Paraphrasing the sign-off of television's old "Naked City" police drama, there are 500,000 sprinkler stories in Fresno.

I wrote one of them Aug. 23.

And you shared yours, along with some tips, in return.

Some of the tips:

* Buy "crazy pipe" or "funny pipe." (I had never heard of the stuff, but a little research turns up that it's flexible tubing usually 1/4" thick that connects with barbed fittings or clamps instead of glue.)

* After you dig a hole and extract the broken sprinkler head, fill the hole with an old beach towel. This prevents water and dirt from seeping in after you blow the pipe clear with water. (Wish I had thought of that!)

* Call a friend or relative who knows what' they're doing.

And, finally, a story from Ron Smith that has nothing to with sprinklers but captures the spirit of my home-repair adventures.

Writes Smith: "Welcome to the club. But at least, you fixed it. I thought I oughta try changing the oil myself, crawled under the Mazda pickup. Hmmmm. That looks like a good nut to loosen. Out it poured. For some reason, I checked the dip stick. Still full. I had drained the transmission fluid!"

Post your tips and adventures below.