How to repair Polyethylene (Black Plastic) sprinkler pipe

Step by step instructions for repairing Polyethylene (Black Plastic) pipe. Parts in video are annotated.
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[@jeremycouturier8787]

We use 1" poly up here in New England because it's suited for the freeze/ thaw cycle. It holds up very well when pulled by a Ditch Witch. You don't need to use WD-40 if you heat the pipe ends with a small propane torch for a 3 count. This repair would take me less than a minute and last for a long time. Love your videos, keep up the great work!

[@kenibnanak5554]

I usually heat the brass coupler rather than the pipe, but the end result is the same.

[@Man0rMonster]

Thanks! I just got repairing my sprinkler line a few minutes ago thanks to you. It's people like you who make the Internet great!

[@arnoldrkelly]

Terrific. I struggled with the exact same repair today. I could not make it work. I did not know I need the clamps. The Home Depot guy said that the fitting would work, and did not suggest I needed the clamps. Will be back at it tomorrow with clamps, and it should work this time. Thanks again.

[@ryanwightable]

I hate this pipe. The previous owner of my house ran it all over the 1 acre property. Sometimes it’s above grade, sometimes 1-2” below grade, sometimes 10” below. Above grade it has gotten brittle and springs leaks all the time. It’s a miracle I haven’t hit it with an aerator yet. Needless to say your videos have been extremely helpful to me. Thank you!

[@riokoertze9212]

Thank you for this. I was gardening and cut through our irrigation pipe. I freaked out but now i know it's quite simple to mend!

[@robertlowrie1136]

Thanks for this video! I have a home built in 1968 with black PE and after struggling fixing leaks other ways, I was about to give up and install a new system. This video will let me get a few more years out of the black PE.

[@Iscaper]

Thanks for watching.

[@darylklenda9798]

Great, simple video. Helped me fix this problem when we cracked a low-pressure black pipe feeding drip lines. Thanks for the help!

[@Deezvf]

Thanks very much for the great video. Simple and easy to follow. Given me much needed encouragement to tackle a pierced underground swimming pool PE pipe this weekend.

[@TheCraftyGemini]

Woo-hoo!! YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER! I went to Lowe's today and found the right stuff. This line goes to a spigot in the vegetable garden/chickens/pig so I needed it fixed ASAP. It was leaking a bit at first but I kept tightening the hose clamps with everything I had until I finally did it! Gotta a love a woman with determination! lol. Thank you SO much for this vid. I really appreciate it! I'm a subscriber... keep up the great work. :o)

[@robertshielsthemeteorologi1914]

hole dug, pipe fixed, hydrangeas planted. i love it when one project leads to another! excellent video

[@Iscaper]

Thanks and I agree, most projects lead to other projects.

[@Iscaper]

Thanks, one reason I don't like poly pipe vs PVC is that over time it gets brittle and exhibits cracks. This happens on poly that I've run into that has been in the ground over 25 years. One advantage poly does have over PVC is that it will handle some freezing and not split where as PVC won't. Thanks for the tip on heating the poly.

[@Outdoor_Don]

This comment makes no sense

[@ruthmineke1982]

The landscapers used these pipes on my new construction 2023!

[@Iscaper]

I've often had to use 2 clamps on each side of the fitting to stop it from leaking. On sprinkler systems under a lot of pressure sometimes one clamp won't seal off. Also try a ratchet with I believe a 5/16" socket and try to torque the clamps just a little more, careful not to over do it or you'll strip out the clamp.

[@plurenr46]

Thanks, I will try a rachet, as I am up to three good clamps on one end of 40 year old 1 1/4" poly that cracked at the sprinkler, using a "poly-stretcher that seemed really slick. One drawback may be that alsthough space is limited, the barbed end seems to slide in very earsily, compared to a gray plastic barbed coupler.

[@laholly323]

What a great, well explained, intelligible video!!! Thanks!

[@Iscaper]

@dtocks123 Try taking a ratchet with a 5/16" socket and tighten hose clamps. You can get more torque with the ratchet and socket. Quit before stripping out the hose clamps. If that doesn't work you can try using 2 hose clamps on each end of the insert fitting instead of one. Make sure pipe is inserted far enough on insert fitting before trying the 4 hose clamps. Tighten these hose clamps with ratchet also.

[@TheCraftyGemini]

Great video! Where did you get that fitting with both ends looking the same and so long? The only ones I found at Home Depot were white and only one of the ends looks like yours. The other end is shorter and not as narrow? I'm having a REALLY hard time getting that end in the pipe. Thanks in advance for your response. :o)

[@spencerwest6122]

The Mr Rodgers of irrigation. Thanks for the video it was very helpful.

[@TheBigmongrel]

Black poly is still available in Australia along with fittings. My black poly system installed 2008 and still there going strong. Very popular, very durable and a lot easier and cheaper to install than white plastic pipe. Water pressure varies but the black poly handles it with ease. The clamps are black plastic and don't corrode like the hose clamps used in this video.

[@jeffloewi5632]

I followed everything you said and it would have been perfect first time but I left to wide a space between the ends. Measure twice, cut once. Now I have to do a second splice as you had to in your video. Thanks much though. Perfect video.

[@heroknaderi]

I enjoyed the video. I like how you took your time and got the fittings all the way in this way it;s done right the first time and will hold without issues. Solid video man. keep them coming.

[@Iscaper]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Iscaper]

You need the hose clamps or pressure will drive the pipe off the fitting. Use a little dish soap on the fitting and the pipe will go on much easier.

[@animeanibe]

Thanks a bunch, great video - straight to the point. I'm not sure where you are, but I'm in western NY, and home was built just under 20 years ago. The entire sprinkler system is poly pipe here.

[@Iscaper]

animeanibe I live in Salt Lake City. A lot of sprinklers systems here have Poly pipe.

[@Iscaper]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@Iscaper]

Sounds like a good solution. You must be good with a torch.

[@Iscaper]

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.

[@sunderp3818]

good video, i cut too much pipe and this is the only video which shows use of two couplers.. did as followed and worked well. thank you

[@Iscaper]

Thanks for watching.

[@Iscaper]

Good luck. Remember, if your poly pipe size is 3/4", you want a 3/4" poly insert coupling. I looked on Home Depot's & Lowe's web sites, and they do show a poly insert coupling in 3/4".

[@Iscaper]

I've never seen the black poly pipe used as the main line to a house. I've only seen it used in older sprinkler systems. The blue PE pipe is pretty common around here for water service lines, but it takes brass compression fittings. Not using primer on a water service line does sound a little risky. The water line is under constant pressure but the sewer wouldn't be.

[@jimmypalmisano9116]

I actually just repaired one today, black poly 1" and it had 4 pin holes in it?? Have no idea how it happened, and it's a water main for house

[@keith-kalfas]

Exactly what I needed. Thanks

[@Iscaper]

Thanks for watching.

[@Iscaper]

If you work on a lot of mobile homes you're probably familiar with the gray Polybutylene pipe, plastic fittings that were always breaking, and aluminum crimp rings. Have mobile homes gone to PEX now? If so, that is a good thing.

[@Iscaper]

I'm thinking you've got the wrong fitting. Both ends of the coupling should be identical and the same size. If someone is helping you, you want an insert coupling for poly pipe. You will probably need a 3/4" or 1" coupling. You can get insert fittings in plastic or galvanized, but I don't think I've ever seen one that is white. The plastic fittings are usually grey, and the galvanized fittings are a metallic color. I hope this helps.

[@Iscaper]

Have you ever had the pipe fail and leak where you heated it with the torch?

[@dianasnow8715]

Thank you so much for sharing your video. You have saved me.

[@Iscaper]

Glad it helped.

[@hughroughley3363]

just look up philmac fittings and it will give you a better solution as there are no clamps to rust under ground. always pays to make your pipe a little longer, this allows for expansion and contraction due to climatic condions throughout The year. if reusing old fittings be careful not to damage the babs on the tail, otherwise the join will leak.

[@Iscaper]

Thanks for commenting.

[@Iscaper]

Good luck and thanks for the feedback.

[@Iscaper]

I haven't seen insert fittings in brass, just steel and plastic. The steel insert fittings would be stronger but I've never had any trouble with the plastic insert fittings.

[@Iscaper]

If it's 1/2" drip tubing I would go with Netafim TLCOUP. It's a barb fitting so all you have to do is cut out your bad spot in the drip tubing and install the coupling.

[@davidvalentine2186]

Use more bands. Two on each side going different ways.

[@Iscaper]

Have you tried Christy's Red Hot Blue Glue for PVC pipe and fittings?

[@jdaniels1313]

What, not showing a pressure test after the repair, just to make sure it's not immediately spraying water all over from one of the repairs? There are two repairs that could fail, so a test would seem wise. I'm sure you probably DID do the test, before shoveling the dirt back in, and just didn't show it. In fairness, a small leak in one of the repairs, a few drips an hour or so, would be unimportant other than making the grass greener above that spot. However, a large leak, e.g. from a failure in one of the two plastic connections, would be a problem.

[@Iscaper]

You're correct, I tested the zone before backfilling.

[@tomwolf4148]

@@Iscaper You should have showed that so others will not screw up like you did by not showing or mentioning it.

[@Iscaper]

@@tomwolf4148 Good point, I'll remember for the future.

[@holdmybeard3160]

Great video. I had to get a socket wrench on my clamps as the handheld wrench just wasn't doing it.

[@Iscaper]

Thanks for watching.

[@aanzini7399]

Thanks dude...currently replacing polytubing with schedule 40.

[@johnvinga5446]

Use double clamps on each side of the barb insert, and aviation/bolt clamps are better than the worm drive variety.

[@johnkosheluk1041]

Kerry I have used soap to do that to but sum times the pip cracks I have found that if you use a touch to heat the pipe is goes in a lot easer

[@Iscaper]

Good tips, thanks.

[@markferrier6403]

Very helpful.

[@Iscaper]

Thanks!

[@ilovetacos210]

Soooo, the hardware store didn't have a coupler and I made a discovery. If you get a male and female threaded nipple, it's super easy to hammer them in and then twist them together with channel locks.

[@shawndavis9276]

i've done this multiple times with success, but i have a cut pipe coming out from under a patio to a valve body so only have about 2 feet to wiggle and the pipe doesnt line up just perfectly so every splice leaks! any tips, i have tried pvc cement, double clamps, wrapping and cement, no luck! please help if anyone has any ideas

[@Iscaper]

Sounds like you've tried almost everything. You might try cutting the pipe a little longer so that you can do a double bend to make it run into the fitting straight. Then maybe use galvanized insert fittings and try pinch clamps instead of hose clamps.

[@dtocks123]

Nice Vid, however, mine is till leaking. Any other tips?

[@kenibnanak5554]

It is interesting to me that you got so much flex out of such a short piece of line. I find I usually have to clear at least 6 or more feet of trench before the stiff plastic pipe can be flexed up and down.

[@Iscaper]

Usually I find a foot to a foot and a half on each side of the cut is enough.

[@tomwolf4148]

@@Iscaper and then you have a kink .......

[@JoseMartinez-iz4zc]

We use the unions for polyethylene pipes

[@louisel.3381]

My water well has a pipe running from inside the well to the surface and a black plastic pipe fits over that pipe to make a connection for sending water to my garden. There are two screw-driven clamps to secure the connection. The clamps are very tight. When the well is turned on, the black plastic pipe is forced off the pipe from the well. This is how it was when I bought the place. What can I do to fix this situation to keep the black pipe from blowing off the pipe from the well? Use a different kind of clamp, maybe?

[@keithwilson2103]

Compression coupling are a quicker option with great results. Also easier to do.

[@frithys1295]

I Sell them

[@TheCraftyGemini]

I had 3 employees helping me and still got the wrong thing. :o/ I'm gonna try again. Thanks so much for your reply! :o)

[@keysac22]

Bunch off odd untrue facts in this video...Poly pipe is absolutely not outdated for sprinkler systems, as a matter of fact most new irrigation systems are using it... It is cheaper, repairs are easier, it holds up better in cold climates, and it’s flexible(making repairs and install way easier.) Also Poly pipe is rated for around 100 psi and PVC is only rated for about 200 psi, not 500!

[@Iscaper]

I guess it's a matter of preference. Poly pipe that has been in the ground for a number of years gets brittle and cracks. I would much rather repair PVC pipe than poly pipe. PVC Class 200 pipe is rated at 200 psi, but PVC Schedule 40 pipe is rated much higher, up to 480 psi for 3/4" pipe.

[@davidfifer4729]

I wondered about that. We owned a home built in 1991 that had a PVC sprinkler system. Our current home (same neighborhood, built in 2009) has poly. We have cold winters. The poly seems let prone to breakage and easier to repair.

[@juliesuntonagh6689]

So my understanding is that PVC is old pipe and it cracks much more easily from cold or if any water gets left in it during a freeze, and also cracks more easily from tree roots. So I'm wondering why you think Polyethylene is old as my understanding is this is the newer pipe that sprinkler companies are using, and that they do not recommend pvc anymore. Can you extrapolate?

[@Iscaper]

I'm not a big fan of Poly pipe. Most Poly pipe is rated between 160-200 psi whereas PVC Schedule 40 pipe is rated over 400 psi. Poly pipe that I have encountered that has been in the ground 10+ years gets splits and cracks and in my case I haven't had that problem using PVC Schedule 40 pipe. I also don't like the insert fittings with pinch clamps used on Poly pipe. A lot sprinkler contractors are going to Poly pipe but I would guess most contractors still use PVC. As far as freeze damage, both PVC & Poly pipe are at risk if the pipe is full of water. Poly pipe is more flexible than PVC pipe so if tree roots are a factor the Poly pipe would probably fare better.

[@LookingBackLost]

Perfection... thank you so much!!!

[@wenskitomasz]

How tight should you tighten the clamps? I just cracked my conector on the final repair 😢

[@Iscaper]

I usually tighten clamps with a screwdriver then if they still leak I use a socket and ratchet to tighten a bit more.

[@tracyr5594]

I have only seen the poly pipe in michigan installs.

[@PeterSodhi]

Excellent thank you.

[@johnkosheluk1041]

I use a heat gun to soften the pipe

[@walterbrunswick]

WD40 no... any petroleum- or oil-based lubricant will swell up plastics, so if not water and dish soap then silicone lubricant... good video!

[@michelbartolini8340]

That tubing is exactly what I have and I can’t find the right barbed insert for it. What size is it and where do you get it?

[@Iscaper]

Probably 3/4" or 1"

[@michelbartolini8340]

@@Iscaper I found the right fitting and did exactly what you did, rubber mallet and clamps too and it is now leaking out where the two ends meet. I tightened the clamps down as hard as I could . I’m a woman in her 60”s so…..maybe too tight?

[@davidschwartz5127]

I had the very same problem as your showing in your video except down in the ground 18", OMG it was difficult to connect the second end to the barbed coupling. Isn't there a tool of fitting design to make this easier? I spent 2 1/2 hours screwing around with it and expect to return for a second shot at it!

[@Iscaper]

The trick is to expose around a foot of pipe on each side of the break so you can get a little flex in the pipe when installing the coupling.

[@davidschwartz5127]

That makes senses, I had about 3" on one end and 3' on the other end because I started chasing the water leak where the water was oozing from the pavers bricks on the sideway. I pounded in the barbed coupling on the 3" side no problem, but on the 3' side, I could not get the poly pipe to slide all the way on the coupling barb. I finally got the two ends close together by putting zip ties around all 4 of the poly pipes in the nest about every 3" apart but I still could see the last groove on coupling barb. I double clamped it hoping it stays together. Thanks! I have been thinking if I had it to do over(and I may) I would put a male adaptor on one end and female adaptor on the other side with the rubber mallet and then use a crows foot socket wrench to screw them together, then tighten the clamps.

[@karupakala]

Nice video. What kind of gloves are you using? Are the gloves washable?

[@ugh3501]

This just happened to me. Is there a reason he cut the pipe twice? And used two couplings?

[@Iscaper]

After cutting out the bad spot on the pipe the gap was too large for a single coupling to work.

[@yetijoeyetijoe]

Are there any different steps for a main water line between the meter and the house?

[@Iscaper]

I've never seen the black poly used as a service to the house, I've only seen it used in sprinkler systems. Most service lines from the meter to the house are copper, PVC, galvanized, or PE pipe.

[@555metman]

My couplings had threads and they screwed in pretty easily

[@frankie8617]

The easy way out is not always the correct way,people......DO NOT HEAT THE PIPE!!!bad advice,it may seem simple and quicker but it changes the chemistry of the pipe and after some time the connection always leaks.ive been installing sprinkler systems for 15 years and best way is a rubber mallet and some forearm strength 👍🏻

[@OakCliffTX82]

Obviously poly fitting is cheaper, but other than cost what's pro/con of barbed brass fittings vs straight brass vs poly

[@toddleccese5310]

You should have just heated it with torch

[@oscarpuntz2266]

Heat the pipe first will go-right on.

[@michealgwaltney6915]

What size brass barb fitting xo I use for3/4" black poly tubing?

[@Iscaper]

+Micheal Gwaltney Make sure you get a 3/4" insert fitting whether it's metal or plastic.

[@mikevosg]

For pipes you replace. I have a new way of recycling it: search for "Recycle irrigation plastic pipe" - mikevosg

[@jayc4715]

I found adapters that are pvc to work on this pipe its pvc male barbed to go into this

[@Iscaper]

Good to know, thanks for posting.

[@amishdinkledork]

Thanks for the video, so dumb that pvc compression couplings don't fit on this kind of pipe...

[@Iscaper]

Good comment, thanks for posting.

[@kevinweiss888]

heat the pipes with a torch and fitting slides like butter

[@Paintlacquer]

Where do you buy the gray fitting you are using?

[@Iscaper]

Poly Insert Fitting. Most sprinkler supply stores that stock poly pipe will sell the insert fittings. You can buy them in plastic or galvanized. Looks like Lowes sells them.

[@Paintlacquer]

Thanks

[@irishsavage8715]

Why not just use pex

[@Iscaper]

Pretty sure PEX pipe and fittings are for indoor use only.

[@coeneschamaun1735]

please help

[@whip205inthebam3]

Worst pipe I ever worked with in my entire life. The life span of the pipe isn't anything like PVC overtime any sharp object underground will puncture the pipe the pipe or cause it to split. Splits I could repair many times with pressure of a couple of worm gear clamps. I suggest PVC or PEX in stead of the old black plastic pipe.

[@Iscaper]

Good comment and I agree.

[@wayneguy6043]

I have black pipe and it’s only 15 years old..........lol