Lawn Sprinkler Tips

Irrigation System Wiring - Index & Electric Valves

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:28:00 +0000

There are two main types of automatic lawn sprinkler systems widely used today. The first and considered 'simpler' method is the use of a dial-type timer and an indexing valve that distributes water from the mainline to separate zones. The second and slightly more complex is the use of a digital timer and electric valves (this is the type that we install brand new). Both types of systems require some electrical wiring that may involve high voltage and low voltage connections.

An index valve is typically a green or round or circular shaped, black or green colored device that can be either metal or plastic. The index valve has a side inlet where the main water is connected from the water source such as a pump and then often has either 4, 6, or 8 pipes coming out vertically out the bottom and in the ground to the sprinkler zones.

The most popular brands of index valves that I see are Hydrotech's and Fimco. The Hydrotech 4000 has 4 outlets and can be modified with a cam to run on 2, 3, or 4 zones. There are also other models which have 6 & 8 outlets and can be adjusted to run the proper amount of zones.

The timer for an index valve is normally the "dial type" timer like a Hydrotech 2120 or equivalent. This type of timer has a built-in pump start relay which sends power to the sprinkler pump, which in turn delivers water to the index valve. Water flows through one of the pipes coming out of the index valve and to the sprinkler heads on that zone. When the power to the pump stops, the stem & disc in the index valve switches to the next zone and when the pump receives power again, then water will come out of the next zone.

As I mentioned, the index valve type system is much simpler. The timer has power in from the circuit breaker and power out to the pump. A Hydrotech 2120 has approximately 220 volts in and 220 volts out to the pump. A Hydrotech 2110 has 110 volts in and 110 volts out to the pump. There are also a few other models such as a 2114 that takes 110 volts in a sends out 24 volts to a low voltage electric valve like the one used in digital timer/electric valve systems.

An electric valve system with a digital timer uses a 110/120 volt timer with a transformer which reduces the voltage so that the timer/controller can send out approximately 24 volts to the electric valves on the sprinkler system. Each zone will have its' own electric valve. The valves will normally be installed in either their own 6" round valve box with a green or black lid, or you may find a set of multiple valves, such as 4 or 6 valves, sharing a larger 12" rectangular box with a green or black lid. Reclaim water (recycled waste water) systems should have purple colored valve box lids.

The digital timer will send out about 24 volts to a particular zone when the timer is programmed to do so. The electric valve has a solenoid which helps a little device become magnetized and in turn, lifts a plunger in the valve, which then opens the diaphragm and then allows water to flow through. When the electricity stops, it becomes de-magnetized and the diaphragm closes, which stops the flow of water to that zone. The solenoid has two individual wires coming out of the top of it.

In most residential and some commercial sprinkler systems, a multi-strand type wire is used to connect the timer to each valve. The outside will be a black insulation and sort of resembles a cable or phone line from the outside. Inside the black insulation there will be multiple, single strand 18 gauge wires. Sprinkler system multi-strand wire typically comes in 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 13 strands. You will at least need one more strand than the number of valves that your system has. To clarify; For example if your sprinkler system has 5 valves, then the system will need at least 6 separate strands. This is one unique "hot" wire for each valve and one "common" wire that all the valves share. Most irrigation contractors use either white or green for the common (I've always used white).

The common wire is sort of like the negative and is shared between all the solenoids on the valves. To run independently, each valve will need to have it's own unique wire connected to the other lead or wire on the valve's solenoid. At your digital timer you will see something like "station" or "zones"...or maybe even numbers like 1,2,3, etc... These are where the "hot" or unique wires for each zone will be connected. You'll see another terminal labeled "com" or "common". This is of course where your shared, common wire will be connected.

If you see "MV" labeled on one of the leads on the timer, this stands for "master valve" and is mostly used to power pump-start-relays on systems with wells & pumps. Many city water or pressure tank system's don't use the "MV" terminal, but there are those that still do because of an actual master valve is being used. If a master valve is used on a city or pressurized water system, this valve will have to be functioning correctly at all times, or it will not allow water to pressurize the mainline so that any of the other valves can get water.

OK, that's enough for now. Hopefully I shed some light and gave you a little bit of insight on sprinkler system wiring. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions!

Scott Young
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com
http://www.advancedirrigationsystems.net

Adding a New Zone To Your System

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:21:00 +0000

You may already have an existing sprinkler system, but are needing to upgrade it or add an extension to cover a new area that you'd like to landscape. Sometimes this can be as easy as tapping in a new sprinkler head or two, but other times this may require having to add an entire new zone.

Of course several different factors will determine if you need a whole new sprinkler zone or not. First of all is the actual size of the new landscape area where you are needing sprinkler coverage. Can this area be covered by just one spray head or one rotor head? If so, does the existing zone nearby have enough water volume and pressure to carry one or two more sprinkler heads?

If the new area of landscape is a large section, then you'll most likely need to add a new zone or maybe more to properly cover the area. Adding a new sprinkler zone is not too difficult, but how you exactly go about it will also depend on what kind of automatic sprinkler system you have.

If your existing lawn irrigation system uses an index valve, then this may require changing the index valve to a larger one which can carry one or two more zones. For example you may currently have a four zone index valve, but will need to upgrade to a six zone index valve (with a 5 or 6 zone cam depending on if you are adding one or two more zones). Or you may get lucky and only need to change out the cam. If your system has a four or six zone index valve, but your system actually only has one zone less (three or five zones respectively) then you are in luck and will just need to upgrade the cam to allow water to flow to your current blank zone.

If you have a digital timer and electric valve system then you will need to tap into the mainline, extend out some pipe, and add a new valve or two (one for each new zone of course). Also you will probably have to add a new multi-strand sprinkler wire from the new valves up into to the timer to power the valves from the timer/controller. The exception here is if your irrigation system's current multi-strand sprinkler wire has spare wires to use. You can usually tell this by looking inside the back panel of the timer where the valve wires are connected to the station terminals in the timer and looking to see if there are spare wires. You'll then need to locate the spare wires in one of the existing valves. You can then splice and tie into the spare wires from the point where you'll be tapping into the mainline to add your new valves.

As always, a good design will start with proper sprinkler head layout. Make sure to have the sprinkler heads placed where you will get overlapping or what's known as "head-to-head" coverage. This helps ensure even precipitation and prevents dry or "hot spots". Once you know how many sprinkler heads your new lawn or landscape area will need, you can then determine the water volume demand. You'll do this by choosing and counting gallons per minute according to the types of sprinkler heads and nozzles. Then you can determine how many new sprinkler zones you will need.

A helpful tip here or shortcut is to count the gallons per minute being used on one of your existing sprinkler zones. This will be a good indication of how much water you can use per zone.

My ebook on building a new sprinkler systems will help you better understand these concepts. Also, if you are just looking for an irrigation contractor to do this work for you, please feel free to call me if you live in my service area in Northwest Florida (Niceville, Valparaiso, Bluewater Bay, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Crestview). I will come out and determine what needs to be done and give you a free price quote.

Scott
Advanced Irrigation Florida
Design & Build Your Sprinkler System

How To Clean Your PVC Well

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:58:00 +0000

I wrote a short blog post in 2007 about how to clean a pvc well (Clean PVC Well), but I just re-read it and I want to add a few more points.

The process that I'm referring to is for cleaning out irrigation wells that supply water to a lawn and landscape sprinkler system, not for drinking water wells. Drinking water wells have specific types of cleaner and you must also test that water to make sure it is safe. I'm only referring to irrigation wells in this and the previous blog posts.

Next I wanted to describe to you another step that we've added from years of experience in cleaning irrigation wells. After you let the cleaner sit for a day or so, and have already tried to spin or move the 2" well casing, there is another process that I'd like to tell you about that has worked wonders.

Use a 20 foot stick of thin-wall 3/4" pipe and add a hose connection piece to one end. This is so that you can hook up a standard water hose to the pipe. Then at the oppisite end of the 20 foot stick of pipe, you will add a 'boring' tip or 'jet' tip. Both the pvc to hose connection and boring tip can be found at Ace hardware or most any hardware stores.

Actually you may need to add another 10 to 20 feet of 3/4" pipe prior to installing the jet tip, depending on the depth of your well. The main thing you want to do here is to reach the bottom of your well and then clean the bottom 5 to 10 feet of well casing. The reason for doing this is because the bottom 5 to 10 feet is going to be where the well screen is installed.

The screen is where the water is pulled through and sand and other debris is kept out. Over the years different minerals and just plain old 'gunk' build up on the screen. Using running water and pressure for the jet tip head, you can rub the pipe against the edge of the screen and use the water to clean off the screen! This has proved out to be a very valuable technique for unclogging well screens and improving the overall yield of the well.

We have seen improvements such as going from 12 gallons per minute before cleaned, to producing over 30 gallons per minute after being cleaned! It is amazing. My old partner actually didn't want me sharing this info with anyone, especially possible competition or other businesses, but if you're lucky enough to find my website, then I'm not scared to share the information. They'll still be plenty of business to go around and if I can help you save money or teach others how to do this so they can make money, then that makes me feel good to share.

Always make sure to measure the flow of your well & pump before and after so that you accurately know what kind of improvement you've made. The process described works best for shallow wells with horizontal, centrifugal pumps. Vertical jet pumps with deeper wells can also be cleaned this way, but you must remove the drop pipe and foot valve first. Actually with Jet pumps it is very common for the jet and the end of the drop pipe, right before the foot valve, to get clogged with debris. This is one of the main causes for limited flow on a jet pump setup. The other major cause of reduced flow with a jet pump is the actual pump itself.

As always, good luck and feel free to contact me with questions!

Scott
Automatic Lawn Sprinklers
Advanced Irrigation Florida

March Spring Irrigation Checkup - New Landscape Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:04:00 +0000

Last month I wrote about getting your landscape irrigation system ready for the system by doing your annual spring maintenance or tuneup. Check it out here:
Spring Irrigation Tuneup

I've written similar blog posts in previous years outlining many of the details that go into this type of 'checkup'. Here's another article I wrote several years ago for you to refer to: Summer Sprinkler Tips

With the exception of a few cold nights and slightly chilly days the past few weeks, Spring has started to show as we've experienced some days with high temperatures in the low to mid 60s! The current 10 day outlook forecast is looking good for North Florida as next week we'll be hitting 65 and 66 degrees with clear & sunny skies!

Pretty soon the grass will be greening up and the brown, dormant lawns and landscapes will be fading away and back to our typical 9 months or so of beautiful green plants, lush lawns, and colorful flowers.

It's not too early and never too late to get your lawn sprinkler system prepared and fully functional to help provide adequate and uniform water to your yard's landscape. If you are like many people, you are probably planning out new home and yard projects which may include modifications or improvements to your yard.

It's typical this time of year for people to re-sod or lay new grass. This is a great time of year to do that, but please don't make the mistake that many people often do: Not thoroughly checking your lawn sprinklers before laying new grass or planting new shrubs! I experience many frantic calls from people freaking out because they just spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars on new grass and/or landscape material and then find out that their sprinkler system is not working properly!

Mistakes happen, so I am understanding to those who make this mistake and I do my best to accommodate them and provide service as quickly as possible, but there are times where we get so busy that we do have a waiting list and that's the last thing you want to hear when you have 10 pallets of St. Augustine grass laying in your yard and there is no rain in the foreseeable forecast!

If you are reading this before you've planned or started this year's landscape projects, then great! Please check-up and repair your irrigation system prior to ordering and installing new grass, plants, or shrubs. Either do it yourself or call a professional company, like Advanced Irrigation Systems, to inspect and get your system up to par. Make sure to let your irrigation tech know exactly what type of landscape material you'll be using and where it will be. You want to make sure that you have proper coverage over the entire area.

The warm weather is coming. Alright everybody...it's time to get to work with our Spring cleaning, Spring Tune-ups, and home projects. I've got a lot of work to do on my home landscape this year myself and I'm actual excited about it! I've just been waiting for this cold weather to go away. Get your sprinkler system updated today. If you live or have a home inside Northwest Florida located in Niceville, Valparaiso, Bluewater Bay, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Crestview, or Navarre then give me a call!

Scott Young
Advanced Irrigation Systems
850-729-7110
Residential Irrigation System Design

How To Find a Lost or Hidden Valve

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:44:00 +0000

On your automatic lawn sprinkler system you have a separate valve for each section or zone. If your system is a digital timer and electric valve system, then you will sooner or later have to deal with one or more different maintenance issues that arise.

When any of these issues happen, you'll need to replace the valve entirely or replace parts of it. To do this, you'll obviously need to know where your valves or at. The valves are normally placed in valve boxes. On residential systems you'll see one of two types of setups. You may have a manifold system where all the valves are placed into one or two rectangular boxes about 18" in length.

Or you may see a setup where each valve is in its' own round or circle shaped valve box. The common size valve box for 1" valves is a 6" diameter box. 1&1/2" valves are normally placed in 10" diameter round boxes. These boxes are normally green or black, with a green or black lid.

If you know where your valves are then great! If not, your first mission is to locate the problem valve or all the valves for that matter so that you know where they are at! A very common thing that happens, is for grass to grow over the lids and cover or hide the boxes. Or the valves end up in a shrub or flower bed and get covered up with mulch.

You can find your valves in a couple of different ways. The first and most obvious thing to do is to walk around your yard to see if you can spot them. If this doesn't work, then it is time to get to work. You can poke around with a shovel, but this could take hours or days...literally. A big timer saver is a machine called a "valve location machine" or "valve locater" I like to call them.

These types of devices cost from $600 - $1,000, so it probably doesn't make sense for you to buy one if you don't do irrigation for a living. The next best thing you can do is to rent one. An average price to rent a valve locater is about $50 - $75 per day. This machine will send a tone or signal through the sprinkler wire and then you trace the tone to the valve with a separate 'wand'. The wand is kind of like a metal detector in a way. I've had people observe me searching for valves before and thought I was using a metal detector to look for rings or loose change!

This machine is great, but it does take patience and skill in order to use efficiently. You could get lucky and find your valves pretty quick, or you could find your self walking circles around the yard getting very frustrated! The machine is only as good as its' user. Also it is not perfect as it does tend to pick up interference from phone, electrical, and cable lines in the ground.

If you are the type of person that likes a good challenge, then go for it! If you would rather not spend your entire weekend (or longer) hunting or searching for lost valves, then you may just want to pick up the phone and call your local irrigation professional. I've been doing this job for over ten years, and I still run into challenges and difficult searches that take longer than I anticipate. As a matter of fact I'm in the middle of a job that I didn't finish today at a town-home complex where I'm searching for valves. I've found 6 out of 10 electric valves. But I still have two more bad valves and guess what...of course they are part of the four that I haven't found yet!

Scott
Do It Yourself Lawn Sprinklers
Florida Irrigation Company

New Irrigation Services Coming Soon To My Site

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:22:00 +0000

On this particular site for the past 6 years, my main focus has been selling my e-book, How To Build Your Own Automatic Lawn Sprinkler System. This e-book has done very well and helped out thousands of people design and build their own residential automatic irrigation systems. I've enjoyed the whole process of developing the book, the website, and answering sprinkler system questions over the years.

Lately I've been thinking about some other services that I can offer my visitors in addition to just offering the e-book. Many of the people who find my site are just looking for sprinkler parts to buy, which I do offer through a third-party-website, others are looking to get their questions answered to help them properly diagnose and fix their existing irrigation systems. I've answered thousands of emails over the years giving people free advice and helping them solve their sprinkler problems and it has been rewarding just knowing that I've helped.

Answering all of these questions definitely takes time and it has led me to come up with the idea of offering a paid sprinkler troubleshooting service via email and possibly phone. With a paid service I can justify dedicating more time to helping people solve their irrigation maintenance issues. I'm not saying that I won't still answer basic questions for free, but some issues that I've dealt with in the past have been slightly complex and required multiple emails back & forth to help finally solve the problem. Also many times I have to request additional information and pictures to help in diagnosing the sprinkler problem.

So to make this process smoother and more efficient I will be creating a sprinkler troubleshooting and maintenance form which asks certain questions upfront and allows people to upload pictures to help describe the specific issue that they are trying to resolve. I have not decided on a final price or full details of exactly what I will provide yet, but it is an idea that I've ran by a few people and they thought it was a very good idea. I know that I will make the cost less than a typical service call charge from your local irrigation contractor so that it will help you save money, which is one of the whole reasons of you wanting to do it yourself in the first place!

I will be designing the form and modifying the order page starting this week and I hope to have the program fully functional and implemented within the next 2-3 weeks.

On top of that new service, I will also be offering another new service that I've provided free in the past and many people frequently ask me to provide. It will be a sprinkler system design service. My design will come complete with a specific materials list and also the checklists that I offer as bonuses on my website when buying my sprinkler e-book.

I just have not been able to provide this service to as many people that have asked for it because of the time and energy it takes just became too much for me to do it for free anymore. My book provides great instructions for people to do this themselves, but there are still others who end up wanting me to personally design their system anyway. I would love to offer and provide this service to more people and by charging a fair price I will be able to do that. I have not yet decided on a final price for this irrigation system design and plan package, but it will be more than the irrigation troubleshooting service because of the amount of work that goes into it. However, it will still save you hundreds to thousands of dollars compared to hiring an irrigation professional to install it.

Some people may already know about Rainbird's free design service and I encourage you to use them if you wish. My service will be different from Rainbird's as I will be desinging the system according to my plan and specs. I'll actually be using the "simplified design" method outlined in my e-book. My design plan is normally a lot easier for the average "non-irrigation" person to follow, and my way normally always saves a ton of cash on parts/materials because of my design method, but you will still get a high quality system, including even coverage and matched precipitation rates across all zones.

I will keep you posted and make an announcement when I release these two new services. On another note, the look & design of my Blog may be changing within the next month due to Blogger.com changing the way that my blog is published to my server. They are doing away with FTP option and want me to host my content on one of their Google servers, which I'm not too happy about. So, I may be moving to a different service to publish my lawn sprinkler blog and with that move comes a new layout and look. Sorry to add this in at the end, it's a whole other issue...but I wanted everyone to be aware so that you're not shocked if you come to my blog one day and everything looks totally different! Don't worry though, all of my old blog posts going back to 2004 will all still be available for you to read!

That's it for tonight! I've got a busy day fixing sprinklers tomorrow...in the cold weather..brrr!

Scott
Landscape Irrigation System Design
Advanced Irrigation Systems, Inc.

Winter Storm Warning in Florida?

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:55:00 +0000

This is funny, because just the other day I wrote my annual Spring Sprinkler System Tune Up article talking about getting ready for the Spring. Now we may possibly get snow here in North Florida, which is a very rare occurrence! I logged onto weather.com to check out the forecast and the first thing I see for my zip code is "Winter Storm Warning".

I just about cracked up laughing because I'm sure that our dinky little Florida winter storm is nothing compared to what the unfortunate people in the northern part of the country have been dealing with the past week! I don't think we'll be bringing out the snow shovels here, actually I don't think anybody in Florida even knows what a snow shovel is...LOL.

I doubt we'll even see snow. I've lived here for 15 years and never once seen snow since I've been here. We may see sleet or most likely just cold rain, which is no fun either. In situations like this here, before the "snow" reaches the ground it turns back to rain or a slushy mix. Escabmia County, the county just west of Okaloosa County where I live has canceled school for tomorrow. The reason being is for the "safety of the children".

I can somewhat understand because our school buses are not equipped to drive on icy roads, nor is anyone around hear experienced in driving in icy conditions, except for those who have lived in colder climates. I still find it funny because I've lived in places where it actually does snow and if people canceled school and work everyday there was icy conditions, nothing would ever get done in the Winter!

Within a week or two we'll be enjoying 60 degree weather. I believe the forecast showed Sunday getting back up to the mid 50's. One thing about living here that is kind of a pain is the wide fluctuation in temperatures from day to day or even within one day. Normally this time of year we may see lows of mid 30's to low 40's at night and then it can reach up to the mid 60's by the afternoon. I'll start off my day bundled up and layered clothing and quickly shed sweatshirts as the day progresses.

So my fellow Floridians, do not fear. This cold weather will pass quickly and there will be warm weather again soon. We'll all be needing our irrigation systems again very soon. I'll promise my blog readers and website visitors this; if it does actually snow and it sticks to the ground without melting first, I will take pictures and post it up on my blog! We'll see :)

Scott
Florida Irrigation Tips

How Lightning Strikes Affect Sprinkler Systems

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:28:00 +0000

In the Northwest part of Florida we see our fair share of rain and thunderstorms throughout the year. With many of these storms comes fierce lightning. I have heard some people even call this area the lightning strike capital of the world, although I'm not sure if that's entirely true, but it is a very common occurrence in the Niceville, Bluewater Bay, Destin, and Fort Walton Beach area.

When lightning strikes at or near your house there are many potential things that can happen that can directly affect your automatic irrigation system. I have seen the aftermath of many lightning strikes and the amazing power and damage that it brings. I've seen irrigation timers/controllers blown off the side of a house and thrown 30 feet away. I've seen timers completely burnt, circuit boards fried, and wires completely melted.

The lightning doesn't even have to directly strike your house to cause damage. Many times it strikes a tree near your house and the electricity travels down the roots and then finds the sprinkler wire and makes its' way through it, causing damage. It can also split or break the PVC pipes.

Other times the lightning damage is not that obvious. Everything could appear fine on the outside, but when you go to operate your timer all of a sudden you discover the things aren't working properly or even working at all. Often a lightning strike can damage the internal components of the timer without any visible damage.

The timer may get stuck in the on position and not shut off the valves even when the dial is turned to "off". In this case you need to shut down the main breaker and the main water source if connected to city water. The timer could also appear to be fine at first, but it will no longer activate or turn on any of the zones on the system. This could be because the timer is "toast" or it could be a problem with the sprinkler wire leading to the electric valves.

I've also seen where the timer and wire is fine, but the solenoids on the electric valves get damaged and have to be replaced. When troubleshooting a sprinkler system after a lightning strike, power surge, or any electrical problem I have a certain process or protocol that I follow to discover and properly diagnose what is wrong with the system. I do this with the use of a digital multi-meter, a valve locater/wire tracer, and also another electrical diagnostic tool which allows me to test individual wires and pairs of wires in the multi-strand for shorts or open circuits.

Other problems may not be identified as quick or upfront. A good example of what I'm talking about here is when a lightning strike has occurred where a new timer must be installed, new wire run though the yard to each valve, and possibly even the solenoids on the valves replaced first prior to being able to inspect the system further. Once all that is done, then you may end up finding broken PVC pipes once you can turn the system on. This usually happens on systems with a well & pump setup that uses a pump-start relay or pressure tank. With irrigation systems on city water you should be able to activate the valves manually (as long as you know where all the valves or located in the yard) to identify any broken lines.

I pretty much described the worst case scenario with a lighting strike above. Typically a system will only experience one or two things wrong such as a bad timer and maybe a couple of solenoids. Still there are those cases where everything from the main circuit breaker, to the timer, the relay, the multi-strand sprinkler wire, and the valves all get damages with broken pipes to top it off! Home Owner's insurance will normally cover damages like this, but there's always that damn deductible that must be met first.

If you live in my service area and think your system may have experienced damage from a lightning storm, I'm the person to call. I have extensive knowledge and experience in cases like these and I actually enjoy the challenge that some of these situations can bring. Almost anybody can replace a broken sprinkler head or glue some pipe together, but it takes a professional to properly diagnose and repair sprinkler system wiring problems.

Also if you just have a few questions and would like to ask me, please feel free to email me or call and I will be happy to help you out.

Scott Young
Advanced Irrigation Systems, Inc.
850-729-7110

My Sprinkler System Design Book

Spring Irrigation Tune Ups & Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:53:00 +0000

Okay, I know that we are officially in the middle of Winter, but here in Florida our seasons are really as clearly defined. We may have a few more cold spells, but Spring time and warmer weather are right around the corner and it is time to start getting those irrigation systems in good running shape.

Don't be like everyone else and wait until March or April to take care of your lawn sprinkler system issues! Get ahead of the crowd and get your maintenance issues fixed before the spring rush hits and you'll enjoy quicker service and better prices. Not every irrigation contractor will tell you this, but we do tend to charge more once we get busy for a couple of different reasons. First of all the basics of supply and demand come into play.

Secondly, as it gets hotter outside, the actual labor or work becomes more difficult because of dealing with the high temperatures. In hot weather you have to take more breaks to help prevent heat exhaustion and this makes the jobs take longer. We still have to earn a living and if the job takes longer we have to charge more!

Even though we may be getting some cold nights of 35 to 40 degrees, it has been warming up to 50 to 60 degrees during the day which is very pleasant weather to work in. When you get wet, it does make it a little bit chilly but nothing that is unbearable.

You should have your landscape sprinklers checked out at the very least once per year. I recommend up to 4 times, once every three months in order to keep your system in top shape. A spring tune up normally includes a full system inspection of each zone, as well as the unclogging of spray nozzles and adjusting of heads and timer adjustment. While doing the inspection we can identify problems such as broken sprinkler heads, lack of proper coverage, nozzles that need to be replaced, and also timer & electric valve functions.

In an article I wrote 2 years ago, in 2008, I list some more details on tuning up your irrigation system. Check it out here: Spring Irrigation System Tune Up

Another thing we check for is for the presence of and correct operation of a rain sensor. It has been law in the State of Florida since 1991 for all automatic irrigation systems to be installed with rain sensors, but in certain areas this law has not been heavily enforced. I run into systems quite frequently that don't even have a rain sensor at all!

Now if your system uses water from a well or lake you may not be worried about a rain sensor, but if your sprinkler use city water and you have to pay for it, you'd be crazy to not have one! It can save you tons of cash on your bill over the course of a year. Besides the monetary savings, you can help prevent over-watering of your lawn and landscape by having an operating rain sensor.

Actually the State of Florida just recently made it mandatory for irrigation contractors to check for rain sensors and make sure that they are properly working on every system that we do a hired maintenance job for. The law used to state that we have to install one on new sprinkler systems that we build, but not I must make sure to check for and test the sensor on each job that I do. This is something that I pretty much always did anyway to inform the customer, but I never forced the issue if the customer wasn't concerned...but now I must do my part in helping conserve and manage our valuable water resources.

If it has been a few years since you've done any maintenance to your landscape irrigation, then now is the time. My phone calls have started to pick up the past two weeks and I can tell that we're about to move into to busy season before you know it. Even though new construction and new systems have been slow the last 1&1/2 years, the maintenance is always there.

Taking care of and maintaining your sprinklers is just like taking care of anything else you have to take of to keep running efficiently. Think about it like a car. You have to keep up with changing the oil & fluids, check your tire pressure, rotate & balance the tires, get an alignment, service your breaks, etc... If you neglect it, what's going to happen to it? The longer it goes without being serviced, the more problems that can occur and can end up leading to bigger problems.

On the other hand if you keep up with it, it will perform better. Both a vehicle and sprinkler system provide value for many years to come after the initial purchase. I have another quick comparison between cars and irrigation systems that I'd like to make here: With a car, truck, SUV, or whatever you drive you end up paying something like $20,000 to $40,000. You drive the car for 5 or maybe 10 years and then end up getting another. During the life of the car you may spend thousands of dollars maintaining it. A car does provide you much value and in turn is worth the money spent.

A sprinkler system may cost you $2,500 to $5,000 upfront. It may not get you places like a car, but it provides value by keeping your lawn & landscape green and healthy which helps the property value of your home. It also provides enjoyment and the satisfaction of having a beautiful yard. for Most sprinkler systems can last 20 to 30 years or even longer before needing to be replaced. You will end up spending thousands of dollars over the years maintaining it, but it keeps providing value over & over again. Most people wouldn't think twice about buying a new car after 6 or 7 years, but complain about having to purchase a new lawn pump, timer, or electric valves after the same amount of time. Just something to think about...

The reason I make this analogy is to help explain to people the importance of keeping up with your sprinkler system. Also to help people realize the actual value that the system is providing them with. Most of you reading this probably already realize this or you wouldn't be here reading this, but it's just something that I had to get off my chest!

Okay, I'm done rambling for tonight. I'm looking forward to a great week and ready to go fix some sprinkler systems! If you live in my service area, give me a call! Get your Spring tune-up done today. The main areas I provide service in are Niceville, Valparaiso, Bluewater Bay, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Crestview, Santa Rosa Beach, and Navarre. Contact me now, my number is listed below.

Scott Young
850-729-7110
Advanced Irrigation Systems
DIY Sprinklers!

When Should I Start Watering My Lawn?

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:55:00 +0000

Another common question that comes up from my customers is, "When should I start watering my lawn?" The answer depends on a few different things. First of all your climate and local weather conditions have the biggest part to play in deciding when you should begin normal watering after the winter or off-season. The next factor would be the type of landscape such as what type of grass and/or shrubs you have.

Where we live in Florida we don't really experience that long or harsh of a winter. The grass does go dormant and turn brown, but it still has a living root system underneath, which many people fail to realize. In our climate I advise people that should never really stop watering, only cut-back the amount of time and frequency that they do water their lawn.

Of course if their are freezing conditions, you obviously don't want to water. But I would say that in this type of climate that a person should water their lawn and landscape at least once per week during the winter months.

If you do turn your system off for a few months, I would recommend turning it back on whenever the weather warms up slightly. You don't need to set it back to automatic watering if you don't want to, but can choose to water once or twice per week on the warmer days. For example, just recently in the Fort Walton, Niceville, Navarre, Destin, Crestview area we experienced several nights of hard freezes. This was about a week and two weeks ago, but today it is 65 degrees and I feel like having a bar-b-q!

Our weather tends to fluctuate like this during the winter. The lows have only been in the 50's, but next week the lows will dip down into the mid 30's and low 40's and night. However there will still be some 60 degree days that feel great and a nice condition to water your landscape.

Watering at least once weekly during the off-season has other advantages than keeping your lawn and shrubs root systems healthy. It also keeps the many working parts of your irrigation system moving. Just like a car, if your system sits too long certain problems are bound to occur. This is especially true on sprinkler systems tied to well water. The iron and other debris tends to cake or gunk up the longer it sits and dries out. This causes problems such as stuck check valves and foot valves, heads getting stuck down or stuck up, nozzles clogging up, and other problems.

If you live in a more northern or colder climate than your irrigation system was most likely designed to be drained and/or blown out in the off-season so you obviously can't water until your system is primed back up again. In the south and warmer climates we do not build sprinkler systems to be completely drained out. Many pumps can be drained, but I would recommend insulating them rather than draining them so that you can activate your sprinklers at least once per week.

Scott
Do It Yourself Sprinklers
Florida Irrigation Company

Freezing Florida Weather - Protect Your Pipes

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:13:00 +0000

We are a little bit spoiled here in Florida as we aren't use too used to cold weather. While we do experience the cold a little every winter, it's usually not too harsh. We may see some 40 - 50 degree days, with lows in the 30's, but normally we don't experience too many hard-freezes. Well this week is a different story down here.

I live in Niceville, Florida which is located in the Northwest part of Florida. We are near Fort Walton Beach, Destin, and Navarre. I provide irrigation service to all of these areas and this week I have seen an increase in what I call my "freeze-calls". When the temperature dips down into the mid to high twenties for the course of the night, this hard-freeze can cause many irrigation system problems.

I know that water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit but it normally takes a couple night in a row of hard freezes to start effecting the system. The things most likely to break on your irrigation system when it freezes are: Exposed pipes, back-flow prevention devices (PVB, DCVA), and certain types of pumps or their metal pump housings.

The best thing to do for exposed pipes and backflow prevention valves that stick out of the ground is to wrap them with foil insulation tape. You can also get foam wraps and tape them on. For above ground pumps, you can drain them or you can wrap them with some type of insulation as well. If you choose to insulate, just make sure you are only wrapping the metal housing and not the pump motor! The pump motor has to have ventilation and could catch fire if you activate it and have it wrapped up. Another option to help protect your pump is to build a small enclosure around it or 'pump house'. This will protect it from the weather and help your pump last longer.

Some type of pumps are more prone to freeze than others. Horizontal, centrifugal pumps or shallow well pumps normally have a very thin cast iron housing which tends to split at the seams when they freeze crack. The jet pumps have a lot thicker metal housing Back-flow's either break at the freeze plug, or somewhere on the brass itself.

If you are from up north and wondering why we don't drain our entire systems here in Florida it is because many people still use their systems in the winter. If you have winter-rye grass you still need to water a few times a week. Even if your grass is dormant, it is good to water it once per week for a couple reasons. First of all, you are still giving water to the root system, which is good for your lawn, and second it helps keep your system and parts from 'gunking-up'. Systems hooked up to wells with high iron content tend to have a lot of problems after sitting several months without running.

So, as much as I hate this cold, I must go out and fix pipes, pumps, and back-flow's for my customers so that they keep their irrigation system in proper shape. Plus, if a mainline pipe busts, it's got to be fixed quick! Let's not whine too much about this cold weather here because before you know it spring will be here and then we'll be complaining that it's too hot! Have a happy winter for now!

Scott
Irrigation System Freeze

What is Average Cost of City Water For Irrigation System?

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:38:00 +0000

In certain areas today, many residential irrigation systems are hooked up to a city water supply which is metered and the water has to be paid for. If you are lucky enough to have a well and pump then you don't have to worry about this. The downside to having a well and pump are the maintenance costs associated with it, but normally the cost of maintaining a well and pump will still be lower than the cost of running a sprinkler system on city water.

Some people have no choice but to go to city water because the area they live in will not allow wells drilled below a certain depth or there is just no good strata layer to be able to get the water from. Systems that are connected to city water need a back-flow prevention device to protect our potable water from being contaminated with dirt and containment such as fertilizers applied to the lawn that can creep back in the system when the pop-up heads retract.

So, how much does running an irrigation system on city water cost? Well it really depends on several different things. First of all, how large is your yard? How large is the system? How many heads, what's their flow rate? Also, how often do you run the sprinklers? How does your city or county charge you for the water used? Is there a separate meter for the system?

All the above factors will determine how much it's going to cost you. For example, in our city and county they no longer have separate meters for irrigation systems. The older houses that do are grand-fathered in. Those systems connected to city water that are on the same meter as the house will get charged for sewer fees on top of water fees (except houses with septic tanks). The yards that have a separate meter will get charged for water consumption, but not sewer. Getting charged extra for sewer really doesn't seem fair when you are applying it to the lawn, not flushing it down the toilet, but that is how it works in some places. What makes it even worse here is that sewer is charged at 110% of the water usage!

So, sorry to answer a question with a bunch of questions, but all of those things are important in determining the cost. Just to give you an average, I would say that having a lawn sprinkler system hooked up to city water can cost you about an extra $120 per month during the summer. Like I said, that is just an average or ball-park based on an average sized yard and system. Your price could vary up or down obviously.

Those are the prices some must pay in order to maintain a healthy lawn and beautiful landscape. You can save money in the Fall & Winter by cutting down the cycle run-time on your system. In many areas you can completely shut it off in certain months because of freezing conditions. In warmer climates it is good to run the sprinklers at least once per week because even though the grass and shrubs may go dormant, they still have a root system that needs water. If your system is on a well and pump, another benefit of running your sprinklers at least once per week would be to keep the parts moving and working. With systems connected to wells with a lot of debris, especially iron, the insides of the pump, pipes, and heads tend to dry out and cake up with 'crud' which can cause multiple problems when you turn the sprinklers back on in the Spring.

Is the cost of using city water worth it for you? Well, that depends on how badly you want to have and maintain a good lawn and nice landscape. If you can get a well in your area, then I would recommend doing so, especially if you have a large yard. Well water has more nutrients and not all that chlorine like city water. However you may have no choice but to use city water and if that's the case then just consider it one of the maintenance costs associated with maintaining a beautiful home.

Scott Young
Irrigation Systems

Adjusting Hydrotech 2120 Timer Controller

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:06:00 +0000

The latest in my video series that I'm releasing on this blog below, is about how to adjust a Hydrotech 2120 irrigation, lawn sprinkler pump controller or timer (same thing). This is the most common type of controllers that go together in conjunction with the index valve type of irrigation system setup like shown in my previous blog post.

The Hydrotech 2120 has a built-in pump start relay which relays 220 volts to the landscape irrigation pump when the timer tells it to. You program the timer and tell it when you want the pump to run. In the video I show how to program and set the cycle run times. This type of timer is not used for an electric valve system.

Other Hydrotech models such as the 2110, 2114 and 1100 series controllers all work the same way, they just vary in their voltage input and output, which is determined by the voltage output of your power source and the voltage requirement of your sprinkler pump.

Most sprinkler pumps (around 90% in my area of Florida) run on approximately 220 volts (seeing a 215v - 240v range is common). The other 10% run on approx. 110 volts - 120volts. The only fairly unique model in this set of controllers is the 2114, which takes in 220v and only relays 24 volts to control typical sprinkler system electric valve

Scott
Irrigation Systems

Replace Stem Disc Index Valve

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:29:00 +0000

I dug up another video for a very common repair task that you may run into. Not all automatic irrigation systems use electric valves to separate zones. Some systems use a part called an "index valve." This video shows how to replace the stem and disc in a common type of index valve.

In very first part of this clip I show you a typical stem and disc. Then we cut to my old business partner Sean describing and showing the entire process of replacing the stem and disc. It really is very simple and the material cost about $20. However, when you call a professional irrigation company they have to charge you for the service to help cover their business overhead and make profit. So, if you choose to do this repair yourself, you should save some good money.

An index valve is a fairly simple mechanical part that allows sprinkler operation to send water to one certain zone or section at a time, while blocking off the flow of water to the other zones. This type of system setup is different from electric valves in a couple different ways.

First of all they contain no electrical components, unlike an electric valve which has a 24 volt solenoid. The stop and start of the flow of water is what causes the stem and disc to switch between the different zones. On an irrigation system like this the pump is normally activated by a pump start relay contained inside the controller or timer. Some simpler setups may just have a switch to turn the lawn pump on and off.

Scott
Irrigation Systems

Replace Spray Nozzle on Pop-up Sprinkler Head

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:53:00 +0000

In this short video clip I show two example of how to replace a nozzle on a typical spray head. Sprays or spray heads are the type of sprinklers that pop up and stay stationary or don't move.

I am in the first example, which shows a lot closer view of the process because my old partner Sean was recording the video and did a great job. The second example shows a farther away view with a different angle for you to see and Sean is in this video.

So that's not so hard, is it? Replacing a nozzle on an irrigation head is fairly simple, but can be tedious and time consuming if you have to do it to 50 heads! Part of routine system maintenance includes replacing the screens and nozzles because they get clogged over time, especially for irrigation systems on well water or other water sources which contain a lot of debris.

Sean was a great irrigation partner, but has since left the company to move on to new and better things after 7 years of working with us. We wish him the best of luck. Also I need to give a shout out to Sean's friend, Louie who is responsible for doing the editing of these video clips, Thank You Louie!

Scott
Irrigation Systems

Repair Broken PVC Pipe With Slip Fix Fitting

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:13:00 +0000

In this video below, I explain how to use a pvc fitting known as a slip fix, or quick fix (same thing) to repair a broke pvc pipe. Some people also call these "expansion fittings." I feel that these fittings are better than compression couplings (for pipes under 3") and you do use pvc glue and a coupling in addition to the slip fix pvc .

When I first discovered these types of fittings I though I had died and gone to heaven! No more digging up 3 feet on each side of the break and trying to bend or bow the pipe to make it fit into the pvc coupling! The old way without a slip fix was a lot harder and often times you would end up breaking the pipe in a separate place while trying to fix the original break...aghhh!

This type of fitting has a telescoping end which allows you to cut out a section of the pvc, then fit the slip fix between the two ends of pipe, then expand it out to make the connection. These are especially great when you are working in a tight area around multiple pipes or tree roots which give you very little room to work with.

I'm sure this will help many of you who are trying to repair a broke sprinkler pipe on your own. Good luck!

Scott
Irrigation Systems

Video - Replace Rotor Sprinkler Head

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:02:00 +0000

Today I wanted to share with you a short video clip that shows how to replace a sprinkler head. Actually it is a rotor sprinkler head to be specific, the type of irrigation head that pops up and rotates to cover large areas of grass.

I hope you like this video, even though I've been writing articles about lawn sprinklers and irrigation repair info on this site for over five years, but haven't really published many videos. I realize that many people would rather see, than just read, which I clearly understand so I hope to start sharing more videos as I can do them, in addition to all of my "how to" sprinkler articles.

As always, happy watering!

Scott
Irrigation Systems

Website Design and Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:13:00 +0000

Okay, let me go ahead and get this out of the way...You are probably wondering what the heck does website design and website marketing have to do with lawn sprinkler systems...well nothing! I know that it is a little of topic for this blog, but I thought that it would actually be a good place to introduce my readers to a new website/company started by my good friend and myself.

I'll be the first to admit that my website design skills are not up to par, but my long-time friend and partner Fritz Conroy is amazing with this stuff. I actually need his help to give Autolawnsprinklers a modern makeover! Where my talent comes into play is on the marketing side. Over the years I've developed a talent for being able to create or work with big and small websites to attain high search engine rankings, especially in good old Google.

SEO or search engine optimization is the process in website marketing that involves writing and adjusting or "tweaking" web pages to get them ranked on the first page of the natural search engine results. This is done through several different factors and what makes it even more difficult is that the rules tend to change. The 'Big 3' (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) like to keep webmasters on their toes by continually adjusting their search algorithms. They are doing this to try and keep the garbage out and the quality stuff in, so that the users have a good search experience in finding quality content.

So my buddy Fritz and I started this new company and like any new business, we need work! Fritz has been working for an Internet Marketing firm for the past five years doing website design, graphic design, and other things such as printing business cards and brochures. So even though our business is new, we are not new to the business if you get what I mean. We both would love to work with big companies and small companies. We know that we can provide great results for anyone in any task that we take on.

If you have been an avid reader of my blog for the past several years, or just happen to be a web visitor passing through, I ask of you your help in bringing us your business. If you, a family member, a co-worker, or a friend need any kind of website services, please give us a shot! The name of our new business is called Teknek Web Services and our website is http://www.teknekwebservices.com.

We can do anything related to websites and online or offline marketing for your business. Our main specialties are website design, website marketing, graphic design, article writing/marketing, copy-writing, direct mail, website hosting, SEO consulting and more. Our aim here is to cater to business, whether they are big or small. We'd also love to work with any individual who requires any of these services. We give custom tailored quotes for your project and all you have to do is fill out our Free E-Quote from at our site.

The main reason we started this business is because we love websites, Internet marketing, and anything to do with this industry and we know that we can make good money with it. What is better than earning a good living at something that you love? Our passion shows in our work and you can be someone who benefits from our talents. If you or anyone you know needs this type of work, please visit our website and contact us. Mention that you read about us at "Scott's Sprinkler Blog" and we'll gladly give 15% off of any service.

With the holidays quickly approaching there couldn't be a better time to help jump-start our new business. Maybe you have a friend or relative who needs one or more of our web services and you can get it for them as a present! Or maybe your own business needs a website, a new design, or more search engine exposure. Whatever the case may be, we our here to help! Please visit us. Thanks!

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

Neighbor's Sprinkler Head Is On My Property

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:49:00 +0000

Occasionally I will get a phone call from a person stating something like "My neighbor's sprinkler head is on my property, what do I do?" My answer to this depends on a few things. First of all, how far over on your property is the sprinkler head? Second, is this really bothering you or your neighbor that much? Third, do you plan on doing anything to the landscape such as re-designing or adding hard-scape to the yard?

If the head is on a few inches over on your neighbor's property (or vice-versa), it is not bothering you or them, and you don't foresee anything causing the sprinkler head to be in the way of any projects (such as adding a fence) then I really wouldn't worry about it. However, this type of thing can really bother some people and if that is the case, then you and your neighbor need to work out a simple agreement and move the sprinkler head. If one or both of you have irrigation knowledge, than this can be a fairly simple task. If not, just call a professional and agree to split the cost (unless you feel that you shouldn't be responsible for the cost).

This can be fairly simple and done in a couple different ways. If the head is attached to funny pipe (pe - flex pipe) you may just be able to dig up the head, expose the swing assembly (pe-flex pipe) and shorten it by cutting to the size needed for the head to lay down on the correct side of the property line. Another way is to dig up the head, dig around the pvc, and then either re-route the pvc pipe, or shorten the pvc pipe.

I must admit that my company has been guilty of accidentally installing a sprinkler head or two slightly on the wrong side of the property line. This was done when clear survey or mark-out stakes were not available and we were going by the customer's approximate point. Even if you think you know exactly where the property line is because a fence or something has marked it out for several years, you may be surprised one day when you get a new neighbor who decides to get a fresh survey done for whatever reason and then you learn that your property is actually 3 inches to the right than you always thought it was!

Believe it or not, these types of things do happen. If you find yourself on one side or the other of this, do not freak out or get all worried. There is always a solution and it is usually easier than you think. The best way to handle the situation is to be calm and friendly. There is no need to start a war with the neighbor's over a little sprinkler head. Good luck!

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

Happy Halloween - Thanks Niceville

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Okay, nothing related to lawn sprinklers or irrigation systems today. I just wanted to tell everyone who reads my blog regularly Happy Halloween! We just got back from the "Trunk or Treat" up at the local church here in Niceville, Florida. It is a huge event now; I believe this is the third year.

People come from many local cities such as Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, and more. The local police and many church volunteers do a great job blocking off several streets and controlling traffic flow so that the kids and their families can have a fun, but safe time. The local Niceville Police, The Okaloosa Sheriffs, and the Niceville Fire Fighters were all helping out to manage the scene.

The Niceville First United Methodist Church as well as the Baptist Church down the block participated in the event, as well as the Niceville Rocky Bayou Christian High School Band. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped put on the event. My wife, two boys, and our parents had a great time again this year.

It seems as if the days of trick-or-treating are gone as the holiday has evolved to having these huge social events thrown by different organizations. My two little boys may never experience the days of knocking door to door like we use to do, but I do not mind so much as the way it is done now is much safer and you get to meet and see a lot of local people. Plus, the kids get a ton of candy for a lot less work!

If any of you local folks need help with your lawn sprinkler system, irrigation system, or pump give me a call and I'll see what I can do.

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

Difference Between Rotors and Sprays

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:03:00 +0000

So what is the difference between rotor sprinkler heads and spray sprinkler heads, other than the obvious fact that one turns and the other does not?

Well, rotors do turn and also cover a larger area. Since they rotate, they have a lower precipitation rate than sprays which means they apply water slower than a sprays. Generally a rotor will take three times (3X) as long to water the same square footage as a spray head. So basically it would take 45 minutes to put down the same amount of water that a spray head would put out in 15 minutes. Rotors are great for larger lawn areas.

With that being said, spray heads have a higher precipitation rate than rotors. This is mainly because they stay fixed and do not rotate or move. However they generally do not cover as big of an area as rotor heads do. Sprays are great for smaller lawn areas and shrub/flower beds.

Rotors will put out water an average of thirty feet (30ft) which can very a few few feet either way depending on nozzle type and system pressure. Spray heads throw water a range from four feet (4ft) to fifteen feet (15ft). There are nozzles that throw eighteen feet (18ft) but are not used as often as the others. The most common nozzle sizes used are probably 10', 12', and 15'. The footage refers to the radius of the throw. So a 15' full circle would actually project water a 30 foot diameter.

Rotors are usually adjustable from 0 to 360 degrees. Sprays have nozzles that come in fixed patterns such as 1/4 (90 degree), 1/2 circle (180 degree), 3/4 circle (270 degree), and full circle (360 degree). There are also nozzles that are adjustable from 0 to 360 degrees which are good for certain situations such as on driveways along curves. However I don't really care too much for the adjustable pattern nozzles because they always seem to get clogged easily and their spray pattern is not as nice and neat as fixed patter nozzles.

Both spray heads and rotor sprinkler heads have their place. A properly and professionally designed irrigation system will normally have a combination of both (not on the same zone) to provide adequate, even water coverage.

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

Stuck Valve

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:12:00 +0000

The electric valves in your automatic lawn sprinkler system have to open and close each time they are turned on and off by either the timer or manually. There is a mechanical, rubber part called a diaphragm that stops or allows the flow of water to go through a particular zone. This part does eventually wear out over time and has to be replaced.

The average life span of an electric valve's diaphragm is 7 - 10 years. Now this time frame may vary based on a few different factors. If your irrigation system's water source is a well then you may have more dirt and debris compared to systems hooked up to a city or municipal water supply. The dirt and debris will cause the diaphragm the wear out sooner.

When this part goes bad, your valve will normally do one of three things: It will stick in the full open position and run the whole time that the system is activated no matter which zone is supposed to be on, or constantly run if it is on a pressurized system like city water or a well system that utilizes a pressure tank and pressure switch.

Secondly the valve could stick completely shut, so that when the zone is supposed to come on, nothing happens. This shouldn't be confused with a bad solenoid or a bad wire that just will not activate the valve at all. You can confirm that it is indeed the diaphragm that is bad and not the wire or solenoid by attempting to activate (turn on) the valve manually. If you cannot turn it on manually, then you have a bad diaphragm.

Third, the valve could stick partially open. When the zone comes on, the diaphragm only opens part of the way. If this happens your zone will have lower pressure than normal and you can actually here restriction of water moving through the valve.

The solution for this problem is to either replace the diaphragm or replace the entire valve. If your electric valve is a modern and widely used valve it will be easy to find a valve repair kit for it. You just need to identify the make and model of the valve and go to the hardware store or to an irrigation wholesale supplier.

If the valve is an older model or less common brand it may be very hard to find a repair kit or replacement diaphragm. If this is the case you will need to replace the whole valve. This can be done by digging a pit around the existing valve and cutting the PVC where you can replace the valve. If you think you have this problem and are not comfortable doing it yourself, please feel free to call or email me. I can explain more detail to you or I can come out and do the job for you if you live in my service area of Northwest Florida.

My email address and phone number are on the bottom of the home page of my website listed below.

Thanks and have a great day!

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

Automatic Timers or Controllers

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:54:00 +0000

The 'brains' of an automatic irrigation system is known as the timer or controller. We'll stick to calling it a controller because it does more than just keep time. Of course not all controllers are created equally, but all of them serve at least the basic function of keeping the time, date, and activating the sprinkler system at a time programmed by the user.

There are many different models and grades of irrigation controllers available for homeowner and irrigation professionals to use. So how do you choose one that's suitable for you? Well if you already have an automatic lawn sprinkler system than you obviously already have a controller installed. If this controller goes bad than I will usually recommend that you replace it with the same make and model for a couple different reasons.

If you try replacing your controller with a different type than you will most likely run into complications such as the new timer being a slightly different size and shape which may require you to drill new holes and possible do several wire splices at some undesirable places. If you replace your old controller with the same type, then you should not have to drill new holes in the wall or side of house, and you should not have to do any wire splices as everything should match up nice.

Now there are cases where I will recommend installing a different model controller. For example, if I believe the timer or controller to be an inferior brand or model then I would recommend replacing it with a higher-grade model. While the commercial grade controllers that most irrigation contractors use are higher priced than the hardware store and Lowes/Home depot timers, they are worth the extra money because they are more durable and last longer.

The top controllers that I use and recommend are as follows:
Rain Bird ESP Modular Timer: Residential and light commercial applications
Rain Bird ESP-LX Modular: Medium Commercial, Larger Residential, and more complex water systems such as those containing two or more water sources.
Hunter Pro-C: Residential
Hunter ICC: Commercial

I still love Rain Bird products over Hunter, Nelson, or Toro, but the two Hunter controllers that I listed are not too bad and pretty much equal in features and capabilities to their Rain Bird counter-parts.

All of these timers/controllers have a 120volt input and a 24volt output to the master-valve (or pump-start relay) and each zone's electric valve. A 9 volt battery is utilized as a program memory backup, so that the program is not lost due to a short power outage, but the battery will not operate the system.

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

Different Types Of Valves

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:45:00 +0000

In the wonderful world of lawn sprinklers there are several different moving parts that each serve a specific function but all work together to provide the same end result, a fully functioning irrigation system. It's hard to say that one particular part is more important than another because they are all necessary, but one important part that acts kind of like a 'gate keeper' or entrance way is called a valve.

Valves come in all different shapes, sizes and models. There are three main types of valves that are common among lawn and landscape irrigation systems. They are electric valves, ball valves, and gate valves. A valves main job (and only job) is to stop and start the flow of water. Actually is doesn't physically make the water move, that is the job of pumps and pressure tanks, it just basically allows water to flow through a certain section if open or stops the flow of water if it's closed.

Electric valves are the main ones used in automatic sprinkler systems. That is because they can be controlled eclectically though wire and from a timer or controller. A solenoid contains a small magnet which lifts a plunger up when magnetized. When the plunger lifts, the diaphragm opens and allows water to move through. When the electricity is stopped the solenoid looses its' magnetic properties and in turn the diaphragm closes and the water stops moving.

Both ball valves and gate valves are manual, meaning that you have to open or close it yourself directly at the valve. A ball valve is called that because it has a ball shaped object inside that is attached to the handle which closes and opens the flow of water. The handle to a ball valve is kind of like a flat edged handle. A gate valve's handle is more like a circle. Inside of the gate valve is a device that lowers and raises when you tighten or loosen the handle, which resembles a 'gate like' action.

Ball valves and gate valves are used in manual (non-automatic) irrigation systems or used in automatic lawn sprinkler systems to provide a way to shut off or isolate a certain section or the mainline. A good example where a ball or gate valve may be used is at the tie-in connection where the system connects to city-water, before the back-flow preventer.

I could go into slightly more detail about manual valves and electric valves such as globe or angle valve configurations, but that is beyond the scope of this article. The main thing you need to know here has been said. A valve either allows or doesn't allow water to move through a certain area or section. Each zone on an automatic irrigation system has its' own electric valve. Get the picture now?

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

Fall Irrigation System Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (Irrigationman) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:25:00 +0000

As you already know, your irrigation system requires routine maintenance to keep running in prime condition. While once or twice a year may be sufficient for many systems, I recommend to service your system four times a year, pretty much in line with the seasons. As we are now in the beginning of Fall or Autumn, now is the time for a check-up.

The maintenance duties of your fall sprinkler system check-up are identical to what you do in the spring, unless you live in a northern, freezing climate. In southern and warm climates your lawn and landscape can stay growing year round. Your lawn may go slightly dormant once we get into the winter months, but it still needs water.

No matter where you live, you should decrease the watering time and amount of water that you apply to your lawn and landscape in the fall. The sun is not as intense, thus your landscape will require less water. The amount of time that you can decrease your watering schedule will vary depending on several different factors, but a good rule of thumb is to decrease it about 30%. You can add or subtract from this depending on your individual situation. If you're not sure than I would start out at decreasing it 25% and then monitor your lawn and adjust as needed.

As you do with any other maintenance check-up you will check for breaks, adjust sprinkler heads, unclog nozzles, replace broken heads, and adjust the watering time. Other than just decreasing the run-time you will want to start your system to start an hour or two later than in the summer because of Daylight Savings and because the sun is coming up later naturally. Remember, a little bit of maintenance can go a long way in the efficiency of your sprinkler system.

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com