Sprinkler System Problem

I called a company to come out and fix a "leak" -- it wasn't really a leak. The pipes had come loose at a joint and he just had to glue it back. Bef ore that though the water coming out was full force -- After the glue dried he tested it and everything seemed o.k. The yard is divided into sections (zones) and it is not always easy to tell which zone certain sprinkler hea ds are in. That was Wed.

Friday I went out to test the sprinkler system -- the timer is new and I am still learning how to use that, too. All the zones worked except for Zone 1 - where he worked. I think perhaps it didn't come on when he tested it

-- but I didn't realize that then. Anyway, the water has no pressure in th at zone...I can see the water dribbling out of the sprinkler heads (most of those are new) ... but it isn't spraying.

What would cause that? I called and the company will send someone out Mond ay to look -- no service call charge unless they need to replace a part. B ut I am not sure this problem is connected to the original problem. Unless he shook something loose when he replaced the case that goes around the va lve...the wires look o.k. but I am not sure. If the wiring is loose - woul d the water not come up to the heads at all? This is appears to be a press ure thing.

Any help would be appreciated.

Reply to
Dottie
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k. The pipes had come loose at a joint and he just had to glue it back. B efore that though the water coming out was full force -- After the glue dri ed he tested it and everything seemed o.k. The yard is divided into sectio ns (zones) and it is not always easy to tell which zone certain sprinkler h eads are in. That was Wed.

am still learning how to use that, too. All the zones worked except for Zo ne 1 - where he worked. I think perhaps it didn't come on when he tested i t -- but I didn't realize that then. Anyway, the water has no pressure in that zone...I can see the water dribbling out of the sprinkler heads (most of those are new) ... but it isn't spraying.

nday to look -- no service call charge unless they need to replace a part. But I am not sure this problem is connected to the original problem. Unle ss he shook something loose when he replaced the case that goes around the valve...the wires look o.k. but I am not sure. If the wiring is loose - wo uld the water not come up to the heads at all? This is appears to be a pre ssure thing.

That some small amount of water comes out when activated tells you it's not a controller problem. Since it's the zone he was just working on, first suspicion would be that some debris is blocking the line and/or zone valve. If the wiring was loose, but partially connected, that might cause the problem, not sure. The valve might just partially open, but these valves use the electric solenoid to get them started, but then water pressure is what forces them open all the way. So, even with a bad connection, if it has enough to get it to start to open, many valves might then open fully.

But whatever it is, sounds like it's likely related to the work just done. Some dirt for example could have been in the pipe and finally lodged in the valve. It's also possible though that the zone valve, etc went bad and it's unrelated. IDK why you think it might not have come on when he tested it. Seems illogical that he'd leave it that way, knowing he's going to have a call back.

Reply to
trader_4

If you turn on zone #1, everything that has water coming out is on zone #1; ditto zone #2, zone #3, etc. ____________________

Well, the control valve for zone #1 is opening - water is dribbling from the heads - but it might be opening only slightly. The other possibilty is that there is an obstruction within the pipe that feeds the zone #1 heads. I vote for the valve problem.

Reply to
dadiOH

k. The pipes had come loose at a joint and he just had to glue it back. B efore that though the water coming out was full force -- After the glue dri ed he tested it and everything seemed o.k. The yard is divided into sectio ns (zones) and it is not always easy to tell which zone certain sprinkler h eads are in. That was Wed.

am still learning how to use that, too. All the zones worked except for Zo ne 1 - where he worked. I think perhaps it didn't come on when he tested i t -- but I didn't realize that then. Anyway, the water has no pressure in that zone...I can see the water dribbling out of the sprinkler heads (most of those are new) ... but it isn't spraying.

nday to look -- no service call charge unless they need to replace a part. But I am not sure this problem is connected to the original problem. Unle ss he shook something loose when he replaced the case that goes around the valve...the wires look o.k. but I am not sure. If the wiring is loose - wo uld the water not come up to the heads at all? This is appears to be a pre ssure thing.

What would cause the valve to open partially ? Did I mention that before h e worked on it -- when it was "leaking" -- it wasn't a leak. It was a full force stream of water. So something he did is blocking the water -- but I don't know how to check that. Is it something I can check or do I need to wait til they come back and let them do it. Not likely to be debris in al l those sprinkler heads in Zone 1.

Reply to
Dottie

eak. The pipes had come loose at a joint and he just had to glue it back. Before that though the water coming out was full force -- After the glue d ried he tested it and everything seemed o.k. The yard is divided into sect ions (zones) and it is not always easy to tell which zone certain sprinkler heads are in. That was Wed.

I am still learning how to use that, too. All the zones worked except for Zone 1 - where he worked. I think perhaps it didn't come on when he tested it -- but I didn't realize that then. Anyway, the water has no pressure i n that zone...I can see the water dribbling out of the sprinkler heads (mos t of those are new) ... but it isn't spraying.

Monday to look -- no service call charge unless they need to replace a part . But I am not sure this problem is connected to the original problem. Un less he shook something loose when he replaced the case that goes around th e valve...the wires look o.k. but I am not sure. If the wiring is loose - would the water not come up to the heads at all? This is appears to be a p ressure thing.

A bad valve or insufficient water pressure at the valve. Maybe a poor connection in the valve wiring, but as I said before, I'm not sure how valves like that behave under that condition. I know they primarily use water pressure, not electricity to open the valve. The solenoid starts some water flow, then the water opens the valve the rest of the way.

Did I mention that before he worked on it -- when it was "leaking" -- it wasn't a leak. It was a full force stream of water. So something he did i s blocking the water -- but I don't know how to check that. Is it somethin g I can check or do I need to wait til they come back and let them do it. Not likely to be debris in all those sprinkler heads in Zone 1.

I agree it's not likely to be debris in all those separate heads, but it could still be debris somehow blocking the pipe leading to all of them. That seems a long shot though.

Given that you're not experienced on any of this and that you paid the guy to do the work, I'd say just wait until he comes back. The first step in the diagnostic on this one would be to just manually open that zone valve and see what happens. On my valves, you can do that just by turning them a 1/4 turn. IDK if that's how they all work, etc. If they still don't come on, then you know the problem is not that the valve isn't opening.

Reply to
trader_4

You wouldn't need debris at the sprinkler heads themselves, just blockage in the single pipe that feeds them from from the control valve.

Reply to
dadiOH

k. The pipes had come loose at a joint and he just had to glue it back. B efore that though the water coming out was full force -- After the glue dri ed he tested it and everything seemed o.k. The yard is divided into sectio ns (zones) and it is not always easy to tell which zone certain sprinkler h eads are in. That was Wed.

am still learning how to use that, too. All the zones worked except for Zo ne 1 - where he worked. I think perhaps it didn't come on when he tested i t -- but I didn't realize that then. Anyway, the water has no pressure in that zone...I can see the water dribbling out of the sprinkler heads (most of those are new) ... but it isn't spraying.

nday to look -- no service call charge unless they need to replace a part. But I am not sure this problem is connected to the original problem. Unle ss he shook something loose when he replaced the case that goes around the valve...the wires look o.k. but I am not sure. If the wiring is loose - wo uld the water not come up to the heads at all? This is appears to be a pre ssure thing.

I went back and dug out two sprinkler heads - cleaned them both -- and the water standing in the pipe was clear and not muddy. I put them back on to see if there was a difference in how the water came out and there was none. It just dribbled out all the sprinkler heads -- so it is a pressure probl em and not a debris problem. Will just wait now and see what he says. Tha nks for all your help though.

Reply to
Dottie

Hi, Some one is coming out to take a look at? He will find the problem. In a case like this, what I do is switch zone between bad zone(zone 1 there now) to another good zone. Matter of switching a wire in the controller or in the zone valve box. My system is Rain Bird, 7 zones.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

If the joint was open, dirt could have been getting into the tubing and the valve opening just pushed the debris further and blocked it up.

It may or may not have been something he did.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Was the bad joint uphill or downhill from the valve? Possibly he slopped enough glue in the joint that in flowed into the valve and messed it up, particularly if the joint was uphill from the valve.

Reply to
EXT

My first guess would be that he let a lot of dirt into the line, but even that shouldn't clog all of the sp. heads. If you know how to do it, try unscrewing a head and then turn on the zone to clear the pipe. Each sp. head should have a filter in it, so that could be cleaned as well.

You called "a company"? The original installer? One with good references from a neighbor? If you don't know the company, hold off on any "replacement parts" until you know the system better. Here is a link to bookmark:

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The site has everything you could ever possibly want to know about sprinkers....it can be daunting, because there is so much info, but it has good trouble-shooting stuff, too.

Is there any chance that the guy simply forgot to turn on the water again? Next guess is he wants to replace a solenoid or a controller; be careful out there.

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Reply to
Norminn

eak. The pipes had come loose at a joint and he just had to glue it back. Before that though the water coming out was full force -- After the glue d ried he tested it and everything seemed o.k. The yard is divided into sect ions (zones) and it is not always easy to tell which zone certain sprinkler heads are in. That was Wed.

I am still learning how to use that, too. All the zones worked except for Zone 1 - where he worked. I think perhaps it didn't come on when he tested it -- but I didn't realize that then. Anyway, the water has no pressure i n that zone...I can see the water dribbling out of the sprinkler heads (mos t of those are new) ... but it isn't spraying.

Monday to look -- no service call charge unless they need to replace a part . But I am not sure this problem is connected to the original problem. Un less he shook something loose when he replaced the case that goes around th e valve...the wires look o.k. but I am not sure. If the wiring is loose - would the water not come up to the heads at all? This is appears to be a p ressure thing.

She reported taking off two heads and there was no dirt clogging them.

She said the two were clean.

Per the post, she called the company that just did the repair work on the leak.

Here is a

If he did, then the other zones which she reported were working, wouldn't be working.

Next guess is he wants to replace a solenoid or a controller; be

AFAIK, nobody replaces solenoids. They replace the zone valve. And if it's bad or even suspect, what wrong with that? They only cost $15. Not replacing the controller, I agree with. The other zones are working, even this one produces a trickle at the heads, so the zone valve is being at least partially activated. Very unlikely it's a controller problem.

Reply to
trader_4

k. The pipes had come loose at a joint and he just had to glue it back. B efore that though the water coming out was full force -- After the glue dri ed he tested it and everything seemed o.k. The yard is divided into sectio ns (zones) and it is not always easy to tell which zone certain sprinkler h eads are in. That was Wed.

am still learning how to use that, too. All the zones worked except for Zo ne 1 - where he worked. I think perhaps it didn't come on when he tested i t -- but I didn't realize that then. Anyway, the water has no pressure in that zone...I can see the water dribbling out of the sprinkler heads (most of those are new) ... but it isn't spraying.

nday to look -- no service call charge unless they need to replace a part. But I am not sure this problem is connected to the original problem. Unle ss he shook something loose when he replaced the case that goes around the valve...the wires look o.k. but I am not sure. If the wiring is loose - wo uld the water not come up to the heads at all? This is appears to be a pre ssure thing.

I watched him pull the two pieces apart -- and he painted a thin line aroun d one of them and pulled the other piece over it. Don't think it was too much glue. The water appears to be coming as far as the sprinkler heads bu t then they just softly dribble.

Reply to
Dottie

k. The pipes had come loose at a joint and he just had to glue it back. B efore that though the water coming out was full force -- After the glue dri ed he tested it and everything seemed o.k. The yard is divided into sectio ns (zones) and it is not always easy to tell which zone certain sprinkler h eads are in. That was Wed.

am still learning how to use that, too. All the zones worked except for Zo ne 1 - where he worked. I think perhaps it didn't come on when he tested i t -- but I didn't realize that then. Anyway, the water has no pressure in that zone...I can see the water dribbling out of the sprinkler heads (most of those are new) ... but it isn't spraying.

nday to look -- no service call charge unless they need to replace a part. But I am not sure this problem is connected to the original problem. Unle ss he shook something loose when he replaced the case that goes around the valve...the wires look o.k. but I am not sure. If the wiring is loose - wo uld the water not come up to the heads at all? This is appears to be a pre ssure thing.

He asked "if this was the right zone" and pointed to some sprinkler heads i n the front yard and I said "I think so" ... I was wrong. He was pointing to #2. So it wasn't something he deliberately did and I didn't deliberatel y mislead him. I explained I was still just learning where everything was. So it is possible the problem existed and neither of us was aware of it. One other thing -- he took the black rigid plastic cover from around the va lve ... and worked on it ... then he let it dry and tested it. When he was satisfied he turned it off and replaced the plastic cover. He did not tes t it again. I am wondering if something got shaken loose when he put the c over back on ... just have to wait and see.

Reply to
Dottie

The solenoid may not be turning the valve on Z1 all the way. Can you locate it and see if there is an obstruction?

Reply to
G. Morgan

k. The pipes had come loose at a joint and he just had to glue it back. B efore that though the water coming out was full force -- After the glue dri ed he tested it and everything seemed o.k. The yard is divided into sectio ns (zones) and it is not always easy to tell which zone certain sprinkler h eads are in. That was Wed.

am still learning how to use that, too. All the zones worked except for Zo ne 1 - where he worked. I think perhaps it didn't come on when he tested i t -- but I didn't realize that then. Anyway, the water has no pressure in that zone...I can see the water dribbling out of the sprinkler heads (most of those are new) ... but it isn't spraying.

nday to look -- no service call charge unless they need to replace a part. But I am not sure this problem is connected to the original problem. Unle ss he shook something loose when he replaced the case that goes around the valve...the wires look o.k. but I am not sure. If the wiring is loose - wo uld the water not come up to the heads at all? This is appears to be a pre ssure thing.

Sorry it took so long, the man just left. The problem was that someone (an d it had to be the man who worked on it Wed.) had turned off the "flow cont rol". It is a round thingy ... when it was off and you turn the water on y ou could hear the water running ... made a funny sound. When you turn it o n the water goes through into the pipes where it makes its way to the sprin kler heads.

Don't know why the man turned it off -- nobody else has fooled with the equ ipment...except changing the sprinkler heads. Time to get back to that now ... thank you again for your help.

Reply to
Dottie

k. The pipes had come loose at a joint and he just had to glue it back. B efore that though the water coming out was full force -- After the glue dri ed he tested it and everything seemed o.k. The yard is divided into sectio ns (zones) and it is not always easy to tell which zone certain sprinkler h eads are in. That was Wed.

am still learning how to use that, too. All the zones worked except for Zo ne 1 - where he worked. I think perhaps it didn't come on when he tested i t -- but I didn't realize that then. Anyway, the water has no pressure in that zone...I can see the water dribbling out of the sprinkler heads (most of those are new) ... but it isn't spraying.

nday to look -- no service call charge unless they need to replace a part. But I am not sure this problem is connected to the original problem. Unle ss he shook something loose when he replaced the case that goes around the valve...the wires look o.k. but I am not sure. If the wiring is loose - wo uld the water not come up to the heads at all? This is appears to be a pre ssure thing.

Yes the sprinkler heads do pop up. Some are pretty old and need to be repl aced. But they all work now ...

Reply to
Dottie

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