PVC in sprinkler sysyem

puttster

I dug up one of the sprinkler heads to move it. The head was attached to a black hose, and running alongside it was a PVC pipe. I dug up a head across the yard, same deal. Both heads were on dead ends for the hose.

Now I am wondering what the PVC is doing, is it a protective conduit, or does it carry the water for the sprinkler? Or is it the water supply to the control box and just happens to be in the same corridor as the sprinkler hose.

My goal it to move the sprinkler and also if possible add a faucet somewhere in the yard. Don't know enough to start digging though, obviously!

Puttster

sdsester

Are you saying the length of black hose is attached to the PVC? If so, it sounds like it is some sort of flexible riser system in which case the PVC would be carrying the water supply. The black hose is there to add flex so when you run over the sprinkler head with a mower or whatever you do not crack the fitting it is in.

If the poly tubing goes all the way to the valves and is carrying the water than the PVC was probably used for something else. Conduit for low voltage wiring to the sprinkler valves or lighting?

For your new hose bib you will want to run PVC from the water source to the new hose bib. Install the proper kind with backflow prevention and anti-syphon if required where you are. Now would be a good time to add a cut-off valve for the irrigation system and the new hose bib if you do not already have one.

joecaption

Your going to need one of these.
http://images.search.yahoo.com/image...3l&fr=slv8-w3i

puttster

I didn't dig back far enough to see if the hose and the PVC were attached.

PVC pipe comes out of the ground and goes inside the detached garage, where the Rainbird control is. I just now dug along the far side of the house where I see the PVC and three red wires runs to/from the back yard along the side of the house. Then further I see two covered openings, one of which looks like this



then likely on to the front yard which is zone 2.

Canarywood1

This pic is of a zone valve.

puttster

Now I'm thinking the black hoses are spliced into the PVC. If I want to move a sprinkler, find a longer piece of hose to the sprinkler and replace it. Water in the PVC is controlled by the two water valves, I should not use the PVC for a water tap becauses water will be in it only intermittently.

?ok?

sdsester

Right you are. You will want to run a new PVC pipe with water to the new hose bib. It may be overkill but I would run Schedule 80. As mentioned, make sure you put the necessary anti-syphon and backflow prevention valves on it and you should install a shut off for everything outside so you do not have to turn off water to the house if something goes wrong with the landscape plumbing. If there is one already and the necessary prevention valves for the irrigation system you can just tap the water line to the irrigation valves but ahead of the protection valves.

You should think about using a galvanized riser to the hose bib or you can get the type you bury in a box. PVC will break down over time when exposed to UV and weather forces above ground. If you put a tall riser in for the hose bib, make sure you support it against a stake, piece of rebar or something.

Canarywood1

The pvc is the water supply line and the hose is the supply to the sprinkler head,their must be more than one sprinkler head in that particular zone,just turn the system on to find all the heads.

sdsester

By the way, that little hex head bolt/screw on the valve housing next to the handle will bypass the solenoids and the timer. Open it and the water will come on to the sprinklers controlled by the valve so you can adjust it, flush out lines when you move or replace heads. It saves you having to run back to the timer.

puttster

Last week I put in a 25' flower bed across the back fence. I want to pull forward the sprinklers that are there. Sounds like I can do that by replacing the black hose.

But the sprinklers don't stay on long enough to wet the flower bed enough, that's the reason I wanted a bib - for a drip irrigator. Yes I would rather have the sprinkler system take care of it but don't have a good idea of how.

puttster

double post

sdsester

Drip is a great idea. The concept of putting water where you want it in gallons per hour instead of gallons per minute just makes sense for anything but turf.

You might be able to convert the station for the flower beds to drip and use your existing timer if it can be set to water longer and maybe repeat for the flower bed station. Or set to water every day instead of every three days or whatever.

However, the other issue you may find is that the existing valve may not be able to handle the low flow rate of drip irrigation.

You can always do as you plan and build your drip system from a hose bib. A battery operated hose bib timer would only be about $30? It just seems like someone installed a nice irrigation system for your yard and it would be more elegant if you could adapt it.

Do you have an irrigation supply company near you? Most are not always into retail customers but if you are pleasant they will help you. You should get your drip system from them or online. The stuff the box stores have is not especially worthwhile and is costly compared to what it should be.

puttster

That's what I was thinking! Is there such a thing as a "Fast Drip" hose? I could tie that into the sprinkler pipe and in the time the sprinklers are on it would give the flower bed a good soaking.

sdsester

You can get drip components that are basically like glorified soaker hoses. They can be plumbed off existing water lines with a few PVC fittings if the valves will tolerate the low flow rate. I think you are better off laying down drip tubing off your water lines and putting exactly the emitters you want in place exactly where you want them. It is easy to install.

Drip emitters come in a range of about .5 gallons per hour up to 12GPH and in configurations for anything but turf. Tubing has to be on the surface, at least where the emitters are. Although, there are some experiments with buried drip. You will want to know your flow rate so you do not overload your drip circuit. But it is probably going to be in the 8-12 gallons per minute range. Your water company can tell you or you can figure it out with a give gallon bucket and a stop watch. Shut off all the water. Then time how long it takes to fill a 5er. Extrapolate to get gallons per minute and ultimately gallons per hour flow rate.

I designed most gardens with simple emitters exactly twice as much fun as watching paint dry when they operated. I stayed in the 1-4GPH range and used self-cleaning and self-compensating ones in long runs. There are some that you can change from misters to drip or even plug depending on where you put a plastic plug.

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