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sprinkler won't pop up all the way

fhorta

Unregistered

1

Wednesday, July 27th 2011, 8:05pm

sprinkler won't pop up all the way

hello to all and thanks in advance. so glad i found this site. read as much as possible and sorry if i missed my answer already. i have a 6 station sprinkler system. they all operate separately and mostly 2 sprinklers at a time. i am having an issue with one of the stations that operate 2 sprinklers; one pops up and sprays far and wide while the other only throws a thin, weak stream. both sprinklers are designed for 35-40' distance. they both have female ends of 3/4''. i am so new at this. i already replaced the bad sprinkler but did not fix the issue. problem is that i don't know what i did with the old sprinkler and don't remember what the size was...the valve that controls this station says that it has a max psi of 150. the psi's required for the sprinklers are 30 for each. any ideas i would appreciate it so much. live in california san joaquin valley, and my lawn is drying up in those spots.

fhorta

Unregistered

2

Wednesday, July 27th 2011, 8:35pm

forgot to mention

sprinklers are rotor (one is toro, the one not working good and the other is orbit).....and correction to psi required, i believe its 50 psi for each if nozzle size of 3.0. they are both long shooters. the toro sprinkler is new and already checked for clogs but found none. thanks again.

wsommariva

Supreme Member

Posts: 332

Location: Northern New Jersey

3

Thursday, July 28th 2011, 12:15pm

Check for leaks at the underperforming unit.

fhorta

Unregistered

4

Thursday, July 28th 2011, 4:51pm

leaks?

ok. i sure will. but what exactly am i looking for? so new at this. also, when i plug the working unit with finger, the underworking unit does pop up alll the way and begins to spray the way its supposed to. does this indicate something or narrrrow down probability of problem?

AutomaticSprinklers

Senior Member

Posts: 17

Location: Indiana

5

Thursday, July 28th 2011, 9:33pm

If you had a leak I would expect both sprinklers to operate poorly unless it was on the riser or swing ell. To check for leaks look for water bubbling up. Sounds like more of a clog or restriction in the line. You said you checked for clogs. How did you do this? I would dig the new head up unscrew it and see what kingd of flow you have. If it is minimal start by checking where the head is screwed into the zone line. Other possibility could be a root restricting the zone line. If the head in question is the first one on the line that is unlikely.

fhorta

Unregistered

6

Saturday, July 30th 2011, 1:02pm

leaks?

i dug out the entire sprinkler. ill diG dipper see if i can find obstructions. also, i mentioned earlieer when i plug the working unit with finger, the underworking unit does pop up alll the way and begins to spray the way its supposed to. t his is no longer case. bad unit comes up just a little and water squeezes/bubbles through the sprinkdler head but never pops up all the way. if i pull it up it will stay up and spray..

AutomaticSprinklers

Senior Member

Posts: 17

Location: Indiana

7

Sunday, July 31st 2011, 8:50am

Sounds like you likely have something in the line. I would take the sprinkler off and see what what the flow is coming off of the riser/swing ell. If this is minimal remove this tot he zone line and see what the flow is there. You will want to dig a hole big enough to accommodate this. One of the first things I learned on the job was that a big hole is a happy hole. The connection of the sprinkler to the zone line is usually where the clogs will be.

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