How to Ready a Sprinkler Organization

Do-it-yourself solutions to irritating irrigation bug.

Time

An hour or less

Complexity

Beginner

Cost

Less than $20

Introduction

These uncomplicated lawn irrigation arrangement fixes volition solve 90 per centum of the common breakdowns. You'll save on repair bills and keep your lawn lush and greenish. No special skills needed.

Tools Required

Materials Required

  • Band clamps
  • Replacement heads and other parts
  • Tubing repair parts
  • Waterproof wire connectors

Project stride-past-step (xi)

Step 1

Replace a Sprinkler Head

  • Dig around the sprinkler head to expose the riser.
  • Unscrew the broken sprinkler head from the riser.
  • Install the new head, turning it tight with your hands.

Circumspection: Before you offset excavation to admission the cloak-and-dagger water lines, electric wires or spray heads, dial 811 to take your hugger-mugger utility lines identified and marked.

Replace a Sprinkler Head

Stride 2

Clean and Reset Heads

  • Detach the sprinkler caput by unscrewing the height from the canister.
  • Rinse away soil and debris in a bucket of water.
  • Remove the screen basket from the bottom of the head, then clean it with water.
  • Adjust the watering range of the sprinkler head before installing information technology. Make final adjustments with the water running.

Stride 3

Check the Valves

  • If you're experiencing low water force per unit area, check the sprinkler system valves on the backflow device to make sure they're open.
  • Plough the valve on the horizontal pipe first, then the vertical pipage valve.

Check the Valves

Stride 4

Detect and Repair Leaks

  • Before making the repair, make sure the system is turned off at the controller.
  • Cutting out the damaged section of line.
  • Place a clamp on one of the line ends, insert a slip coupling, so tighten the clamp.
  • Place a clamp on the second pipe end, expand the coupling while inserting the nipple into the pipe, then tighten the clench.

Step 5

Repair Crushed Pipes

  • Dig along the water line until you find the damaged section. If the line runs near a tree, offset your earthworks there.
  • One time yous locate the damaged section, cut it out with a hacksaw.
  • If the line was damaged past tree roots, reroute the line past earthworks a new trench away from the tree.
  • Cut a new section of pipe to supersede the damaged 1.
  • Then replace the department of pipage, connecting information technology at each end with regular couplings and band clamps.

Repair Crushed Pipes

Pace 6

Check for Low Voltage

  • Your watering organization is divided into a series of zones.
    • Generally, if you take a zone that's non turning on, you have an electrical trouble.
  • Make sure the zone wires are firmly attached to the terminals in the controller, the transformer is plugged in, and the circuit breaker at the main panel is on.
  • Side by side, test for voltage to the nonworking zone, using a multimeter.
  • Turn on the nonworking zone at the controller.
  • Plough the multimeter dial to voltage and identify i lead on the common concluding.
    • The common final volition be marked "c" or "com"
  • Place the other lead on the concluding of the zone that's not working.
    • Refer to your owner's manual to see whether the voltage reading falls within the required range (usually 24 to 28 volts).
      • If it doesn't, the controller needs to be replaced.

Check for Low Voltage

Pace 7

Test the Transformer

  • Test the transformer voltage past placing the multimeter leads on the transformer terminals marked "24 vac" with the transformer plugged in.
    • If the reading is less than 22, replace the transformer.

Test the Transformer

Step eight

Replace Sprinkler Solenoid

  • Disconnect the wires and unscrew the defective solenoid from the command valve. Insert a new one and turn information technology until information technology's finger-tight.

Pace ix

Reconnect the Wires

  • Connect the two wires on the new solenoid to the common wire and a field wire, using waterproof connectors.

Reconnect the Wires

Step ten

Waterproof Connectors

  • Special connectors are filled with silicone to brand the connections waterproof.
  • If the controller, fuse and transformer check out OK, test the resistance "ohms" betwixt the common terminal and the nonworking zone.
  • Turn off the organization, turn the multimeter to exam for ohms (the omega symbol), and place the leads on the common terminal and zone last, simply as you did to test for voltage.
  • Compare the ohms reading with the range listed in your possessor's manual (usually twenty to threescore ohms).
    • If the ohms autumn below the required amount, the switch (solenoid) that operates the command valve for that zone is defective and needs to be replaced. The defective solenoid volition exist connected to the aforementioned colour wire as the zone wire at the controller.

Waterproof Connectors

Step xi

Repair damaged wires

  • If the ohms reading between the mutual terminal and nonworking zone terminal is besides loftier, the trouble is a severed or bad wire to the control valve.
    • If only ane zone isn't working, the field wire is damaged.
    • If none of the zones in a control valve box is working, the common wire is damaged, although the field wires could likewise be bad.
  • To find a bad wire, bypass each in plough by temporarily substituting a 14-estimate wire for the original that you run to a higher place ground.
  • Make the wire connections with the controller turned off. And then turn the controller back on.
  • Exam the field wire first.
    • If the zone turns on, the one-time field wire is bad. Replace information technology with an eighteen-gauge wire rated for underground burying. Bury the wire at to the lowest degree eight inches undercover.
  • Follow the same procedure to examination the mutual wire.

Originally Published: May 17, 2022