, you get a lot of data, tips, and advice for a successful installation in the articles published in our blog.

We are located in:

• BROWARD SHOWROOM 6501 Northwest 12th Avenue
  Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309 Suite #1312. Call Us: 844-579-6887.
• MIAMI SHOWROOM Miami International Commerce Center 1839 NW 79 Avenue, Doral, FL 33126. Call Us: 844-579-6887.
• WEST PALM BEACH SHOWROOM 7257 Westport place Suite B2 West Palm Beach, FL 33413. Call Us: 844-579-6887.
• ORLANDO SHOWROOM 51 Maguire Rd. Ocoee, FL 34761. Call Us: 844-579-6887.