Any Sprinkler System Experts Out There?

BruiseLee

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I'm hoping there are some home owners or gardeners out there that can help me with my sprinkler problem.

I have medium size yards that are automatically watered - they are split up into six different zones. My problem is all the 3/4" automatic valve actuators I have bought over the last 11 years just don't last. They always leak after a year or two.

I've used mainly the bronze (brass? copper?) Champion units. I've bought the rebuild kits for them, but its a pain in the *** to keep rebuilding them, and they just start leaking again in a year or two.

To save money, I tried the black plastic Champion automatic valve actuators. I rate them about equal to the more expensive metal Champions. I tried some other light green plastic brand - maybe it was RainBird - about the same luck again.

I'm sick of replacing these all the time. Does anyone know of any better brand and where to buy them from?

I have very hard water where I live. Is that possibly what is causing the short service life of these valve actuators?

Any help would be appreciated.
 

scott.cr

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My folks used Toro brand electric valves for their sprinkler system (also a hard-water California house) and they've been ticking reliably along for 17 years. Back then I think we bought them at HomeBase, hah.

Something you might consider is adding anti-hammer stub-outs in your sprinkler's water line (before the on/off valve). Even if you can't hear the pipes hammer, it's happening, and it's very hard on the valves. If your hookup pipes are PVC or ABS, you can make it yourself for next to nothing.

Basically, to make one, put a tee into the feedline with a length of pipe sticking up vertically, and put a cap on the end. This forms an air pocket in the pipe that cushions the valve as it slams shut and the water backs up against it. The bigger the better.
 

blahblahblah

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If you're consistently having this problem, I'd expect there's some sort of water problem. Have you tested the water pressure? I regulate my house pressure, but give full pressure to the sprinkler systems (lawn and fire) at my home. The city water around here is about 70psi. On the other side of town, I tested the water pressure at a jobsite and the pressure was 125psi !!!
 

BruiseLee

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Thank you guys for your suggestions. No, I haven't measured the water pressure at my house - I don't have a gauge to do that. I can tell you its pretty darn high. I had a hose break in front of my house. It literally blasted the Tex-Cote right off of my shingles.

I had an underground PVC pipe get broken by a tree root. I removed the root by drilling and chiseling. Then I cut out the damaged section and fabricated a replacement section. Just for kicks, I tried to manually hold the two pipes together when the water came on. No way! Arnold the Governator couldn't do it.

Is there any way to lessen the water pressure? Not a lot, of course, I don't want water trickling out of my sprinklers.

Scott, I'll see if I can find Toro brand valves. The stub-outs sound like a good idea, but I have metal pipes out there so it might be a little work. I have a general idea of what you are talking about, but could you post a picture or a link? That would help me a lot.

Thanks!
 

MoonRise

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Put a pressure regulator in. It might be a good idea to have one for the house and a different one for the sprinkler line(s) if you want to run different pressures. You can pretty much set the pressure you want, to anything less than the supply pressure. Think of it as an adjustable Downboy driver board (for the picky, the analogy is not correct because a water pressure regulator is analogous to a voltage regulator and a flow regulator would be analogous to a current regulator).

Or, here is one that just screws into the hose for outside sprinkler use

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=88289-1029-MLA-58&lpage=none

For a pressure gauge, you can get a pool pump/filter pressure gauge for about $10, then maybe an adapter or two to change the fitting to match up with your house somewhere (easy is to get the fitting(s) to connect to the outside hose faucet/spigot). I think I found a pressure gauge with the fitting to attach to a standard outside hose/faucet for around $15 at Lowe's.

Here is a pressure gauge

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=73222-18701-0069770&lpage=none

You can just buy an anti-hammer device which will have a diaphram separating the air and water chambers. Should be about $10. You can get different sizes and attachment methods. Simple and easy to do. Highly recommended.

Here's a water-hammer arrestor that just screws into a 1/2 inch female fitting

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=24697-1816-10662&lpage=none

Here's the version that is a 1/2 inch male sweat fitting

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=144368-1816-10677&lpage=none
 
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bwaites

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If your sprinkler water and home water are off the same pipe, make sure you have an anti-siphon valve in the system between them!

Most public water systems operate around 60-80PSI at the meter, I seldom find a hose that has more than 40-50 pounds at the hose end.

All the suggestions are good. Having spent a year or two working for an irrigation company and installing commercial and residential systems, I am always amazed at the difference in how I would do it versus how other people do it!

A pressure regulator is necessary on some commercial systems, but I've never found a residential system that needed one because I never saw the kind of pressures you are talking about, unless I was installing a drip system.

Enough water pressure to remove coatings? Wow, I wish I had installed systems where there was that much pressure! I was usually fighting the other problem, not enough pressure to run the number of sprinklers I wanted on each station. My 5 horsepower pump irrigating from a lake creates that kind of pressure, but not my residential, city supplied water.

Bill
 
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BruiseLee

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Tonight I went to Home Depot - I called ahead and they said they had Toro automatic valve actuators. Well, they didn't! All they had was Orbits. I finally managed to track down their plumbing guy. He said he didn't feel there was any advantage to the brass actuators over the cheaper plastic ones, so I picked up a pair plastic Orbits for $17 each.

He also showed me the pressure regulator/reducer. It ran about $29. But, I don't know where to install it, so I decided to take your advice and bought a water pressure gauge. So, I'll be able to test the water pressure at my house this weekend.
 

yuandrew

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I'm using RainBird APAS series piston type valves (most plastic valves use rubber diaphgrams) The earlier versions seem to have a problem with a plastic ring on the piston breaking but they have updated the actuator design with a different type of piston but it still uses the same body (I "upgraded" one of my valves to the new actuator but only replaced the piston on my other one)

apas.jpg

(shown with the old style acuator)

My sprinkler systems are, however, connected before the pressure regulator to my house so I'm getting around 110 PSI at the line to the sprinkler valves. There is always a very loud "thud" whenever the sprinklers shut off; probably not good for the valves which is maybe why I have to replace the pistons every two years. A regulator would probably help if you have extreamly high water pressure; install it on the line just right before all your valves. Try setting it to around 65 PSI.

The RainBird ASVF valve might work better in your situation. My neighbor across the street has one and it's probably been installed by the original owner about 17 years ago. The only repair I remember on it was because his dog chewed off the solenoid but parts for RainBird valves are easy to find.

asvf_sm.jpg


RainBird valves are usually black and gray. You probably got a LawnGenie valve if it's light green or plain gray. They do leak after a while; I used to have them. WaterMaster valves are also light green but a little darker green than LawnGenie. Another neighbor across my street had one but I think it also leaked. I didn't have much luck with WaterMaster sprinkler timers (had two fail) on me; currently running a RainBird ISA series so I'd probably would stick with Toro or RainBird.
 
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javafool

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I am having a well (130' x 4") installed right now, and by next week the guys will be here to install a new irrigation system. They will be installing a Rainbird controller with Hunter valves and sprinkler heads. From what I have read, these look like they should make a good system. I sure hope so for the investment I am making.
 

will

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I have a 5 zone system installed here in New York. I have to clear it out every fall because of ground freeze. I did install an air pipe right before the valve manifold, basically a 3/4 inch pipe,12 inches long with a cap on the top. it is installed where the water pipe goes into the ground and usually has a plug. The plug is removed to put the air compressor hose to blow out the system. I do not get any hammering of pipes. I have had no problems with any valves in the 12 years the system has been installed.

Have you tried to take apart any of the failing valves to try to determine why they are failing? broken magnets ? bad seals ? broken actuators ?
 

3rd_shift

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This brings back memories of when I used to be the inhouse landscape maintainance engineer at a north Dallas Hotel just over 10 years ago.

I had the best of luck using oversized valves.
In other words;
Adapt a 2 inch valve to a 1.5 inch line.
Make sure it is a model that good quality replacement parts are available for.

If the valve was already large for the zone it was controlling, (less than a half dozen heads to a 1.5 inch valve for example),
I then just take out the bad diaphram and ask for a good replacement diaphram kit at the sprinkler store.

Not all diaphrams are created equal.
Some are just cheap rubber that does fail quickly.
Others appeared to be some kind of nylon, or polyester reinforced rubber that lasted longer.

If your valve has no better quality replacement parts available for it, throw it out after a better one is found.

Also check the valve solenoid for corrosion.
If corroded, replace that while you are at it with a better one.
Make sure to use good grease caps where the wires are reconnected.

Alternatively you may;
#1 Put 2 pieces of shrink tubing over the wires

#2 Use a good soldering iron with extension cord and solder the wires together with a rosine core solder.

#3 Apply silicone over the cooled soldered joints.

#4 Slide the shrink tubing over the (still tacky) siliconed solder joints and shrink them one at a time over the siliconed solder joints for a waterproof and solid connection.

Good luck. :)
 
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