How to Find an Underground Lawn Sprinkler Distribution Box

Locate the main water line on the outside or inside of the house. Underground lawn sprinkler distribution boxes are usually never far from the irrigation line shut-off valve, which is located along the irrigation line where it stems from the main water line. For instance, if the main water line is inside the basement, look for the irrigation line inside the basement, T-ed off from the main water line. The irrigation line extends directly to the other side of the basement wall to the outside lawn with the distribution box nearby.

Look for a green lid when searching for the underground lawn sprinkler distribution box. A valve manifold box is black and hidden underground, while the lid is flat and colored green in order to blend in as much as possible with the landscape. Insert your finger through the hole in the lid and pull the lid up; you'll find the irrigation valve manifold underneath. The irrigation valve manifold consists of one or more irrigation valves connected by pipes.

Locate the main irrigation line near the home. If you're unable to locate the distribution box, the sprinkler housings can serve as a guide. Pinpoint the closest sprinkler to the irrigation shut-off valve and draw an imaginary line between the sprinkler and the main irrigation line. Walk the line from back to front and look for the lid to the irrigation box. Keep in mind the box might be heavily overgrown with grass, depending on the last time the valves were accessed. Listen for a hollow sound, which can be heard, if you step on the lid.

Look around the area of the first found distribution box for additional distribution boxes, if there are more valves included in the system than appear in the first box. Sometimes, just one box isn't enough to encompass all the water valves of an entire irrigation system and there could be one or more additional boxes to hold the extra valve manifolds. The valve manifolds are connected together with a single pipe line and the additional box or boxes might be located directly beside each other or far from each other, depending on where the zones are located.