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UGLY RUST STAINS ON MY HOUSE

QUESTION: I have ugly rust stains on my house, driveway and sidewalk that is coming from my sprinkler water. What causes this?

ANSWER: Iron particles that are suspended in the water mix with oxygen when they are sprayed from the sprinkler and that forms rust. The solution that you buy at Home Depot or Lowes mixes with the sprinkler water and forms a coating around the iron particles. This way, they cannot mix with the oxygen and create an ugly rust stain. These chemicals are expensive ($8.00 a gallon) and many times you need to add 2 or 3 gallons a month. Fortunately, there is an easier way to solve this problem. Read below.

QUESTION: Why do I have the problem with RUST ON MY HOUSE and my neighbors don't?

ANSWER: They might be using more of the chemical that binds with the iron, but the chances are, their water intake is closer to the surface than your water intake. The iron particles in the water are heavy so they tend to settle to the bottom. If your water intake is close to the bottom, then you are sucking in a higher concentration of iron and can expect to see more rust on your house.

SOLUTION: An easy solution is to float your water intake closer to the surface. This way, you will not suck in as much iron. More iron means more rust.

Note: Your water intake (the end of your pipe) should to be 18" to 30" below the surface of the water. If it is too close to the surface, it will start sucking air in which could damage your sprinkler pump. Most people use a small weight to hold the end down.

QUESTION: What do people use to float their water intakes?

ANSWER: PVC tubes capped at both ends, decoys, anything that floats that doesn't look too unsightly. In fact, depending on how your quickly your lake bottom drops off, you may be able to support your water intake from the bottom. This way, you will not need a float.

QUESTION: What is at the end of my sprinkler pipe that goes into the water?

ANSWER: At the end of your sprinkler pipe is a tube with screen around it, or a PVC tube with slits in it. The slits or screen keeps big things from being sucked into you sprinkler. If a small fish or weeds were sucked into your sprinkler, they would clog your system and some of the sprinkler heads may not pop up. Chances are, if your house is more than 2 years old, the screen has probably rusted out and needs to be replaced, or the slits in the PVC have become plugged.

Note: It is a good idea to clean your sprinkler intake once a year and check it for holes.