23
votes
Accepted
What to do with sprinkler pipe under spiral staircase foundation?
Dig the hole bigger.
Buy four elbows, some pipe clamps and some extra pipe.
Turn off the water for that pipe.
Cut the pipe and with the elbows have it go around the box.
Make your footing and no ...
- 28.4k
13
votes
Accepted
What is this part near the entry point to my irrigation system
That is a strainer wye. There is a metal mesh filter in there to trap sediment/debris; it can be removed and cleaned as necessary.
- 36.3k
11
votes
Is it possible to stop weeping between threaded copper joint on sprinkler system?
Those are both bronze (a copper alloy, not copper), and you'll have to disassemble enough to be able to tighten that. Or remove it, apply dope or tape, and tighten it.
Should not be "everything&...
- 223k
10
votes
What to do with sprinkler pipe under spiral staircase foundation?
A pipe rupture beneath the foundation could cause soil subsidence that will destroy your staircase. For that reason I would now route the pipe far from the staircase. Cut it inside the hole you dug, ...
- 43.7k
8
votes
Accepted
Can I connect two soaker hoses with a normal garden hose in between?
I have something like this and it works just fine. (I have only one soaker hose in each bed, and both soakers are the same size.)
The flow rate involved is very slow, so the hose and connector sizes ...
- 14.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Are these sprinkler control valves?
They are vacuum breaker valves.
Also called backflow preventer valves.
They prevent the water in the irrigation lines from being sucked into the city supply lines when city water pressure drops by ...
- 2,909
6
votes
Brass fitting seized on a nickel-coated pipe
Both times I have encountered hose faucets with devices seemingly fused onto the hose threads were when somebody (not me) assembled them without a hose washer.
Whether or not this is the case in your ...
- 36.3k
5
votes
How to get threaded connector out of sprinkler line
Okay, so it turns out that "black connector piece" that I was referring to is called a riser and should be threaded. Seems like they break fairly often so they make a tool called a riser ...
- 619
5
votes
How do I locate sprinkler heads on a winterized system so contractor doesn't damage them?
Yeah, using ordinary tap water as a Sprinkler Operating Fluid really causes problems sometimes. As an alternative try Atmospheric Blend, colloquially referred to as "compressed air." It'll ...
- 32.1k
5
votes
Can anyone give a valid argument against running sprinkler wire in 1/2" pvc water line?
There are no code requirements that I know of regarding burying low voltage (IE sprinkler and LV outdoor lighting). PVC conduit is ridiculously expensive right now. Because there are no code ...
- 23.2k
5
votes
Hard-Wiring Sprinkler Controller(s) Into Junction Box
Basic concept is good. I am a big fan of hardwired equipment when practical and code-compliant. Two issues:
cut the plug off of the power cord and run the cord into
While it is tempting to do so, ...
4
votes
Can I cool my south facing wall by spraying it with water?
Evaporative cooling is less effective in places with high humidity. There are mathematic formulas for how much water will be needed to cool a specified surface area by some number of degrees and they ...
- 606
4
votes
Accepted
Is it a problem to leave a sprinkler line through concrete shed footing?
People put flexible pipes inside concrete all the time (this is how heated floors are made)
you should space it away from the floor and trench mesh so that it does not become a conduit for moisture (...
- 23.2k
4
votes
New Sprinkler Installation - Rototill/Level Before or After? Any other "Pre-Sprinkler" Preparation?
Definitely rotortill before you put in the pipes. Otherwise you run the risk of damaging pipes and sprinklers.
- 21.3k
4
votes
New Sprinkler Installation - Rototill/Level Before or After? Any other "Pre-Sprinkler" Preparation?
When I install a sprinkler system, I Rototill first, then trench and install the piping, etc. then backfill trenches, compact the trenches, then flatten/roll the yard in prep for hydro-seeding or sod. ...
- 23.2k
4
votes
Can I connect two soaker hoses with a normal garden hose in between?
You haven't specified how long of a run each section is so if you need very fine control of water flow then install a Y-splitter with ball valves at the spigot and run a dedicated hose to each garden ...
- 16.8k
4
votes
Well pump reads 125v on each terminal but wont come on
You got twisted around and managed to put both pump "hot" wires on the same pole of the supply.
Or, one of them was abruptly disconnected.
Normally, this happens when someone rearranges the ...
4
votes
Why don't my sprinkler heads pop up when all zones are turned on?
After confirming I had enough water, which cleared the pump and the water supply, started opening valves. There was a scum on top of the diaphragms. Cleaned them thoroughly and check the diaphragm for ...
- 307
4
votes
All Sprinkler Heads Leaking
I initially had all 3 sprinkler heads set to 8.0 nozzles which was too much for my flowx rate of 7 gal / min to handle. I started with 1.0 nozzles on all 3 locations, then sized one up at a time.
The ...
- 732
3
votes
Accepted
Is it normal for a sprinkler system to increase water pressure to a house?
It can, if you live in a hot sunny climate and there is no one-way valve to the sprinkler system. Cold water in, or on their way to the sprinkler valves will be heated by the ground or sun, and expand ...
- 1,372
3
votes
Need Sprinkler Cracked PVC Pipe Repair Suggestions
That sprinkler is capped off, so I'd be happy to lose it.
Consider digging the trench back a few feet from the tree (in both directions), and then dig a connecting trench which avoids the tree ...
- 1,513
3
votes
How do I easily separate unglued PVC pipe from joints?
If you still can't get those unglued pvc pieces apart, we found that a flathead screwdriver and a rubber mallet help loosen the pieces enough to be able to pull them apart.
- 31
3
votes
Conduit for future sprinker system before sidewalk pour
The correct answer depends on a number of variables related to the size of the space and your future landscaping plans. If time permits, you should sketch out a landscaping plan and consult with an ...
- 36.3k
3
votes
Accepted
Do these pipes need to be winterized? How?
Yes, you need to winterize them. That looks like a backflow-prevention device, which prevents water from the lawn from flowing back into the city pipes (in the event of a loss of pressure). Typically, ...
- 8,891
3
votes
Use rainwater to partly supply a sprinkler irrigation system?
Simplest 100% legal way would be to make it use rain water directly from storage containers, and then a float valve that fills the rain barrel with city water if the water level gets below a certain ...
- 4,829
3
votes
Accepted
Is there any reason to seal/waterproof underground spliced sprinkler cable?
Yes, because a poor connection due to subsequent corrosion can affect the signal which may well cause unreliable operation.
There are waterproof junction boxes available which you should use.
- 28.1k
3
votes
Well pump only works with on/off switch not control box
The clicking is the relay being pulled in. This is a common failure in relays after thousands of cycles the contacts burn and do not make good contacts, I have special burnishing tools to clean the ...
- 103k
3
votes
Can I connect two soaker hoses with a normal garden hose in between?
soaker hoses suffer from pressure drop, and running a long garden hose between two sections is going to make that worse.
You might consider running a 3/8 plastic pipe/non-drip feeder to the left side ...
- 5,710
3
votes
Accepted
How does everyone set up sprinkler timer with residential outdoor faucets?
This valve comes through the house's insulation and wall. Heated side left, outside right.
Those aren't residential outdoor faucets. Those are sillcocks.
You've linked a bunch of hydrants/sillcocks, ...
3
votes
Accepted
What is this metal piece coming out of my sprinkler system piping?
That's an anti-siphon (or vacuum breaker) valve:
Source
It prevents dirty yard water from being sucked back into the potable water system if the water pressure fails.
- 6,309
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible