Pro Handyman Blog

This Las Vegas handyman does lots of repairs to sprinklers. Our climate is such that during the summer, if the landscape doesn’t get irrigated daily, even multiple times daily, the landscape will die quickly. So it doesn’t help when the sprinkler head gets hit with the lawnmower.

When sprinkler heads get hit or kicked, it’s not the sprinkler head that breaks, it is the riser that it is screwed into. The riser is a threaded fitting that connects the sprinkler head to the elbow. When the riser snaps off, it can sometimes be a challenge to get out. If there is any of the riser still sticking out of the elbow, you can try to grab it with pliers and turn it out. This, however, can lead to tearing the rest of the riser off flush with the elbow.

Then it’s time to grab the extractor. A sprinkler riser extractor is a cheap tool that works great. It is shaped like the letter “T” and has a tapered set of teeth at the bottom. Place the tapered end into the riser, apply some pressure, and start turning. The teeth will bite into the riser and unscrew it.

With the broken riser removed, you might try installing a shorter riser so that an impact will lessen the chances of breaking it again.