I bought a new build and splash block was blocking the sprinkler head causing all water to go down creating a hole. I had no idea even a sprinkler head was there. What can I use to fill this hole? Its pretty deep, can I use topsoil? Or sand first then topsoil?

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So I’ve ran service in Tampa area Florida for the last 12 years and have always kept over stocked on fittings, valves and heads because I’ve learned some days you change out 14 popups the next day you get 6 valves and 40 popups or something around those lines. The current outfit I’m with is now cracking down on truck inventory meaning now instead of 6 Dv 100’s, 2 pgv100’s and 2 irritrol 205s I have absolutely no valves on my truck and I’m supposed to track down material after I sold my job….. how could this be cost productive because now on top of every job I have an hour to two hours of material acquisition to contend with on top of 5 service calls and a “zero overtime” policy. You could say write it up on an estimate but if I give out a quote because I don’t have a valve and now it’s another two weeks out 9/10 the call is done by someone who had the material on their truck. Can anyone help me make sense of an increase in man hour usage digging through unorganized service trucks and a mound of boxes at the storage unit for what is needed at the expense of a couple dollars on material. He’s proposing I come In off the clock and stock materials just like the mandatory lunch break I don’t have time in the schedule for and never take but don’t see the hours on the paycheck.

Anyone else’s golf course or irrigation system have transite pipe and/or fittings?

Bought a new construction so the house came like this. There are trees about 10 feet above a slope in the backyard. Landscaper installed drip irrigation to the trees but the anti siphon valves are at the bottom of the hill next to the house, so it leaks from the back pressure. The valve manufacture instruction clearly says that it needs to be installed above the height of the emitter. I want him to re trench and put it at the top of the hill. He wants to just install a one way valve (spring check valve?). Should I accept this as an acceptable alternative?

I (28F) studied industrial automation, I ended up working in IT after graduation but now my interest now is not necessarily to work in industrial automation, but rather to apply my technical background to irrigation and agricultural systems.

I'm based in Algeria, and irrigation doesn't seem to be a particularly popular career field in the northern part of the country, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to enter the industry.

What would you recommend I learn first? And would it be better to get some hands-on experience as a maintenance/irrigation technician before trying to start my own business?

Any advice from people in the field would be amazing thanks for reading ❤️💐

I'm planning to use Hunter.

How would you cover the narrow rectangular strip at the bottom and the small rectangle between the top and bottom sections? Should I install many nozzles with a circular pattern there? Is there a better way? Strip nozzles would be an option, but it's not that simple — the area isn't narrow enough for them. Is it?

Please advise how you would do it.

Hey- installed a new sprinkler system. Need to make sure it’s leak proof prior to burial.
System set up:
3/4 pvc to 1/2 marlex 90, barb 90, tubing, barb 90, marlex, sprinkler head (6 inch hunter pro 40 psi).
Basically a swing pipe rig.
1) does each connection get teflon? Or just the pvc to the marlex
2) What is the appropriate way to test for leaks. Do I cap the last marlex fitting and see if everything holds when I turn on the water?

I ran the system today and it seems pretty stable, but there was pooling under some of the sprinkler heads despite the rigs being tight. I currently only have teflon on the pvc to the first marlex. Because the heads overlap, and the pooling is just at the deepest points of the trench, i can’t really tell how air tight it is. I know for certain if there is a leak it’s just a drip style but even so.

Thanks

Looking for an alternative, the Android app integration with "Smart Watering" is inconsistent and doesn't sync. I have to make all the app setting changes from the web portal and sync it to my controller. It's not my phone, already confirmed with support. Moving forward, what are my options? Hunter, Rachio, Rainbird? Looking for a non-BS smart watering system and I'm well aware the best way is to connect sensors. I've also input all the advanced settings for my zone, AR, FC, RD, MAD, etc. I just want a reliable product without all the BS.

I wanted to ask for help and/ or how to fix this leak. I am first time home buyer and wanted to learn how to fix things around the house. Never done but willing to learn! Thank You!

Hello! I’m wanting to DIY my irrigation system. Not only to (attempt) to save money, but also, I remember how frustrating it was for my dad to try to repair sprinklers without knowing where everything was and how it was set up. I’m running into a few issues. I would like to know what to do myself and what I should hire for.

Goal 1: Zones and Lines
I have the yard planned out. I have my water needs notated out and color coded. The whole lot is ~18,330 sq ft. My GPM is ~8.6, and my PSI is ~58. I’m needing help mostly with the lines and zones. I also don’t know if my plan is even a good idea or possible haha. I would love some feedback on it.
“Green areas are for high watered needs like trees. I will want drip and spray irrigation to these areas. Yellow is for medium watered needs like shrubbery. I will want drip OR spray irrigation to these areas. Not both. Blue is for high watered needs for ground cover. I only want sprayers for these areas. Orange is for low water needs like grow beds. I want drip irrigation for these areas. Gray is for areas that do not need to be watered.”

Goal 2: Prep
After the plan is confirmed, I know I’ll need a material list. I feel pretty confident in my research on this and getting a parts list etc. I would love any input or advice on prepping when it comes to parts. I know certain parts can also go into the planning of goal 1. Any guidance here would be awesome.

Goal 3: Install
I have people that can dig and trench, but I need a plan to show them. I also have pictures of the backflow prevention and what is required.
“…you have has a PI connection stubbed into it. If you are connecting to the PI then you aren't required to have a backflow protector. There has to be a physical air gap between the culinary water and the PI water. We the city would have to come and inspection this connection after the work is done. Attached is a diagram of what it should look like after it is connected.”
Looking at my box outside, I’m still confused by what the city guy is saying and what part I need to do. Any clarification would be appreciated!
Additionally, the yard is going to be a work in progress for the next few years, but getting the irrigation in, is something we are hoping for before the end of October. Does this make sense? Is this a good idea and timeframe? I mostly only have weekends to work on it, but can have people trench when they’re available which will be more than me. Suggested timelines would be super appreciated in accordance with zones 6b and 7a (I know that’s growing zones but I didn’t know if it would be helpful to get an idea of the type of weather we usually have.)

Goal 4: Maintenance
Any suggested maintenance or other things I should take into consideration would be very helpful.

Thanks so much for your time and reading. I’m also open to freelancers if you think you can save me some money and time by getting this drawn out for me. I don’t think this goes against the rules, but if it does, please let me know and I will edit it immediately.

Ive had a 1st gen bhyve timer since 2016 and I think i got a lemon. When I first had it, it would randomly start blinking until I reset it. It would only do that about 1x a month so not too bad. Now it's doing this every day. It just goes blank and blinks. The screen comes up so fast you can't even read it and goes blank again. I tried the factory reset and it's still finding my programs. Orbit says i need a new timer. Anyone else have any similar issues and were you able to fix them without a new timer? Or should I get a new timer? They offered 20% off a new timer lol

The front yard sprinkler system is working but the back the sprinklers won’t turn on. In looking in the irrigation box I see that nothing is in the backyards box but pipes(and webs). Has anyone experienced this before? Is this something I can fix myself?

The house we recently purchased came with a full irrigation system - Rainbird & K Rain sprinklers, and a Toro Evolution controller. We just found out the controller is fried, so I need to pick up a replacement.

We’re in Costa Rica, and even though the controller will be inside of a shed, I think it’s best to get an indoor/outdoor model, as our climate is pretty rough on electronics.

Any recommendations on a brand & model? A couple quick searches suggested Hunter or Rainbird, but I’m at a loss to what models would work best for our needs. The lot we’ll be watering is approximately 600m^(2), and I believe the old controller was set up for 3 stations. Ideally the system would be set up to water the lawn and trees at night (vital during the dry season) and early morning, but I’d also eventually like to set up some raised garden beds and have them get watered automatically with some irrigation tubing.

Thanks - I’m completely new to this!

Setting up a DIY system with 5 zones and don’t see a need to actually trench the main and subs unground.

Apart from UV damage and trip hazards, are there any other issues or considerations of leaving lines above ground?

I’m using stainless steel crimp clamps with grey fittings.

I will be winterizing by blowing out all the lines annually.

I replaced leaky galv. steel pipe and fittings with brass off of copper supply line. The spray coverage has never been ideal so decided to replace some sprinkler heads and accidentally bought 2 pressure-regulated ones. So that quickly became obvious and I put the old heads back. It worked as it used to, but I rebuilt the manifold and lowered it to from 12" above the highest head to 7" above. It worked the same. Then I lowered one sprinkler head (for a raised bed) that was 16" higher to the same level as the others. It worked fine. I replaced pvc risers (had slightly damaged threads) and poorly functioning older heads. Everything looked fine...until the next day. Very bad water hammer occurred with all 4 valves. I tried bleeding air out of the valves and lowering water flow with a ball valve before the manifold, but the water hammer is not going away. There was a slight leak in the front yard that wasn't there before, but tightening a bolt fixed the leak. I again tried bleeding all the valves for a long time (scared to see my water bill), but the hammer still persists. Any suggestions?

I run 3 non-overlapping sequences in a program, each less than 45 minutes, starting at 4am. The last zone is supposed to run around 6am, but it’s still running at 7:40 (time of this posting). Seasonal adjustment is off.

Apart from getting up at 4am and watching each region to see what’s happening, what would you suggest? Hard reset? Rainbird support?

I'm installing an irrigation system for my own use. Which one should I use? In theory, the PE fitting seems like the better (more reliable in time) solution, but in all the YouTube videos, people use saddle clamps.

I have a leak at the red arrow and am unsure how to fix. Is it difficult and time to call a professional?

Hi all,

Replaced the last failing lawn genie sprinkler valve, possibly original from 30 years ago.

Unfortunately the gate valve to stop water flow has failed so can't use glue like I planned, had to frankenstein up a union setup in Lowe's. I tried to wrap the male riser they have but still has an occasional drip every few seconds.

I guess shut off at main or replace the gate valves to house and irrigation is needed. Any better way to build this setup with the current situation?