Sprinkler and irrigation issues

[Vespertino]

So this morning I ran some tests on my sprinkler system to figure out where some of my recessed sprinkler heads were. I discovered a busted pipe and 12 foot geyser, misaligned heads, and several risers stuck underground causing water to pool and bubble.

I don't know quite how long it's been like this (I set my system to run at 4am), but I'm wondering:

Can I fix them on my own? Or is this something that isn't ideal for the DIY? I don't have a lot of free time, career takes up most of my life. But I can manage a few hours in the yard on weekends.

If it's not a DIY, I'm wondering if anyone knows how much extra it would to add a new zone, or move some sprinkler to other zones.

I don't like how the zones were planned for the back yard, I was hoping to chop a few zones apart. The beds around the house (which need to be watered every day in the summer due to clay soil and foundation issues) are connected to some lawn sprinklers and I want to segment them off. Same goes for the sprinklers around the fence perimeter which I'm hoping to eventually convert to irrigated raised beds ,but plan to install an RGGS in the interim.

The fence permimeter I was hoping to convert to irrigated raised beds in the distant future, but use a RGGS for now. At the moment I have to dance around the sprinkler placement

Any advice? Has anyone else been there?

[Worth1]

Okay I sat on my hands long enough.
first lets fix the geyser.
The sprinkler company that installed your system more than likely use the cheapest parts and labor they could get.
I dont mean to insult you or your system it is just a matter of fact.
What they did was put in a 1/2" riser to your sprinkler head.
This riser could more than likely be a cut to height riser and it looks like this.

Or this.

This second one is what I used.

Or the top of the sprinkler head could be damaged.
What ever it is it is an easy fix unless it was what we call hard piped into the main line with glue.

Second you have to be aware that in some but not all of these trenches they also ran the valve wire.
So you have to be careful not to cut into the wire.

Now here are some questions about your system I need to know.
Who makes your controller?
What is the model number?
How many sprinkler stations/zones do you have?
How big is the area you want to irrigate?
How many heads do you have on each zone/station.
How physically fit are you and can you do hard work?
The above statement isn't meant as an insult but has to be answered because digging is hard work.
Do you know where your valves are in the yard and where is the controller in relation to them?

I installed my own sprinkler system here at home on my own.
It was deemed the best job the city inspector ever saw.
The sprinkler company owner that had to inspect my back flow valve gave me great compliments on what I did.
No contractor would have done what I did without it costing me tons of money.
I have around 14 stations and about 50 heads or drip in my front yard alone.
Not by any stretch of the imagination am I through yet.

[Vespertino]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Okay I sat on my hands long enough.
first lets fix the geyser.
The sprinkler company that installed your system more than likely use the cheapest parts and labor they could get.
I dont mean to insult you or your system it is just a matter of fact.
What they did was put in a 1/2" riser to your sprinkler head.
This riser could more than likely be a cut to height riser and it looks like this.

Or this.

This second one is what I used.

Or the top of the sprinkler head could be damaged.
What ever it is it is an easy fix unless it was what we call hard piped into the main line with glue.

Second you have to be aware that in some but not all of these trenches they also ran the valve wire.
So you have to be careful not to cut into the wire.

Now here are some questions about your system I need to know.
Who makes your controller?
What is the model number?
How many sprinkler stations/zones do you have?
How big is the area you want to irrigate?
How many heads do you have on each zone/station.
How physically fit are you and can you do hard work?
The above statement isn't meant as an insult but has to be answered because digging is hard work.
Do you know where your valves are in the yard and where is the controller in relation to them?

I installed my own sprinkler system here at home on my own.
It was deemed the best job the city inspector ever saw.
The sprinkler company owner that had to inspect my back flow valve gave me great compliments on what I did.
No contractor would have done what I did without it costing me tons of money.
I have around 14 stations and about 50 heads or drip in my front yard alone.
Not by any stretch of the imagination am I through yet.

thanks Worth! Sounds like you have the ultimate irrigation system, it's nice being able to do things right the first time. Then you never have to worry about it again

I suspect the one I have might be the system original to the house.

I can't quite tell which type of head was used, I'd have to dig a bit to find out.

And no worries, I'm not offended. These days I expect that unless I insisted on --and paid for-- a contractor to use high quality parts on something, that it's probably crap since I bought this house a year ago, I doubt the previous owner was stickler for quality like me

Rain Bird system
Rain Bird controller, ISM-9
8 zones, 5-10 sprinklers each
Luckily the entire yard is irrigated, but the sprinkler zones aren't well thought out for the backyard and I wanted to make some changes on which sprinklers belong to which zone. Then move some sprinklers onto a new zone for better control.
As for physical condition, well, long story short: I'm a computer nerd recovering from a broken knee last year. While I can lift bags of mulch and dig and have enough strength to do most garden chores, I don't have a lot of endurance and have trouble kneeling on the broken kneecap. So I can do hard work (as long as I don't have to kneel), just not for very long periods of time.
There are sections of yard I'd like to reconfigure the irrigation, I'd estimate about 500-700 sq foot of area.

I'm leaning towards calling someone to chat about moving the zones since I have trouble kneeling on the healing leg. I'd imagine modifying the system would require a lot of kneeling.

[Worth1]

First your Rain Bird controller is discontinued.
Second you have an extra zone on the thing to do what you want with.
The good news is if you want to upgrade, sprinkler parts are interchangeable for the most part.
What you have is 9 zones and if they installed it a master valve.
This means you have one zone left over.
This master valve wiring connection will be located on the left hand side of the screw connectors next to one called 1 it will say in tiny print MV. on the left hand side of MV will be one called COM this stands for common.
This wire will go to all valves you have in the yard.
The MV wire goes to the master valve.
The master valve will be located before or after your back flow preventer.
It comes on when any other valve comes on.
It is to keep from wasting water if one of the other valves sticks open.
The wires marked 1 trough 9 go to all of the corresponding valves in the yard.
All wiring going to the valves are 24 volt AC.

Now here is where it gets tricky.
Most people think that smaller pipe makes more pressure it doesn't.
It is hard to explain but it is true.
What it does do is cause a higher water velocity but decrease the amount of available water in other words gallons per minute.(GPM)
Why am I telling you this?
Sprinkler contractors will start with larg pipe and go down to 1/2 inch pipe at the ends of the sprinkler line.
They think they are doing the right thing because that is what they are told.
The other reason is to save money.
Lets say you want to add more to your line at the end of your system and they had a run of 1/2 inch pipe.
Lets say the last head was just barely putting out enough water as it is.
You add more 1/2 pipe and you wont have enough water to feed the rest of the system you installed.
This is due to the friction loss in the 1/2 pipe.

I ran around 150 feet of 1-1/2 inch pipe from my meter to the back flow preventer at my house.
Out of it I ran 1-1/2 pipe to all of my valve boxes.
From the valve boxes to the heads everything is 1 inch pipe.
I have maybe very little friction loss.

Why am I telling you all of this?
So some sprinkler contractor wont be blowing smoke at you.
Math doesn't lie.

What I would suggest since you are a computer nerd and if you have the money to spare.
Is to upgrade to a new system in your yard.
Get one that you can control from your computer and smart phone.
Here is one I would suggest. pricy but worth every penny of it.
http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Cy...1xcisc16-g.htm

More conversation later on design and how to deal with contractors after you have digested all of this.

Worth

[Worth1]

Link to the PDF manual for your controller in case you dont have one.
Worth
http://www.rainbird.com/documents/diy/man_ISMseries.pdf

[Vespertino]

Thanks, Worth! It's becoming clear that the re-zoning job is certainly better suited for a contractor, so thanks for giving me an introduction on the basics and some of the lingo and the pipe size/friction loss relationship. If I'm going to talk to a contractor about re-zoning, I may as well ask them about fixing the geyser and the other sprinkler heads while they're at it.

That's a pretty sweet controller you picked out, I'd love to control my lawn watering by phone. I'll have to clear it with the hubs since it is a bit spendy- but it looks like if we ever want more than 9 zones we'd have to upgrade anyway- might as well upgrade right. We weren't expecting to have any trouble with the irrigation system, but here we are...

My MIL is testing out a new landscaping company, if all goes well with her experience this week I'll call them over for an estimate and see if they try to blow smoke.

[Worth1]

I have the irretroll computer based system but I dont recommend it because there is a huge learning curve.
Once I got the bugs worked out it runs great.

Now I will help you save money on water.
I can almost bet the sprinklers you have are the ones that shoot way out in a single stream.
These are about 40% efficient the one I use are from 80 to 90% efficient.
That means the water they put out gets in the ground not blown away by the wind.
Here is what they look like.
Some times they work for this and some times they dont it is a call you have to make for the situation.
The Hunter MP Rotator.

Not my yard.

The Rain Bird rotary Nozzle.

Both are really good and I have both kinds here at home.

They come in many configurations to fit any need.
Some are even adjustable.

Here is something no contractor will do for you unless you tell him to.
If he tries to jack the price up too much do it your self.
Tell them you want the wiring going to the valves in underground PVC conduit.
This way the wire is protected from the rocks they put back in the ditch which they shouldn't be doing.
The other reason is if and when and it will happen the wire needs to be fixed or replaced it is easy to do.
If it is buried in the ground you have to dig up the hole line or splice in the ground.
One of the number one reasons for failure of a system is rocks in the trench cutting wire and putting holes in pipe.

I am now going to send you to a link that will tell you everything you need to know about your system.
It is huge and the guy knows what he is doing.
Worth
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...,d.aWw&cad=rja

[Worth1]

I want to add working on installing and or fixing a sprinkler system means get on your knees and stay there.
Knee pads are a must.
Bending over kills the back.
Not only is everything on the ground it is under the ground.
By the time I was through with mine I thought I was going to die.
I bought around 1,200 feet of pipe and it is almost all in the ground now.
I saved thousands of dollars.
Worth