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locating 1.5 inch hydrullic valves

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pelcobro

New Member

Posts: 3

1

Wednesday, January 25th 2012, 6:07am

locating 1.5 inch hydrullic valves

I have been working at an old housing prodject that has an old irrigation system. I'm in the process of trying to find 25 hydrullic valves around the complex the valves are not in a box/direct burried and the only way I have found some of the valves is listen to the ground and listen for the water flow when the valve opens and closes then dig and hope I hit the valve. I find one valve per day and I have only found around 5 valves. Is their any easer way to find these valves. They are 25 years old and no wires are running to them just old hydrullic lines. HELP.

mrfixit

Moderator

Posts: 1,510

Location: USA

2

Wednesday, January 25th 2012, 11:06pm

I've never done this but if the tubes leading to the valves are metal and not plastic maybe you could hook a wire locator up to them and trace the lines to the valves.

Ok Boots your turn.

pelcobro

New Member

Posts: 3

3

Thursday, January 26th 2012, 2:02am

Thank you but nope the lines are plastic, I wish it was that easy. They are also about foot deep.

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

4

Thursday, January 26th 2012, 7:37am

One could connect an air compressor to the supply and try to listen for air bubbling through the mainline. Basically, this is shovel work.

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

5

Thursday, January 26th 2012, 11:49am

Another thing that can be accomplished with an air compressor is to get a good idea how a zone is laid out. Turn on a zone. With it fully pressurized and spraying, introduce air, and watch where the air appears in the zone, figuring the first head to spray air is the head closest to the zone valve.

Central Irrigation

Supreme Member

Posts: 364

Location: Central Minnesota

6

Thursday, January 26th 2012, 3:35pm

I'm going to assume this is a PVC mainline. We generally cut the main and insert a fish tape and feel for it to bump into a fitting. Locate the fishtape and measure distance, which usually brings you to a fitting (hopefully a valve T). This is alot easier to do with a Poly main, and a major pain in the a** on a pvc main. Locating 25 valves would be no small undertaking. Depending on the make and model of the valve, a metal detector might work, provided you knew where the mainline is.



I've even tried running welding wire through the hydraulic line. However the wire is too limp and binds within the first 10'.

pelcobro

New Member

Posts: 3

7

Thursday, January 26th 2012, 8:38pm

I have used a stethocscope on oder to listen to the valves opening and closing this is worked well so far but again a lot of digging where you think it is. we have been spending 6 man hours for 2 guys per valve. The main line is 2'' pvc it has been tuff

mrfixit

Moderator

Posts: 1,510

Location: USA

8

Thursday, January 26th 2012, 10:51pm

I don't envy you in the least. You have a nightmare job on your hands. If you get me anywhere near a hydraulic valve and I have a shovel in my hand I'm going to cut the supply tube in half. It's just too easy to do.

I've heard about a tool that can send a pulse down the pipe so you can trace it. I've never seen one so I googled. Maybe something like this will work for you on such a big job. Maybe you can rent one.

www.rjmcompany.com/Plastic-Pipe-Locator.htm

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