Question
Hi Jim
I have a 5 zone sprinkler system. Each time the system
begins, I get brown water coming through all the faucets in
my house. I thought the problem might be a faulty backflow preventer. I had a plumber look at it and sure enough there was a problem. Installed new backflow preventer
but still have brown water problem coming out of faucets only while sprinkler ststem is running. The problem stops once system has completed cycle. The house is 20 years old with propylene piping. Could the problem be stemming from
a connection between the main water valve and and sprinkler valve? or could it be that I have a leak in my water line?
To add, there is no water coming up from the ground. I am
completely frustrated and would appreciate your advise.
Thank you
Denise

Answer
Hey Denise, I hope this helps. I'm going to assume that you are getting your water from a domestic source (city, county, etc. ) and that you have some kind of water meter. One thing to keep in mind, is that when the sprinklers are running, it is going to draw a lot more water then when you use or open a faucet in the house. One thing that could be happening, is that your domestic source of water is causing the brown water. When the system is running, put a bucket or container by a sprinkler head, and catch some water to see  what it looks like. To tell if you have a leak in your line from the meter to the house, don't run any water, and check the meter, and see if it is moving, or registering any water being used. If it is moving slowly, it could have a leak in it, but as you say, you don't see any water from the ground. It almost sounds to me, like whoever is supplying your water, is the problem. Normally if you have a leak in a pipe, the water is going to flow out of the pipe, and not allow dirt to enter the pipe, and then flow back into the pipe. If it was me, I would disconnect the main water line to the house, right at the meter, and hook a temporary piece of pipe sticking out of the ground. then I would turn the meter back on, and observe in a container, what this water looks like with full pressure. I've had systems continue to clog up for weeks, after the city has done work on repairing their water mains. Let me know if I can be of anymore help. Good luck and have a great day.