SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

Quoted from "Mitchgo"

Filter on a city supplied water irrigation system? A little over kill and its not really needed. go for it if you want though.

I've got a filter on city water (because my system includes drip irrigation zones), and I've found "stuff" in that filter before. As an example, after the 1st year of operation, I found a splinter of wood. It was about the size of a broken off tip of a tooth pick. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't much, but it was more than enough that could have clogged or ruined a valve.

So personally, I see a filter as cheap insurance that can prevent repairs down the road.

Hose bibbs use "Hose Threads", while air compressor parts use standare "Pipe Threads". So all you need is to construct an addapter. Most Big Box retailers will have "Hose Thread" addpters, where you will have male or female hose threads on one side, and pipe thread or "Slip" (PVC glue) connections on the other. So start with female hose thread addapter, figure out what is going to be used to connect to your compressor (such as quick connect adapters) and find what ever pieces are needed in between.

For example, if you start with a Female x 3/4" slip adapter and a 1/2" Female quick connect adapter, you glue a 3/4" slip x 1/2" x slip bushing into the Female addapter, glue a 1/2" piece of PVC into the bushing, and a 1/2" male adapter to the 1/2" pipe; then connect your compressor female quick connect adapter to the 1/2" male threads.

The main rule to remember is that you never insert a metal male inside a plastic female (that's why I specifically stated a FEMALE quick connect adapter for the compressor, it's most likely to be metal, while all the other parts are likely to be PVC plastic).

You're getting close.

However, your Male adapter is all wrong. Yes, it has hose threads, but you want FEMALE hose threads, not male hose threads. With a female hose thread, you can connect directly to the hose bibb, or connect to it with a standard garden hose. But if you start with male hose threads, you'll have to make yourself a special garden hose with female threads at each end to connect to the hose bibb.

The other problem with your male adapter is that it is designed for CPVC (yellow plastic pipe) not PVC (white plastic pipe). It MIGHT still work with PVC, but I don't know.

The other thing is that IF you are using plastic PVC pieces, then you don't want a quick connect adapter with MALE threads going to the PVC. The "standard" for air compressor quick connects is that the female adapter goes on the compressor end, while the male end goes to the tools (or in this case, the hose bibb). Not at the moment, I'm talking about the parts of the quick connect that mate together, not how they are connected to the compressor or tools. These quick connects are available with both male and female threads on either the male adapter or the female adapter (i.e. there is a male thread to male quick connect or female thread to male quick connect - that goes to the tool, and there are male thread to female quick connect or female thread to female quick connect - that goes to the compressor).

IF you use a male thread x male quick connect, then you CAN NOT use PVC for the rest of the connection, you never insert a metal male inside a plastic female, you risk bursting the plastic female. So if you ever have to mate metal to plastic, it MUST be a metal female and a plastic male.

There is also the option of doing the whole thing in brass. You can start with a Brass Hose Adapter, and then use all brass parts to make the connection to your quick connect adapter (in which case a male thread to male quick connect is acceptable).

To do the whole thing in Brass, select your quick connect adapter for the compressor (make sure you get the size you want, 3/8" is more the standard than the 1/4" you show). Then go to the plumbing section and look for the Watts brass fittings section. You'll find the hose adapter I showed above. From there, you just have to find the right combination of fittings to bridge the link between the Hose adapter and the quick connect adapter. For example, if you are using a 3/8" male thread adapter on the quick connect, then you might be able to find a 3/4" x 3/4" nipple, and a 3/4" to 3/8" pipe thread reducer (I'm not sure what will be available, you might have to actually do a 3/4" to 1/2", then a 1/2" nipple, then a 1/2" to 3/8" reducer. Just make sure you don't use the flare fittings, just a standard Pipe Thread fittings.

So you see, there is no set way to do this, there are brass and plastic options, and exactly what you put together might have to depend upon what they have in stock at the moment.

Quoted from "2Quik"

So if i went the Quick Coupling Valve route i couldn't use a PVC riser and a pvc tee insert ? it would all have to be brass?

All brass is just one of the many options you have.

The only time you MUST use brass is if you have a metal male pipe thread. Then you would HAVE to use a brass female to keep from splitting it apart when you tighten the female over the male.

I must say you've throw me a bit of a loop listing the pvc tee insert. What is that for? What you've got pictured is a Tee for tubing, not PVC pipe. Now I must say, I've been discussing how to go from a hose bibb to the compressor. You would only have a need a tee like that if you were running tubing rather than sch40 pvc for your irrigation.

Quoted from "2Quik"

So if i went the Quick Coupling Valve route i couldn't use a PVC riser and a pvc tee insert ? it would all have to be brass?

All brass is just one of the many options you have.

The only time you MUST use brass is if you have a metal male pipe thread. Then you would HAVE to use a brass female to keep from splitting it apart when you tighten the female over the male.

I must say you've throw me a bit of a loop listing the pvc tee insert. What is that for? What you've got pictured is a Tee for tubing, not PVC pipe. Now I must say, I've been discussing how to go from a hose bibb to the compressor. You would only have a need a tee like that if you were running tubing rather than sch40 pvc for your irrigation.

OK, so you could use this Tee to tap into the line, followed by a PVC riser (or other 1/2" nipple), then a Shutoff valve, followed by another PVC riser (or other plastic nipple) and go directly to the air compressor quick connect through a 1/2" to 1/4" reducer.