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Project is done.....almost.

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faithfulfrank

Advanced Member

Posts: 58

Location: USA

1

Thursday, December 20th 2007, 11:29am

Project is done.....almost.

Hi all,
Thanks to all your good help, I almost finished the project. Here is a picture...

The joints look a bit messy, but I wanted to make sure they did not leak. I have not turned on the ball valve yet, I wanted the glue to firm up first.

My question is......what do I need to do to the valves before I turn the water on? Is there any bleeding of air that needs to be done? Any adjustments for flow, etc?

I'll wait to hear from you knowledgeable people before I turn them on. Thank you for all of your help. You guys have all my sprinkler business from now on...and my neighbors!!

Frank D.
"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose"

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

2

Thursday, December 20th 2007, 12:10pm

Just make sure that nothing is obviously loose. Solenoids. Bleed screws.

faithfulfrank

Advanced Member

Posts: 58

Location: USA

3

Thursday, December 20th 2007, 1:44pm

Thank you wet boots !
I'll turn them on in the morning.....
the installation sheet copy was missing some words.....it said something about turnng the bleedscrew counterclockwise one full turn, or until water comes out, then turnng it back until it stops. That was for manual operation, which I do not do.

Perhaps I'm overly concerned.......just did not want to mess anything up. I'll just open the valve tomorrow and see what happens.....then test the system, one valve at a time, using the control panel buttons to make sure they work like they did before the install.

thanks !

Frank D.
"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose"

mrfixit

Moderator

Posts: 1,510

Location: USA

4

Thursday, December 20th 2007, 6:58pm

Hi Frank, it looks good. I've come a long way with you on this thread
so I'll see it to the end. Here's what I personally do. Have at least one of the bleeder screws open while turning the water back on. I use the valve on the end of the manifold. Or all of them. You need to get the air out of the new valves. If you have air trapped on top of the diaphragm it might not shut off all the way. Turn the water back on slowly. Then bleed the air out of the valves. Then I adjust the flow control with the valve running. I turn it clockwise til I can hear it constricting the flow some. Then I back it off about a half turn to a full turn. You don't want the flow control open all the way. The valve might not close on occasion if you have it open all the way. You might want to adjust the solenoids. I notice the lever to turn the solenoid back and forth is out of position on a couple of valves.
When you turn the solenoid all the way clockwise (do not over tighten)
you want that lever to be approx 1/2 to 3/4 inch from the valve. I also take the white retainer out of the solenoid itself and throw it away. It doesn't do a thing functionally and on occasion will keep the solenoid plunger from closing. Talk about an easy service call.
Let us know how it turns out. Good luck!
If I can't fix it, it's broken!

faithfulfrank

Advanced Member

Posts: 58

Location: USA

5

Friday, December 21st 2007, 2:48am

Thank you Mrfixit!
I do appreciate the help. I did not know those solenoids turned. I also did not see the white retainers.....now I do. I will do all that you say to and report back.

Thanks again! It's amazing what you can see in that picture that I could not, but you know what to look for.

Frank D.
"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose"

jimmyburg

Advanced Member

Posts: 52

Location: USA

6

Friday, December 21st 2007, 5:12am

That looks good, i like the way you left yourself room in case you half to replace one of the valves.
Jimmy
Texas Lic. Irrigator
Landscape Irrigation Auditing & Management
Texas Lic. Backflow Tester

faithfulfrank

Advanced Member

Posts: 58

Location: USA

7

Friday, December 21st 2007, 4:04pm

Thanks guys!
I turned the water on......no leaks, and I bled the screw, let the air out until water came out, then retightened until the water stopped coming out of the screw. I will test each zone tomorrow.

I looked all over the solenoid for the white retainer rings but did not see them....I'll look again tomorrow. The solenoids are tight, but not too tight.

There is an "on-off" tab next to the solonoids...they do not seeem to move or do anything, and I'm not sure how to get them to be closer to the main valve stem......but I think everything is or will work ok now, so I'm not sure if it would be best just to leave things as is until i learn more about all this. It is very interesting.....all new to this northerner.

Can't wait to live here full time. I'll let you know how things go tomorrow when I test each zone.

thanks!! Frank D.
"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose"

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

8

Sunday, December 23rd 2007, 3:12am

Don't worry too much about the solenoids. The white ring that was referred to is a 'keeper' that prevents the moving parts from getting lost. Old Richdel valves receiving new replacement solenoids with the keeper rings might fail to open, because the keeper interfered with the usual water flow. New Irritrol valves should work fine without having to remove any pieces.

faithfulfrank

Advanced Member

Posts: 58

Location: USA

9

Sunday, December 23rd 2007, 3:20am

Thanks Wetboots!
Yesterday was "cold" here......(not really compared to NY), but I'll test each zone today.
Still could not see any white retainer rings, and when I checked those solenoids for tightness, to get them the right tightness, not too loose, not too tight, they kinda ended up where they ended up.....could not relly get those little handle things closer to that bigger valve.

I must not be understanding something correctly, but despite that, I think it should all work ok.......I'll know later today.

I truly appreciate all the kind help here. I know it must look like I'm an idiot here about fixing stuff, but it is just that I am new to all this sprinkler stuff.......I can build a house no problem, do the plumbing, wiring, etc.......but sprinkler systems are a new thing for me...

Thanks! Frank D.
"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose"

mrfixit

Moderator

Posts: 1,510

Location: USA

10

Sunday, December 23rd 2007, 12:20pm

Hi Frank. Granted it's rare for the retainer to keep the valve from closing. I personally have only seen it 3 times. But it does happen. You don't live on the property and it's just a precaution. To find it and to adjust those levers you have to turn the water off and unscrew the solenoid completly. On the bottom of the solenoid you will see the white plastic piece. Just take it out and throw it away. Good luck!
If I can't fix it, it's broken!
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