What kind of pump should I use?

Your well will need a pump to pull or get the water out of the ground. What kind of pump you use depends on a few different factors. These factors are:

• Size (Diameter) and type of the Well (PVC or galvanized)
• The distance to the water table
• The depth of the well

There are three most common types of pumps. First is the centrifugal pump with acts similar to a vacuum and "sucks" or pulls the water out of the ground through the well screen. The limitations with a centrifugal pump is that they only work if the water table is approximately 20 feet or more shallow.

Next would be a jet pumps. A jet pump can work typical on water table distances from 0 feet to over 100 feet. A jet pump is designed differently and has one or two vertical drop pipes that are installed inside the well casing. The easiest way to explain how a jet pump works is that it is similar to blowing air into a drink through a straw and the drink comes rushing back up the top.
The only main difference is that a jet pump pushes water down, not air, using hydraulics to its' advantage.

The third type of pump similar used for irrigation is a submersible pumps. Submersible pumps can work on very deep well distances and are are used typical on well casing diameters of 3", 4", 6", and bigger. A submersible pump is installed inside the well submerged in the water at a certain distance determined by a couple of factors such as water table and screen depth and size.

On a 2" well less than 100 feet with water table that is more than 20 feet but less than 80 feet I would recommended a Multi-stage jet pump for irrigation use. You'll get a max of about 15 gallons per minute out of the 1hp pump, depending on the well. More horse power will not necessarily mean more water either, it is all dependent on the water source. How good of sand or rock you are in.

On a shallow well where the water table is less than 20 feet, a centrifugal pump will work fine. In a good saturated area with good sand, a standard 1.5 hp commercial centrifugal pump (such as a Sta-Rite) could produce up to 60 gallons per minute.

A submersible pumps output also depends on the depth to water, the placement of they pump, the water source, and the horse power and number of impellers on the pump. My team and I have personally installed a 7 horse power, 70 gallons per minute pump (gpm), set at 160 feet on a 200' well. It was a big commercial job system. On a residential sprinkler system a 1.5hp/20 gpm or 2hp/30 gpm is usually plenty.

If have a well and are having trouble figuring out what kind of pump you need to use call a well driller, irrigation contractor, or try and figure it out your self by finding out a few different factors about the well that I have mentioned previously. First of all, if there was a previous pump that was on or still on, that used to work, chances are that you should replace it with the same horse power and model pump. Unless a previous owner or other contractor messed with it and didn't know what he was doing, you shouldn't go wrong replacing it with the same type.

Centrifugal pumps are the easiest to install because the check valve and well fittings are plumbed above ground. Jet pumps require the removal of the pump as well as one or two smaller diameter drop pipes inside the well, which can get tricky if you are not experienced in th well and pump installation practices in that area. Submersible pumps require previous experience with trained personnel to properly remove, repair, or install the pumps. One wrong move when performing this can be dangerous and disastrous to the well and/or pump.

If you still need help figuring out what kind of pump to use, call a local well driller or irrigation contractor or company, they may need to come out and look at it themselves if you know or understand little about it.. Another good source would be an irrigation wholesale parts supplier such as Ewing Irrigation, Tieco, Stoval, or other lawn sprinkler/irrigation parts store.

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

How to Raise, Lower, and/or Straighten Sprinkler Heads

Over time, yards & landscapes change, which results in sprinkler heads ending up too low, too low, or just crocked. These are tasks than can be preformed by most people in good shape and don't mind doing a little digging and yard work.

Depending on how your irrigation system was designed and built, your heads could be attached directly to the PVC pipe, or attached via a swing assembly or with flexible pipe, marlexes, and spiral barb fittings. If your system is older and build with the heads directly into the PVC pipe, I highly recommend adding a swing assembly to give you more flexibility on head placement and it also helps prevent PVC pipe breaks from simple bumps with mowers or tripping over sprinkler heads.

A swing assembly (called swing joints also) is made up of 1' of flexible pipe, with a 1/2" male threaded spiral barb on one end which attaches to the pipe, and either a 1/2" or 3/4" spiral barb and marlex on the other end where the sprinkler head attaches to.

If you heads are above ground and are not in a lawn area where they need to be underground, then you could easily raise or lower them by cutting and adding or reducing with the use of appropriate size, regular slip by slip couplings and pipe if adding. Just use the same size couplings and pipe whether it is 1/2", 3/4", or 1".

Heads installed with swing assembly's will need to be straightened every few years, depending on soil condition or landscape use. Heads directly into the PVC may stay straighter longer (if plumbed right), but they tend to get brittle over time, are an eyesore, and become a nascence. No matter what the landscape design, I highly recommend the use of underground, retractable heads. Just remember that your system will require routine maintenance just like your automobile.

Also, if you are making changes to your landscape you may find the need to raise, lower, or even move sprinkler heads. This can all be done with PVC pipe, PVC fittings, and PE (flexible pipe), spiral barb fittings, swing joints or swing assemblies. Thread the spiral barb fittings into the female threaded side or end of the pipe. The marlex end attaches the sprinkler head from the spiral barb on the other end and the sprinkler heads.

When moving heads, don't run funny pipe further than 15 feet or so. If you run it too far, you will loose pressure and the sprinkler head won't pop up. Well, good luck and have fun with your irrigation!

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

My System Stopped Working, Please Help.

I get emails everyday from people looking to repair their sprinkler systems. I love trying to help people learn and figure out how to fix their irrigation themselves. I wanted to share one with you today and my reply to it.

"Hi Scott,

My system stopped working altogether. My grass is dead and I checked the timers for the correct time,watering schedules for the different zones, etc..but none of the sprinklers are coming on! The timer appears to not connected to the junction box, but rather the wires are in a pvc pipe and the timers have batteries in them - the batteries are new and the digital display(s) are visibly working.I appear to have a have a pressurized system. I checked each head to ensure they were not clogged and also pulled each of them up and found several heads where it appears there is no water in the line(s)when I pulled on the extension(s)

Do the solenoids go bad - and if they do, If one goes bad does it stop the rest from working? I am an idiot when it comes to troubleshooting systems like this that I don't understand. I need help, but on a very limited budget!

Any suggestions?

Any help will be greatly appreciated - Maybe you could suggest troubleshooting steps ranging from the easiest to the most difficult.

Thanks much,
Steve
--------------------------------------------

Hello Steve,

The batteries in the digital timers do not operate the system, they only are a backup to keep the time and program. If you see a digital display, then you do have power getting to your timer.

If you do indeed have a pressurized system, first make sure that your there are not main shut-off valves off such as any ball-valves or backflow preventor turned off.

Next, locate any of the electric valves in the ground and try to activate them manually by turning the solenoid (top handle with two wires coming from the top) counter-clockwise about a quarter to half turn. You should hear water starting to move and then your sprinklers on that zone should come on. Turn the solenoid off after that to turn the sprinklers on that zone off.

If you did get water moving, then you need to make sure that your timer is sending approximately 24 volts to each zone.

Always start at your source(s) and work your way back. This goes for power & water. In this case your power source is the timer. Use a multi-meter and verify that the clock is sending proper voltage to each zone. Make sure your mult-meter is one the correct setting and place one lead onto the "com" or "common" terminal and place the other lead onto the "zone 1" or "station 1". Activate zone 1 on the timer and if you're reading anywhere from 22 to 30 volts AC then your timer is sending proper voltage on that zone.

Repeat this process for each individual zone. If the timer is not sending any voltage or too little on any zone, then there is a problem with your timer. If each terminal on the timer is good, and you can manually activate your zones, then you have a wiring problem. The wiring problem could be a cut wire somewhere, or just a loose common at one of the valves that is first in the wiring sequence.

To figure this out, locate the first valve in the wire path and disconnect the solenoid wires from the hot and common wire. Send 24 volts from your timer to that zone and test with the multi-meter. If you are getting proper voltage at those wires, then that zone should be working. If it isn't, then your probably have a bad solenoid at that valve. Observe closely for loose, nicked, or cut wires.

There is a chance that the wire is good and you have several bad solenoids, but that isn't likely unless you had something such as a lightning strike, in which case the wires are often affected too. Please write me back and let me know what you've found.

Thanks,

Scott Young

http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

Clogged Spray Head Nozzle, Pipe, or Line

Part of routine maintenance on your lawn irrigation system includes unclogging spray heads. You will have to do this more if your system is run from a well. Cleaner water systems, such as city water or reclaim (recycled waste) waster has a lot less debris and tends to cause less of a problem.

Unclogging a spray head nozzle is easy. Most of the time, it is the screen that is clogged and the nozzle is fine. In this case you may try to rinse the screen out or just replace it with a new one. After rinsing or replacing the screen see, if the the nozzle is unclogged by turning on that sprinkler head.

If the nozzle is still clogged, it may be a piece of debris stuck in the output of the nozzle which may be removed by a small flat head screw driver. Just use the screw driver while the spray head is running and pry & wiggle in the output. Many times you will free up the clog and everything is fixed. If the nozzle still does not work or is very old, it is best just to replace it with a new one because they are fairly cheap (around $1 - $2).

If your spray head is still clogged after replacing the nozzle, than it may be the spray head itself. Either the wiper seal is rotted out and gone bad, or the head is clogged with sand or well debris from years of use. In this case it is best to replace the spray head. You will want to flush out the line through the flush cap on the new spray head after installing it. This way you flush out any debris that may be in the line prior to installing the new spray nozzle.

If after replacing the spray or rotor sprinkler head the pressure is still low and you believe there is a clog, you will have to dig down further and expose the threaded PVC tee or 90 that the sprinkler head is connected to. Most new systems are connected via a swing assembly or with funny pipe. This is a flexible tubing with a spiral barb (usually 1/2") and a marlex. The spiral barb on one end threads into a PVC fitting and at the other end of the swing assembly (normally 1ft) there is another spiral barb and marlex (either 1/2" or 3/4" depending on model).

Many times a small rock or piece of debris will get caught up inside the swing assembly, usually inside the spiral bar or marlex. First remove the sprinkler head and Second cut the marlex & spiral barb off the funny (flexible) pipe. Inspect the fittings for an obstruction. If you find that it is clear you will need to search further.

You will need to dig out about 1ft around and a little underneath the threaded fitting. Remove the spiral barb and check the fitting for an obstruction. If this fitting is clear you will then need to cut the PVC about 2" past the threading fitting. Turn on that zone or section and see if you have good flow coming out. You may find that small rocks or other well debris is caught up in the pipe. Gently tap the pipe with a small tool and see if you can get the debris loose and to flush out, you may be surprised!

Only use these troubleshooting methods if you are sure you have a clogged line or break! If all the other sprinkler heads on that zone and the rest of your yard are working fine, then you probably have a clog. If you have low pressure on more than one zone, you most likely have a water source problem such as a PVC mainline break, or pump and/or well issue.

Spray heads and spray nozzles tend to get clogged more frequently than rotor heads and rotor nozzles. This is because of the size of the nozzle output on each. If you have a lawn / landscape sprinkler system taking care of clogged items is part of maintenance, especially and water systems such as certain wells or shallow water sources.

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

Have you done your Spring Tune Up Yet?

Okay, I wrote the blog about the lawn sprinkler and irrigation system Spring tune-up last month, but I think we were all too busy freezing our butts off or reading a book at home by the fire. Well, the official start of Spring was March 21st, last Friday, and in many parts of the country the spring flowers are blooming and the grasses are coming out of their dormant stage.

Keeping your lawn and landscape beautiful means more than mowing the grass and trimming the hedges. You've got to keep up on the maintenance of your irrigation system to help your landscape stay healthy and your grass a lush green.

Maintaining your lawn sprinklers is not too difficult of a task, it just requires a little effort on your part, or you can always hire someone to do it, the main point is to make sure that it gets done. Please refer back to my last blog article to review a list of steps that you can take to ensure that your system is ready for the season.

Good luck and as always, email me with any questions. For contact info, just visit my main site listed below and scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy Spring Time everybody!

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com