How To Repair Sprinker Valve

Backyard irrigation systems are composed of many moving parts. Because of that, these irrigation systems often need sprinkler repair in Lake Mary Florida according to LakeMaryIrrigation.org. As with any arrangement that contains moving parts these will eventually, due to age and wear and tear, start to neglect. When a part of the irrigation system starts to fail the landscaping that depends on irrigated water is negatively impacted. Says the weblog www.Sprinkler-Repair-Orlando.com that "regular maintenance and visual inspection is the primal to protecting your mural plants and turf from falling into decline." We will get through each of the major parts of an irrigation organization and how to maintain and repair them, also as improving the efficiency of the system as a whole. More at /g/11gv1523jd

Irrigation Controllers
Too known as a "sprinkler clock or timer", its function is to control when the system starts, ends, and how long each irrigation-controller of the irrigated areas gets watered. In that location are few basic types of controllers.

1. Mechanical:

Before digital timers came on the scene in the 1980's, all irrigation clocks were mechanical. The day of the week, fourth dimension of mean solar day and watering start times were dependent on motors turning gears. These are not as as accurate as the circuitry in digital controllers but "close plenty" for the arrangement to function. Due to the decay of the plastic gears used and the motors getting old the settings would modify. Some of these such as the Richdel and Backyard Genie controllers would come with pins and six day watering settings where you could not prepare the watering to brainstorm on a specific day of the week as now required in many municipalities. You were express to every other day, every third day, etc. Another common type of mechanical controller is the "on|off" type used with indexing valves which are often continued to a well pump. As an indexing valve requires a filibuster in water pressure to rotate the disk, this type of clock sends a bespeak to a solenoid master valve which actuates the indexing valve. Using the multiple commencement fourth dimension features on a digital controller the primary valve in this type of setup can too be utilized.

ii. Digital: Digital controllers

provide far more than accuracy and sophisticated programming than the older mechanical types. Some water districts no longer permit mechanical sprinkler controllers to be installed on newly constructed systems. A ordinarily used feature in these modern controllers is the "water budget." This allows the controller run times for all the stations to be adjusted globally. Y'all can decrease the zone run times beyond every station every bit a percentile from this one function. This is convenient for changing the corporeality of water applied to meet the mural usage need past season or time of year. These type of controllers are also very easy to program for multiple run times. Multiple start times are helpful in applying water in consecutive stages which tin can assistance to avert run-off and deep percolation which concentrates the water use in the root profile.

Irrigation Valves

If you remember of the controller as the "brain" of the system, the valves would be the "heart." In lodge to supply water irrigation-valve to the sprinkler heads a valve needs to be opened. These can be solenoid activated, pressure activated (such equally indexing types) or manual such as a gate valve or separate water meter. How manual valves work is obvious so we volition concentrate on automated valves.

1. Solenoid Activated:

These are the virtually commonly used type of valves. They consist of three main parts; a torso, a diaphragm and a solenoid. Hydraulic automatic valves do not have a solenoid and we will bear upon on these briefly later as they are not used as much as they once were. The basic principle of this type of valve is every bit follows: The copper coils on an electric solenoid are activated equally a magnet when the controller supplies electric current to that valve via a common and station wire. This pulls the metal plunger up into the solenoid which then no longer covers the outlet port in the body. The upper chamber of the torso, separated past a diaphragm, no longer has a slightly college PSI than the lower due to its slightly larger book. This change in PSI pushes up the diaphragm and the static mainline force per unit area in the larger bedroom is at present dynamic and fills the upper chamber which flows into the lateral PVC pipe. As you can imagine, a lot tin go incorrect here. There are many ways that a solenoid valve can fail, merely the consequences are just iii. The valve won't open, the valve won't close, or the valve won't close all the way (likewise known equally a weeping valve.)

a. Valve won't open up: This could be the valve, or it could be the solenoid, field wiring or water supply. It could also be a pipe or caput break in the area (zone) covered by the valve. We are going to presume that you practise not know where the valve is located, and then earlier going through the trouble to find where it is buried nosotros will cheque the water supply first. Will other zones turn on and from the controller? If and so, more than likely it is non the supply. If you know the surface area covered by the zone look for leaks. Are whatsoever of the heads dribbling water? If so you may have a leak or a valve not fully opening. One time you lot rule those bug out, check the controller. Unhook the common and the station field wire and check the voltage at the wire terminals. Practise you have 26 or more volts? If and then it is non the controller. But just to play it safe, hook the trouble valves field wires to another station final on the clock. If the malfunctioning valve comes on you take a controller trouble. Check the ohms of the solenoid using common and field wire. They should read between 20-60 ohms (Rainbird solenoids tend to read effectually 50-60.) Much higher than that and you likely have a bad solenoid, a high resistance splice or cut or corroded wire. Now we need to find the bad valve. This is all-time washed with a wire tracker, but tin can be done (sometimes) manually. See this article. Once yous take found the valve, open it manually. This can exist achieved by either loosening a bleed screw or slowly turning the solenoid counter clockwise. This will release the pressure from the upper chamber. If the valve comes on the problem is electrical. Note that if you have a pump start system the pump needs to exist running to do this, simply plough on a working zone so that the mainline is pressurized. Often in electrical issues the wire splices on the solenoid take gone bad. Cut off the wire nuts, strip all the connecting wires dorsum a half of an inch. Turn the valve on from the controller and check the voltage on the common and field wire. If they read 26 volts plus, turn off the controller and connect the wires without wire basics and check once again. If the voltage has dropped significantly you accept a faulty connexion electrically upstream. If your voltage and wiring are good you lot should hear a click when you lot connect the wires and the clock is sending voltage. If all your electrical tests read good, almost likely you take a faulty diaphragm or chock-full outlet port. Recollect to never open a valve under pressure. The bound or plunger tin can wing out and hit you lot in the center, as well losing parts in the backyard or mud.

b. Valve won't shut off:: Virtually always a bad diaphragm. However I've as well seen loose solenoid or bleed screws, leaks where the upper chamber screws on the lower sleeping accommodation (besides known every bit the bonnet) and in rare cases a damaged controller sending voltage when non scheduled to plow on that zone. I've too been called out for a organization "not shutting off" and the controller had re-gear up to the default fourth dimension of twenty-four hour period (12AM) and start time and of course the irrigation came on. Check your timer settings and either un-plug the external transformer from the wall or turn off the 120 volt breaker to the clock before assuming the valve has failed, and replace your back-up battery on digital controllers.

c. Weeping valve: Sometimes a valve won't close completely and allows a small amount of water to go along flowing to the heads. This volition bear witness upwardly as damp spots that exercise non dry up around the lowest peak heads. This is caused past either a bad diaphragm or some debris caught upwards in the valve seat. Don't merely clean the valve, replace the diaphragm.

2. Indexing Valves:

Basically all your zones run from ane indexing valve. The valve is activated by water flow entering the pinnacle of the valve. The pressure from the water turns a safe disk on a stalk guided by a cam and slot mechanism to plough the deejay opening and supply water to the lateral pipes. If information technology leaks, or doesn't come up on (after checking your supply line and/or main valve) just re-build it by replacing the deejay, stalk and cam assembly. Exist sure to remove any roughness or build up inside the torso every bit this can prevent the deejay from fully turning. On some occasions I have been able to trim the outside of the safe disk just a little with a razor to get the disk to spin. My advice though is if it fails in whatever style, re-build information technology. Don't forget to supervene upon the bonnet o-ring when re-building or it could start to leak.

three. Hydraulic Valves:

Hydraulic valves are operated by water pressure not electricity. Instead of wires, each valve is connected to the controller by a tube. This tube is under pressure keeping the PSI college in the upper chamber which keeps the diaphragm closed. The valve is opened when the controller release full pressure in the tube. Other than that the mechanics and repairs are very like to electric solenoid valves. The master difference is that a tubing leak in the controller, at the valve or anywhere along the length of the tubing will crusade the valve to open. It is for this reason and the difficulty in locating them in field has acquired hydraulic systems to fall out of favor.

Irrigation Piping

Continuing with the biologic analogies, the pipage, whether PVC or polyethylene would be the "veins" of the system. Although I have repaired poly pipage laterals, all of my irrigation experience has been in the southern U.South., where PVC is almost always used for laterals and mainline. Polyethylene is generally used in colder regions where the footing freezes deeper than down hither in Florida. The main difference is that poly is connected using barbed or pressure level fitting, and PVC is "glued" using solvent welding. All multi-zoned sprinkler systems accept both mainline piping and lateral pipage. Mainline refers to the water supply pipe to the valves, and lateral pipage refers to the pipe feeding the sprinkler heads. In a city watered supplied system the main line is always under pressure unless a chief valve is used. A main valve is upstream of all the zone valves and opened simultaneously with the zone valve to supply water to the heads. A 3rd type of pipage is the "swing joints." This can either be flexible pvc, poly or in some cases nipples and street els that connect the lateral pipe to each private caput. This is a preferred way to connect the heads every bit it oft avoids damaging the lateral pipage when a sprinkler head is run over by a motorcar or hit past a lawn mower.

Sprinkler Heads

At that place are many types of sprinkler heads. To keep it simple lets go the basics; rotors, stock-still sprays and baste.

ane. Rotors:

Rotors rotate, hence the name. Typically they throw water much farther and are designed to water larger areas using less heads. There are 2 basic types; impacts and enclosed gear drives. Impacts rotors are turned by having the h2o from the nozzle impact or hit a bound loaded arm which turns the caput. When adapted to less than 360 degrees a collar initiates a ratchet to return the head to its starting position. Pop upward touch on heads are more maintenance intensive than enclosed gear drives due to the mechanism being exposed to dirt and grass. Here if Florida the St. Augustine stolons will grow into the gears and keep the head from turning. In my opinion I think these heads are best used on PVC stand pipes where they are less exposed to debris. Gear drive rotors are turned using h2o pressure to move gears that rotate the heads. As they are enclosed dirt and droppings are seldom an issue. However they also will stop turning over time just due to wear and tear. Over the final 10 years or and then "spray rotors", or "rotating nozzles" accept become pop. I'll talk more about these in the water conservation part beneath.

ii. Fixed Sprays:

Besides simply chosen "spray heads" these heads spray a design of water and practice not turn. There are many distances and patterns to choose from to match the surface area watered. These can either be "pop up" which push a barrel out of the body and so retract or just a nozzle on a piece of PVC using a "shrub adapter" sticking up behind the bushes. Popups range in size from 2 inch to 20 iv inch. Although iv inch popups are usually installed in the turf, I believe half dozen inch is a better choice. This is peculiarly true in St. Augustine grass where the aggregating of thatch raises the level over which the nozzle needs to spray.

3. Micro Sprays:

Micro sprays are low book, depression distance nozzles attached to a stake in the ground or modified to fit into a popup body. These are nearly often used in depression h2o requirement areas such as landscape beds every bit an alternative to drip tubing. Due to the modest orifice size both a pressure regulator and filter should be installed upstream to avoid high pressure misting and bottleneck.
Conserving Landscape Water

A subject area near and dear to my eye allow me state this upfront; nosotros use way too much potable water keeping our conserving-h2o landscapes green and nice. Poor irrigation efficiency coupled with lax enforcement of what few weak water restriction, pollution and regulatory laws we take in effect (at to the lowest degree in Florida) results in millions of gallons of waste material. H2o direction districts play also much politics with legislators cozying upwards to big concern ( got sugar? ) to the detriment of h2o quality. I know everybody hates "large government", only as a regulated and non-renewable resources but the authorities, passing laws it is willing to pay to enforce can save our water. There is not enough reclaimed water to irrigate all the homes and golf courses in Florida. Just because h2o is pulled from a well on your holding doesn't go far "free", or even "yours" equally h2o migrates through and under the ground in the land aquifers. Safe "no fertilizer" buffers demand to be enacted and enforced near both fresh and salt water. I've seen lawn companies in Sarasota fertilizing along the intercostal waterway seawalls splashing one-half the nitrogen pellets into the river. I still see sprinkler companies mixing rotors, sprays and baste irrigation on the same zones, whether in the sunday or the shade, even though they know information technology's wasting water, because it is "cost efficient." I approximate information technology depends on how you mensurate "price."

The Sprinkler Repair Business concern

Yep, fifty-fifty after ranting above, I'm in the sprinkler repair business. No, I'm non fishing for sainthood by proverb this, simply I practice walk away from jobs where wasting water is the "less expensive" alternative to doing the chore correctly. I seldom practise "swimming pool re-do's" where a pool is existence added to a grand. Why? Correctly zoning the irrigation to avoid mixing sprays, rotors and baste is more expensive in the short run. Homeowners don't mind going with low ball and bad irrigation proposals because there are many contractors who either don't know better or don't intendance. The contractor just wants the check for more than marketing. In the long run though doing information technology the wrong way does cost more because your plants won't thrive, you lot'll keep dumping more weed killer in the grass, more fertilizer on the shrubs, and it won't help your one thousand, but it volition hurt u.s. all when the lakes and rivers are dead.