You are not logged in.

How to open Irritrol Jar Top Valve

Dear visitor, welcome to SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers. If this is your first visit here, please read the Help. It explains how this page works. You must be registered before you can use all the page's features. Please use the registration form, to register here or read more information about the registration process. If you are already registered, please login here.

Paul Harrigan

New Member

Posts: 3

Location: USA

1

Wednesday, April 26th 2006, 7:05pm

How to open Irritrol Jar Top Valve

I have a noob question that I hope someone can give me a little simple information on.

I have a multi-station sprinkler system hooked up to a Hunter 900i controller.

One station (7) turns on ok but sometimes stays on for hours, now that the local irrigation water is again available for the sprinklers. The only oddity is that when I manually turn on station 9, the water on 7 goes down for a second and then comes back up. (I am not sure there is a 9, since the valve box has four valves, and I know 5, 6, 7 and 8 are in the back yard.) Since we have downhill neighbors, the stuck sprinklers are a problem.

From what I have read here and elsewhere, the likely culprit is something sticking with the solenoid.

From comparing the valves to pictures from various companies, I have Irritrol jar top valves (gray valve top with black solenoid above it, if I understand correctly.)

I would open it up except that I can't find information on how on either Irritrol's or Toro's (for their similar all-black model) websites, and I don't like forcing things without having a clue.

Does the solenoid top screw off? The little tab that says on and off seems to turn like it would, but I hesitate to twist it because of the wires.

I could call a local sprinkler guy, but I am really trying to learn this system so as to deal with any future problems too.

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

2

Wednesday, April 26th 2006, 10:03pm

Buy another valve like the ones you have, and use it to learn how it assembles/disassembles ~ and to have any parts you need to fix one of the old valves.

Crabman

New Member

Posts: 4

3

Thursday, April 27th 2006, 1:04am

Paul, great question since I'm up at 3:30 AM and noticed my zone 6 is on with reduced pressure. Upon a quick check, I saw zone 9 on at the the same time with greatly reduced pressure. 9 was scheduled to be on. I shutdown the system at the controller and noticed 6 would not stop. I tried the manual lever on the valve but that would not work either. Shut the feed to stop 6. Concluded a stuck zone valve. Not a huge hassle to pull the valve and replace. Wondered if you could pull the valve apart as it might be easier. Decided to go to bed. Couldn't sleep wondering if the valve was repairable by removing the molded knurled (if you would) plastic cover on the valve. Found this site about 4:00 AM and this forum. Great answer Wet Boots. I put my system in myself and it has been working great for years. Yearly flooding by saltwater is common and it must take its toll on these valves although this is my first valve failure in 5 years. Is that good, I don't know but I'm happy I guess but to find problems, I guess I have to give it a couple of daytime test runs as I don't want to have to keep checking my system at 3 AM. As for my fix, I'm going to do what Wet Boots suggested and disect a valve off the manifold so I don't screw it up on the manifold. What I want to find is it easier to just pull the valve and replace it or pull the cover and replace the guts. What about it Wet Boots, have you got any comments on the replace over repair? I probably have to buy a valve to pull the guts anyway for parts anyway. Or are the parts available too? Thanks. Todd

Crabman

New Member

Posts: 4

4

Sunday, April 30th 2006, 3:13am

Paul, fixing the valve was a piece of cake. Undo the molded nut to open (can be done by hand) and replace guts. Did what Wet Boots said and opened a valve off the manifold to see the spring and diaphram. Easy fix. Todd

Paul Harrigan

New Member

Posts: 3

Location: USA

5

Monday, May 1st 2006, 12:41pm

The one on the manifold was too tight to open by hand, and the city is out of strap wrenches it appears, so I will buy a strap wrench while traveling today and fix it tomorrow.

Glad it went well for you. That's encouraging.

Paul

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

6

Monday, May 1st 2006, 3:52pm

There is supposed to be a special wrench made for those, but pros just use slip-joint pliers.

msts2006

Starting Member

Posts: 1

Location: USA

7

Monday, May 1st 2006, 6:28pm

hi i am looking for "hydro rain" valves and parts
can anyone advise

tone

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

8

Monday, May 1st 2006, 9:01pm

Talk to Toro. They bought Hardie, which had earlier bought Hydro-Rain. Any parts will come from Toro, through their Irritrol division.

Paul Harrigan

New Member

Posts: 3

Location: USA

9

Monday, May 1st 2006, 11:14pm

Thanks, Wet_boots. My dealer told me to use a strap wrench, so I bought one today. I will try both the slip and the strap tomorrow and report on how it came out.

Thanks so much for your help.

Paul
Rate this thread