Repairing a leak in the misting line

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Leaks happen in any type of watering system. I have two systems here, one for general watering, and one for misting, and over the years they sometimes develop a leak. The lines are just plastic after all, and even the tiniest nick in a line that's under pressure can create a terrible leak underground.

Yesterday afternoon the Woman in My Life discovered a very strange little hole in the garden. At first I thought that it might be the tunnel of some little creature, so I just covered it up, and stepped on it. But she went back to do more exploring, and found that the hole had been created by a high-pressure leak in my misting system. It was all wet and muddy, so I turned off the system for the night, and waited for it to dry out.

Fixing something like this takes no small amount of contortion, as you need to squeeze yourself between the plants. I'm not as young as I used to be, and while I can still do it, I feel it in my back and knees. So when I fix it, I do a very solid fix.


The first thing I did this morning was to cut the line where I saw the leak, and dig away enough so that I could get the two ends of the line close enough to each other so I could do a compression fitting. There's a nice little neighborhood hardware store that I like to go for this kind of stuff, and a few years ago I simply presented my problem to them, and they recommended a brass compression fitting. I keep a few spares for emergencies just like this.


Over the years I've done this often enough that I know the drill - slide the bolt over the line, put the compression fitting on (both sides) then tighten down. It takes two pliers, and you really do have to make it tight!


I turned on the water, checked for leaks, tightened it a bit more, and then covered it back up. The idea, of course, is that nothing shows when you're done.

I just love taking care of my garden. It's work, but it's a labor of love. Time to drink some coffee, and enjoy the garden!

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