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

I moved into a house a few years ago that has a sprinkler system installed. The PVB is a Febco 765-1. I didn't really know anything about sprinkler systems, but somehow got the system going the first year and it worked fine. I didn't do the proper winterizing and the following spring I found out that one of the ball valves cracked and a couple other parts broke (I believe they are the bonnet and poppet). I didn't feel like spending the money to have it fixed at the time and about 3 years has passed and I am now interested in getting it up and running again. Is the fact that I haven't run it in 3 years a bad thing? Are there potential problems that I might come across?

Is there any advice anybody can give me as to how I should go about checking to make sure everything is working? I am just about to purchase a new Febco 765-100 PVB to replace the old one. Do I need to hire a proffesional to install it for me, or is it something that any idiot with the right tools (myself) can do? Any help would be greatly appreciated.