Too many sprinklers in one zone

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FreeBrady12
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Too many sprinklers in one zone

Post by FreeBrady12 » May 12th, 2017, 10:11 pm

So I have too many sprinklers on one zone.. but I've managed it for years now.. luckily the sprinklers on the end of the run are just watering the parking strip so I needed very little distance

Turned them on for the first time this spring and none of the heads on the strip are popping up... water coming out of all but won't pop up.. doubt it's the heads because they are all less than one year old and, well, it's all of them

But the other sprinklers in that zone are working fine. Any ideas? Wondering if they make a super low flow/PSI head I could use for those on the strip so they would work as is...

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rydaddy
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Re: Too many sprinklers in one zone

Post by rydaddy » May 13th, 2017, 10:23 am

1st: Do you know your gpm output? Do you know what nozzle (gpms) you have in your heads? Your nozzle gpm (all added together) needs to be lower than the total available.

2nd: The heads that don't pop up... are they making any sounds (like there is water/pressure there)? If so have you tried to pull them up manually?

3rd: tons of good info here: https://www.irrigationtutorials.com/

FreeBrady12
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Re: Too many sprinklers in one zone

Post by FreeBrady12 » May 14th, 2017, 9:23 pm

Thanks for the reply..

I don't know the GPM required vs what I'm trying to use but I do know it all worked the last 2 years.

This past fall I had my sprinklers professionally blown out and I wonder if that has anything to do with it. I should probably access that valve and see if the flow control was turned down?

I replaced the 4 sprinkler heads and nothing changed... but like I said, all of the other sprinklers in the main yard (problem is only on the strip between the sidewalk and street)

I'm thinking if I capped off the run of 6 sprinkler heads on that strip, I would be able to water it from the sprinkler heads that are in the main yard along the sidewalk by just changing the heads from 180 degree heads to 360* heads. Sure that would also water the sidewalk, but I'd rather that than lose my strip.

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Re: Too many sprinklers in one zone

Post by bpgreen » May 14th, 2017, 10:07 pm

what kind of sprinkler heads do you have? I had problems due to low pressure until I switched from impact to gear drive. But mine were popping up and just getting stuck.

FreeBrady12
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Re: Too many sprinklers in one zone

Post by FreeBrady12 » May 15th, 2017, 1:02 am

The new ones I'm using are the cheap 2" pop up orbit heads.

I replaced the similar rain birds with these this weekend just for fun. Same results.


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ken-n-nancy
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Re: Too many sprinklers in one zone

Post by ken-n-nancy » May 15th, 2017, 7:59 am

Sounds like you have a flow restriction between the first portion of the zone (which is working okay) and the latter portion of the zone (which isn't popping up). Either something in the line (unlikely) or a mostly-collapsed line (shifting / settling / frost heave over the winter?) between the last head in the working part of the zone and the first head in the non-working part of the zone.

To help diagnose the issue, something you could try doing is blocking off (plug the nozzle, or turn off the head if that's an option) all but one head in the non-working portion of the zone, to see if there is sufficient flow to get one head to pop up by itself. If this is the case, then the problem is reduced flow to that section of the zone. Knowing this won't help fix the problem, but will provide the impetus to have to dig up the piping between the last working head and the first non-working one.

FreeBrady12
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Re: Too many sprinklers in one zone

Post by FreeBrady12 » May 15th, 2017, 4:41 pm

Yeah that's a good idea.. I'd have to dig to put a cap on the line anyway, to do my quick fix if I go that route..

The only thing I forgot to mention is, in the middle of that run on strip, I noticed that I had a partially collapsed riser to one of my heads... but the 2 heads behind it weren't working properly either, so I figured that couldn't be my problem... wouldn't that only effect that one head? Or that head and the ones after it at most? Obviously that's an issue I'll need to address after I figure the OP out

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Re: Too many sprinklers in one zone

Post by rtomek » May 16th, 2017, 10:58 am

Collapsed riser? Not sure what that means. If it's cracked and leaking, that's a problem. You should open up that hole again and check it out while the zone is on.

FreeBrady12
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Re: Too many sprinklers in one zone

Post by FreeBrady12 » May 16th, 2017, 11:59 am

The part that the sprinkler screws on to is caved in.

Think of a kinked hose, only plastic sprinkler pipe

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