If you're reading this, there's a fair chance you've just broken something in your retic and there's water going everywhere. Maybe you reversed over a sprinkler head, maybe you were digging a garden bed and hit a pipe, or maybe the mower caught a riser. It doesn't matter how it happened — it's one of the most common fixes in Perth and you can sort it out yourself in about 20 minutes with a quick trip to Bunnings.
This guide covers the basics: how to stop the water, work out what you've broken, get the right parts, and fix it properly so it doesn't leak.
In this guide:
First: Turn Off the Water
Before you do anything else, stop the water. It doesn't matter how bad the break is — you need to stop the flow so you can see what you're working with.
If your retic runs off mains water: Find your retic controller (it's usually mounted on a wall near your meter box or in the garage) and turn it to the OFF position. The water should stop within a minute once the solenoid valve closes.
If your retic runs off a bore: Turn off the bore pump at the switchboard. Your switchboard should have a dedicated breaker labelled for the bore or the retic — flick it off.
If you can't find the controller, or the water isn't stopping: You might have a mainline break (the pipe between the water meter and the solenoid valves, which is always under pressure). In that case, turn off the water at the meter. Walk to the front of your property, find the green or black lid near the boundary, lift it, and turn the tap clockwise until it stops. The water will stop within a minute.
Quick tip: If the water stops when you turn the controller off, the break is on a lateral line (after the solenoid). If the water keeps flowing, the break is on the mainline (before the solenoid) and you'll need to turn it off at the meter.
Work Out What You've Broken
Perth retic systems are made up of a few key parts, and the fix depends on which one you've damaged.
Sprinkler head or riser: The pop-up sprinkler is cracked, snapped off, or the riser (the threaded piece connecting the head to the pipe) is broken. This is the easiest fix and the most common one.
Lateral line: These are the smaller pipes — usually 19mm low-density poly in garden beds or 20mm PVC in lawns — that run from the solenoid valve out to each sprinkler head. If you were digging and hit a pipe that's feeding a single sprinkler or a small group, it's probably a lateral.
Mainline: This is the larger pipe (usually 25mm PVC) that runs from your water meter to the solenoid valves. It's under constant mains or bore pressure, so if this is what you've broken, you'll know about it — the water flow will be stronger and it won't stop when you turn the controller off. Fix this one properly.
Solenoid valve: The valve that controls each zone, usually buried in a valve box or group near the front or side of the house. It's less common to damage a solenoid, but it can happen if you're digging near the meter or along the side of the house. If water is pooling around a valve box, or a zone won't turn on or off, the solenoid might be the issue.
How to Measure the Pipe
This is the step that catches people out. If you get the pipe size wrong, the fittings won't fit and you'll be back at Bunnings for a second trip.
The easiest method is to wrap a piece of string or a cable tie around the outside of the pipe, mark where it meets, and measure the length. That gives you the circumference, and the staff at Bunnings can match it to the right size fitting.
Even easier: cut a small piece of the broken pipe off (a couple of centimetres is plenty) and take it with you. Hold it up against the fittings display and match it directly.
Common sizes in Perth retic systems:
- 13mm poly — smaller lateral lines, older systems, drip irrigation
- 19mm low-density poly — garden bed laterals (the most common poly pipe in Perth retic)
- 20mm PVC — lawn laterals (rigid white or grey pipe)
- 25mm PVC — mainlines (rigid white or grey pipe, larger diameter)
Keep in mind that low-density poly pipe is measured by its inside diameter, while PVC and metric poly are measured by the outside. The Bunnings staff in the irrigation aisle can help you match it if you bring the piece in.
What You Need from Bunnings
Here's what to grab depending on what you've broken.
For a broken poly pipe (19mm lateral, garden bed):
- A barbed poly joiner in the right size (they push into the pipe)
- Two ratchet clamps or worm-drive clamps to secure each end
- A sharp knife or poly pipe cutters
For a broken PVC pipe (20mm or 25mm, lawn lateral or mainline):
- A PVC telescopic repair coupling in the right size — these slide over the break without needing to dismantle the whole run
- PVC primer and solvent cement — go to the plumbing aisle at Bunnings and ask for primer and cement for pressure pipe. They'll sort you out with the right ones.
- A hacksaw or PVC pipe cutters for a clean cut
For a broken sprinkler head:
- A replacement pop-up sprinkler head (same brand and type helps, but most standard heads are interchangeable)
- A new riser if the threaded piece is also broken
- Thread tape (white teflon tape)
Budget: A poly pipe repair is usually under $15. A PVC pipe repair with a telescopic coupling is around $10 to $20. A replacement sprinkler head is typically $5 to $15 depending on the type.
Fixing a Broken Pipe — Step by Step
Poly pipe (garden beds)
- Dig out around the break so you've got room to work. Clear the soil away from both sides of the pipe so you can see clean pipe on each end.
- Cut out the damaged section with a sharp knife or pipe cutters. Make your cuts straight — not at an angle — and make sure the pipe ends are clean.
- Push the barbed joiner into one end of the pipe, then the other. If the pipe is stiff or cold, dip the ends in hot water for 30 seconds or rub a bit of dishwashing liquid or soapy water on the barbs. It makes a big difference.
- Slide a clamp over each end and tighten them down. Firm is good — you don't need to crank them as hard as you can, just enough that the pipe won't pull off the joiner.
- Turn the water back on and check for leaks at the join. Let it run for a couple of minutes.
- If it's dripping, tighten the clamps a touch more. If it's still leaking, turn the water off, pull it apart, and check that the pipe is fully seated on the barbs.
- Once it's dry, backfill with soil and tamp it down gently.
PVC pipe (lawns and mainlines)
- Dig out around the break and clear the soil well away from the pipe. You need a clean, dry working area for PVC cement to bond properly.
- Cut out the damaged section with a hacksaw or PVC pipe cutters. Straight, clean cuts are important.
- Slide a telescopic repair coupling over one end of the pipe, then extend it across to the other end. These are designed for exactly this situation — they bridge the gap without needing to pull the whole pipe run apart.
- Prime the inside of the coupling and the outside of the pipe ends with PVC primer. Then apply PVC solvent cement to both surfaces, push the coupling into position, and give it a slight twist to spread the cement evenly.
- Hold it in place for about 30 seconds and then leave it alone. Give the joint at least two hours before turning the water back on. The cement needs time to set properly — test it too early and the join can blow apart under pressure.
- Turn the water back on slowly and check for leaks.
- Once you're happy it's sealed, backfill and compact the soil.
Important: Keep dirt out of the pipes while they're open. Soil and sand can block solenoid valves and clog sprinkler heads, which creates more problems down the track. If dirt has gotten into the pipe, flush it by turning the water on briefly before you glue the coupling in place.
Safety note: PVC primer and solvent cement give off strong fumes — work in a well-ventilated area and wear gloves. Keep them away from open flames as the fumes are flammable.
Fixing a Broken Sprinkler Head
- Dig carefully around the broken sprinkler to expose the riser — that's the threaded fitting that connects the pop-up head to the pipe below.
- Unscrew the broken head from the riser by turning it anticlockwise. If the riser itself is snapped, unscrew the riser from the fitting below it the same way.
- Wrap thread tape around the thread of the new riser or sprinkler head. Wrap it clockwise (so it tightens as you screw it on, not unravels). Three or four wraps is plenty.
- Screw the new head onto the riser (or the new riser onto the fitting) by hand, then snug it up. You don't need tools for this — hand-tight plus a quarter turn is enough.
- Turn on that zone from the controller and watch the head pop up. Check that it's spraying in the right direction and covering the area it should.
- Most pop-up heads have a small adjustment screw on top that controls the spray arc and distance. Use a flat-head screwdriver to dial it in.
- Backfill the soil around the head, making sure the top of the sprinkler sits flush with ground level so the mower doesn't catch it.
When to Call a Retic Specialist
Most retic repairs are genuinely straightforward, but there are a few situations where it's worth getting someone in.
- Mainline breaks you're not confident with — the mainline is under constant pressure and a bad repair will leak and waste water (and money) until it's fixed properly.
- Solenoid valve or controller problems — if a zone won't turn on, won't turn off, or the controller isn't responding, there might be an electrical issue with the wiring or the valve itself.
- Multiple breaks in the same area — if the pipes are cracking in several places, the system might be old and brittle. A retic specialist can assess whether it's worth repairing or if that section needs replacing.
- Bore pump issues — if the bore isn't pumping properly or the pressure has dropped, that's a job for someone with bore experience. Don't try to fix the pump yourself.
A retic repair call-out in Perth typically runs between $120 and $200 for a straightforward fix. If the system needs more extensive work, they'll usually quote you on the spot.
Preventing Future Retic Damage
Once you've fixed the break, a few small things can save you from doing this again.
Know where your retic runs. Walk around your yard and look at where the sprinkler heads are — the pipes connect them in a line, usually running parallel to the fence or the house. The mainline typically runs down one side of the property from the meter to the solenoid valves, then the laterals branch out from there.
Probe before you dig. Before you put a shovel in the ground for anything — garden beds, posts, trees — push a long screwdriver into the soil first. If you hit something hard at 100 to 200mm deep, it's probably a pipe. Take the time to find it before you dig through it.
If you're building a fence, tell your fencer where the retic runs. Post holes are one of the most common ways retic gets damaged. If you know roughly where the lines are, point them out before the digging starts. If you're planning a fence project and want to talk through how to work around your retic, have a look at our guide to planning your fence line.
Move vulnerable sprinkler heads. If you've got a pop-up head right next to the driveway that keeps getting reversed over, or one in the middle of the lawn that the mower hits every week, it might be worth moving it 300mm in from the edge. It's a 20-minute job with a new riser and a short length of poly, and it'll save you from replacing the head every few months.
Check your system at the start of the season. Before summer hits, run each zone manually from the controller and walk the yard while it's running. Look for heads that aren't popping up, areas that are staying dry, or spots where water is pooling where it shouldn't be. Catching a small leak early is a lot easier than dealing with a blowout in January.
One more thing: If you've got an older retic system with 19mm poly mainlines instead of 25mm PVC, the whole system is more prone to leaks and pressure issues. It's worth asking a retic specialist whether upgrading the mainline to PVC would save you money in the long run on repairs and water bills.
This is general guidance for common retic repairs in Perth. Every system is a bit different, and if you're not sure about something, it's always worth calling a local retic specialist to have a look. Probuild PVC Fencing is a fencing manufacturer — we included this guide because we know how often retic gets hit during fence projects, and we figured it'd be useful to have it all in one place.
