Lawn Sprinkler Tips

Over time the screen or screens at the bottom of your well casing will begin to clog up with debris such as iron deposits and other dirt particles. There are a few different methods to cleaning wells and many different types of wells that we could get into here. but I want to stick to your average lawn sprinkler pumps.

Centrifugal / Horizontal Pumps: With this pump, your well casing comes up about 1 foot and 90 degrees over in a check valve. 5″ to 1′ from the check valve cut the PVC so that you can move the pump out of the way of the well.

Purchase any brand of “Well Cleaner” at your local irrigation wholesale store. You will usually have to get and pour one to two gallons of this cleaner down your well (the 2″ well casing). Let the cleaner sit at least 8 – 24 hours.

Next Use some big 18″ pipe wrenches or channel locks and grip the outside of the well casing. Try to twist the well casing back and forth. This will help wipe the screens at the bottom off. You may have to put some forth, but don’t stress too hard. If it will not turn, do not worry because the well cleaner most likely cleaned off the majority of the debris.

Hook the well back up to your pump, usually done with a 2″ PVC coupling. Now I would recommend cutting the discharge line. The discharge line your mainline and the line that leads to your back flow, master valve, valves, and or index valve. Cut this discharge line, usually 1&1/2″ and use your pipe wrench to slightly twist the discharge to the left side.

Make sure the pump is primed back up (make sure the volute or housing is full of water.)
Now turn the pump back on and let it prime back up. Depending on the distance to water it could take up to 10 minutes to prime. Once it catches a prime, let the water flow out for 2 -3 minutes. You want a lot of that debris to flow out and not into your valves, heads, and whole system!

Once you can see that the water is clear (or as clear as it gets) without debris than you should be safe to hook your pump back up. Turn the pump off and use your pipe wrench and 1&1/2″ coupling to connect the discharge side of the pump back to the mainline. Measure your Gallons per Minute now. You should notice a vast improvement! If not than you could have a deeper problem with your well or pump. Most people notice a 5 -10 gallon per minute increase using this method.

Scott

Having an automatic lawn sprinkler system can actually be a lot of fun! In the hot summer heat it is quite refreshing to be able to run through the sprinklers. My kids love my sprinkler system.

Many of the newer model automatic lawn & garden sprinkler timers come with remote options. Most of the Rain Bird commercial model timers come with remote spots. You do have to purchase & install the remote sensor separately, but it is fairly easy to do. You can have a lot of fun with the remote such as by surprising your kids with it, or maybe even upset your neighbor and get him or her wet (just kidding)!

If you already have an automatic lawn sprinkler system, go have some fun with it! If you don’t already have one installed, then please check out my E-book!

Have Fun!

Scott Young
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com

A very common thing to break on a sprinkler system is one of your PVC pipes. This can happen for many reasons such as being hit with a shovel from someone digging around or the fittings can blow-out at weakened or stressed connections. No worry. I’ve listed a few simple step-by-step instructions on how you can repair your PVC pipe yourself, without having to hire anyone.

REPAIRING PVC BREAK
1. Locate break and dig up 1′ – 2′ on each side of and around the PVC pipe. The actual amount you have to dig up depends on the size and degree of the break.

2. Examine break and cut out broken or cracked piece with pipe cutters or PVC saw.

3. Clean any debris or pipe shavings off of both ends of the pipe.

4. Determine if a slip fix & another fitting (such as a tee) or just a coupling is needed for the repair. Grab the fittings from the truck along with a piece of pipe.

5. Measure the amount of pipe you will need for the repair by lining up your slip fix & fitting(s) with the break.

6. Eyeball or make a mark and cut your piece of pipe.

7. Now remove any debris or shavings from the new piece of cut pipe.

8. Make sure all pipe surfaces are clean of any dirt by wiping with a rag. Use cleaner if necessary, or on any pipes bigger than 1″.

9. Apply an even coat of PVC to the inside of the first fitting and a light coat to the outside of the pipe.

10. Push pipe into fitting and make an approximate ¼ turn.

11. Wipe off any excess glue from the pipe and around the fitting. Too much glue can create a hole or break in the pipe.

12. Now finish the repair by extending your slip fix or bowing your coupling into place and repeat steps 7 -11.

13. First let the glue dry & then test the zone where the break was. Make sure there are no leaks or other breaks. The amount of time needed for the glue to dry will vary depending on the temperature. The warmer it is, the quicker the glue dries.

14. Cover up hole and tamp in ditch.

There you go; a step-by-step process to repair PVC! Good luck & have fun!

Scott
http://www.autolawnsprinklers.com