/r/Irrigation

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This is a place for professionals and non-professionals alike to discuss irrigation. Ask a question, ask for help, show off your work (no advertising), or show us what some idiot did. Just keep it cordial. Check out the user and post flair, and think about adding it to your post.

If you receive help from this sub, please let us know how we helped you.


The Irrigation Reddit

Irrigation - the artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall. Additionally, irrigation also has a few other uses in crop production, which include protecting plants against frost, suppressing weed growth in grain fields and preventing soil consolidation. In contrast, agriculture that relies only on direct rainfall is referred to as rain-fed or dryland farming.

Irrigation systems are also used for dust suppression, disposal of sewage, and in mining. Irrigation is often studied together with drainage, which is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area.

Irrigation has been a central feature of agriculture for over 5000 years, and was the basis of the economy and society of numerous societies, ranging from Asia to Arizona.

Wikipedia: Irrigation


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/r/Irrigation

11,476 Subscribers

1

Rainbird 5000 Issues

I was attempting to adjust the left stop on my rainbird and the top will now just spin freely 360, even past 360. The arc adjustment or spinning the head itself does nothing. Any ideas or did i break the slip clutch?

0 Comments
2023/06/02
01:47 UTC

1

Amateur Hour

Had a service call to fix some issues on a previous company’s expansion. This is the rebuilt valve assembly from them relocating the valve box. Also had to add a valve for the new zone they installed but never connected to the system. But that was after I spent 30 min digging to find the buried line. Not sure how this company has been around almost 40 years.

1 Comment
2023/06/02
00:31 UTC

1

Help Please!

My system was working fine last week. this morning we noticed it didn’t turn on. I try to manually start it and Zone 1 will sound like it is going to start then shut down.

I can manually open the valve to any zone and they will turn on m.

It’s a secondary water system so there is no back flow valve.

Do I need a new controller?

3 Comments
2023/06/02
00:24 UTC

1

Attach garden hose to in ground sprinkler locations?

I have in ground irrigation with a bunch of sprinkler head locations that accept either Hunter or Rainbird sprinkler heads.

I'd like to attach a short garden hose (or drip hose, standard 5/8" hose connector) to one of the sprinkler head locations at the back of my property.

Is there an adapter that will let me do this? What is it called?

1 Comment
2023/06/02
00:03 UTC

1

Turned this down

Technically a plumber is supposed to touch anything Behind the back flow this avb is out of code, if I swap out master valve do I have to replace avb with pvb?

2 Comments
2023/06/01
23:36 UTC

1

How can I fix this?

One of my lines came up out of the ground and this happened because I was careless. How can I fix this? Can I just buy a double ended barbed fitting and a couple wire clamps? Or does it need a more involved fix? Obviously, I’m going to bury it after I’m done.

6 Comments
2023/06/01
22:59 UTC

1

Please help me. I will send some Wisconsin cheese and a pack of fireworks.

Two weeks ago I knew absolutely nothing about sprinklers but have now basically rebuilt my backyard system. I have one issue I can't figure out. Four valves. All brand new Rain Birds. On just one of them I can only manually turn it on with the flow control knob instead of the solenoid and the system timer doesn't se. I had some other issues that I fixed (a broken line, a bad wire) but it all seems good except this. Could the solenoid be bad? It is literally brand new. Or is there some obvious reason this would be happening? Thanks for any direction.

7 Comments
2023/06/01
22:54 UTC

3

Need help identifying this system

If anyone can identify the year/make/model of this timer I would be oh so grateful!

House was built in 2000, not sure when the sprinkler system was installed. The faceplate was missing when we bought the house.

9 Comments
2023/06/01
21:32 UTC

1

Control Valve or Solenoid

Seeking pro advice because I'm definitely not one.

I have a 3 zone irrigation system (front, back, and drip). The frontyard control valve, drip control valve, and inline water filter for the drip are out front, the backyard control valve is in the back.

My front yard was a problem. The control valve body was leaking, my sprinkler heads weren't getting pressure, and one was SLOWLY dripping.

The PVC pipes were glued to the control valve with NO room to work inside the box (just learned about those sweet little manifolds, may redo the system some day) so I cut pipe and replaced the control valve. I was careful not to dig up and wires (not map from install when I bought the place) and the system worked fine. Manually tested all of the zones, they worked fine.

The new problem...

2 days later I go into backyard and notice a sprinkler head is slightly up and leaking, causing a huge puddle.

Shutoff water before and behind the vacuum breaker.

Check the backyard control valve. Nothing is wet.

Turn on water and suddenly the vacuum breaker leaks until the valve is fully open. That's new.

Using the main controller the backyard operates properly, but doesn't turn off all the way. I used the little switch on the controller, and after a long delay, the pressure drops but doesn't stop. And the knob on top just seems to adjust the flow/pressure to the heads. And there is a spiraled wire in there, but it's not even stripped so I don't think it was ever used.

Any idea what's going on? Is it likely a simple solenoid swap, or is it ANOTHER valve controller (there's even less space to work in this one).

5 Comments
2023/06/01
20:57 UTC

1

3/4 pipe popping out from elbow connector. How to fix? Should I install a straight adapter and come from above instead?

22 Comments
2023/06/01
20:08 UTC

2

Opening and closing a sprinkler system

1 Comment
2023/06/01
20:05 UTC

2

Sprinkler System Design

I am looking to install a sprinkler system on my property.

Property Layout

My water source is 60 psi and 14 GPM.

I used the Orbit.com designer to create a layout for my system, but it is estimating 12-20 zones, which seems excessive to me (but potentially not).

I was hoping for some advice or revision because it seems like some of these zones could be easily combined or even eliminated.

Zones (1)

Pipes w/ Sprinkler Heads

**Edited to change from 6 GPM to 14 GPM.

12 Comments
2023/06/01
19:26 UTC

2

Sprinkler System Design

Hey! I'm interested in installing my own multi-zone sprinkler system, and found that Orbit has a Sprinkler System Design tool.

What are your thoughts on the accuracy of their tool, and can I use their proposal and swap our for the equivalent in RainBird parts?

1 Comment
2023/06/01
17:32 UTC

1

Fixing breaks

Why am i always fixing wetdry glue jz

3 Comments
2023/06/01
16:45 UTC

2

Question - KRain sprinkler heads

Hello! Hoping for some help.

I really like the idea of the KRain rotary nozzles, but am not sure if it fits my sprinklers. I'd like to replace all the heads I have as the ones I currently have are a real PITA to adjust. Would anyone be able to help figure this out before I purchase?

One of the sprinklers I have is the Toro ProStream pop up, and another is Hunter

Thanks in advance!!

3 Comments
2023/06/01
16:44 UTC

1

Moving Backflow valve underground in box?

One of my friends wants to hypothetically move a backflow valve underground, has anyone hypothetically heard of someone doing this?

15 Comments
2023/06/01
16:30 UTC

1

1st time dealing with an anti siphon valve

Hey y'all. Sorry in advance if this is a dumb question. First summer in my new home, and the front lawn does not have any sprinklers. Planning to eventually get the front lawn completely ripped out and reseeded, and it's a wet climate so I'm not too invested in irrigation at the moment, but I do have a garden hose and above ground impact sprinkler that will do in the meantime. Tried hooking the hose up to the spigot at the front of the house, but the spigot's got an anti-siphon valve, and it's covered in scratches so it's clear that somebody tried to remove it, maybe the previous owner? When I turn the faucet on without anything attached, water comes out the little holes around it as well as the main opening, all good. But once I attach my garden hose, it still comes out the little holes and blasts water everywhere. Only a little bit comes out the hose itself. I've double checked the connectors and the gasket on my brand new hose, and those are good, everything's screwed on nice and tight. Even tried wiggling the little white plunger thing inside to see if maybe it was stuck. And when I angle it to the side, water comes out correctly instead of shooting out the little holes, but as soon as I let go, it goes right back to how it was. This is my first time dealing with this kind of faucet. Is this normal? Am I missing a piece? Looked up other anti-siphon valves online and it doesn't look like I should need anything specific to connect to an anti-siphon valve. Google would not show me anything except for leaks, and this does not look like a leak. Doesn't look like this one is missing any parts either. Thoughts?

5 Comments
2023/06/01
15:54 UTC

1

Adding more rotors to zone

The builder placed a bunch of Rainbird 5000 (all fed with 1/2 funny pipe) heads around the yard and I’m dealing with overlap issues since adding landscape and patio. Is it okay to add 32SA to cover the empty spots or should I stick to 5000 to keep it simple?

2 Comments
2023/06/01
15:44 UTC

1

Myers HJ100S Impeller Leak

2 new pumps in one week have leaked around the impeller shaft. Returned the 1st one via Amazon and purchased 2nd from local hardware store. 2nd one is not as bad, just a trickle, but a leak is a leak. I’m not in a position to return this one for a few weeks, so it will have to stay for now, but wondering if anyone had suggestions for a quick fix.

0 Comments
2023/06/01
15:25 UTC

3

Drip vs Mushroom bubblers for trees?

I’m installing a DIY irrigation system in Arizona covering a 1 acre lot. The mainlines and laterals are 1” PVC. I will have 3 zones. 1 for large trees, 1 for shrubs, 1 for a spare (possibly cactus). Goal for the zones is to group by watering frequency. For the large trees I was originally planning on a riser to mushroom bubblers for a higher volume/less frequent watering. But I’ve been thinking if I should do a riser to full flow manifolds with drip emitters so I can place the emmiters equally around the tree well. Is there a preference in this community for bubblers vs drip manifolds coming from the riser? I think both would get the job done, just curious if there is a preferred method.

4 Comments
2023/06/01
14:35 UTC

2

B-Hyve controller battery tray won't stay in

I have the bhyve XD Bluetooth controller, last year it worked well. This year I put in new batteries and it turns on like normal but after a few seconds the display goes dark. If I hold the battery tray it stays lit up, but as soon as I release, it goes dark again. It's like the battery tray gasket is pushing the tray back out or something. It's clean, no corrosion or anything. I stored it indoors without batteries over the winter. Anyone else have this issue or know a way to fix it?

0 Comments
2023/06/01
10:52 UTC

1

Anti-siphon valve

I understand that Anti-siphon valve is meant to prevent the backflow of dirty water, contaminated, etc into the clean water lines.

For irrigation purposes or in general, there's a water timer that shuts off and blocks water from going anywhere. Also the faucet bib when turned off has a valve blocking water from going anywhere.

I understand that these valves do have some pressure issues (can cause decrease pressure?) that people tend to use them for homemade diy sprinkler kits as an example.

With this in mind, the valve is a safety net but if everything gets shut off, what is the likelihood of something actually backflowing back into the house? Can anyone link an Anti-siphon valve that doesn't cause pressure decrease?

5 Comments
2023/06/01
06:42 UTC

1

What kind of valve can I attach to the backflow preventer so I can attach a hose?

Recently moved into a house with a fairly new backflow preventer and this plastic spigot attached in line. But I don’t trust the plastic - what do I look for at the hardware store to replace it?

2 Comments
2023/06/01
05:11 UTC

2

I dug up my valve box to add drip zones, and the main line from the house looks very rusty. Is this a concern?

https://imgur.com/a/JqTiBH2

The system is ancient, mostly uses 7/8" Rain Jet flexible pipe, keeps springing leaks, and is a huge pain to patch. I initially tried using the in-ground pipe and Rainjet dripline converters, but gave up and dug up all the old lines.

I plan on adding 3 drip zones to this valve box for xeriscape irrigation. I also don't see any king of backflow prevention, so I'll need to add something. I spent two days trying to find local regulations and only got some vague 'backflow assemblies should be inspected yearly' language, but if anyone is familiar with regulations in the Salt Lake City, Utah area, I'd appreciate a point in the proper direction.

8 Comments
2023/06/01
04:10 UTC

6

A couple weeks ago I was asking if they still sold these old solenoids.

Well my local plumbing supply store had 2 of these valves and sold them for only 30 buks each!

6 Comments
2023/05/31
23:45 UTC

1

Orbit B-hyve battery critically low issue

I have a three pack of b-hyve that I have used for a few years. After replacing the batteries (tried a couple new ones to make sure), two of the b-hyve's have critically low battery warnings preventing it operating as intended. Is there any way to reset the device so the battery warning is fixed?

6 Comments
2023/05/31
20:55 UTC

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