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.
Need help figuring out problem
I bought this house and was pretty exited to lear it had a sprinkler system only to find out that the pipes had froze at some point and nobody fized them. So i went to home depot put it all back together but when i try to turn on a zone it goes like gangbusters for about 5 minutes the peters out. At this point i should mention i am on a well system.
I know the people who left the house had recently replaced the pump and im wondering if maybe it is a smaller pump or not set up right.
My pump is a Red Lion Pump model C48C45B67, the line pressure sits at 40 psi when the pump is not running. I also have some kind of tank out there also that says its a hydo-pnumatic pump tank with a model number of pmd 86.
That is all the info i could think of to give. Any advice would be appriciated
Tom
Forget the system for a moment, and learn about your well. Run a zone that works flawlessly, and watch your pressure gauge. You may be running your well dry. If that's the case, program your controller to allow for the well to 'recover'
With a well there are two things that could go wrong. Either a pump problem or water supply problem. I would watch the pressure gauge/listen to the pump while the spinklers run. We would check for water on a well by hooking a hand pump up to it and seeing how well it pumped. It is likely that you don't have this not sure what a good alternative is. You could check to see how much water you have by taking the check valve off and dropping a string down the well. The well point is likely 3-4 ft( hopefully 4) so you should have at least six feet of water hopefully more. I have also seen one occasion where the nipple was tightened too tight into the check valve and the check valve could not open completely causing similar problems to what your describing. What HP is you pump? Should say on the motor somewhere. Always liked to have at least a horse pump.
well
I have to totally separate systems the only thing that they have in common is the well and they both have the same problem. I turned on one zone yesterday, it works great for 3 minutes, with the pump at 40 psi, then the sprinklers die down 2 almost nothing but the pump still says 40 p s I
how about buying a new pressure gauge?
Are the heads spitting a lot of air while running? Usually a good indication that the pump is pulling air.