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basic questions on valve replacement

jpk

New Member

Posts: 9

Location: Pleasanton CA

1

Tuesday, December 17th 2013, 3:55pm

basic questions on valve replacement

My system includes four 3/4" Richdel plastic antisiphon valves,
similar to this:

[align=center]http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/reviews/valves/irritrol-2713apr.jpg[/align]

Looks like whoever did it knew what they were doing: raised 12" above ground,
controlling four zones, three spray and
one drip. But all four valves are probably
20 years old. And I am getting slight leakage
from two of them. Tightening
screws down no longer stops it. They work fine but they're leaking.
1. Should I replace the two leaking valves? All four valves?

2. Brand recommendations?

3. Tips for removing old guys, installing new? Is this threaded or glued?
If threaded, how do you get the unit on both posts and then tighten it?

Thanks!

mrfixit

Moderator

Posts: 1,510

Location: USA

2

Tuesday, December 17th 2013, 7:50pm

If they're plastic pipes just cut n glue using male adapters. Get the 2711APR which is 3/4 inch or the 2713APR which is a 1 inch valve depending on the size of your existing pipes.
If you have galvanized pipe you might want to rebuild the valves.
You could try just replacing the diaphragms but maybe you should buy the Irritrol 205 and swap out all the parts.
If you have leakage out of the anti-syphon cap which is the front part of the valve you might need a new float or cap seal. Maybe both.
You can buy a new cap and float.
The cap will be hard to screw on because of the ridges on the side of the cap make it a tad wider than the old caps but it'll fit. You could file them down if need be.

If it's galvanized on the pressure side and plastic on the other side then cut the plastic and unscrew them if they're not too close together.

jpk

New Member

Posts: 9

Location: Pleasanton CA

3

Wednesday, December 18th 2013, 12:02pm

Yep they're 3/4 inch plastic pipes. (Now on the other side of my house I had galvanized
and I did rebuild[align=center]http://sprinklertalk.com/wbb/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=5851[/align] )

Where's the leakage coming from: good question, I'll try to narrow that down.
But if I can't determine this for sure, maybe the best bet is buying the whole
2711APR?



So: I cut off the old guys, glue in the new guys. Everyone ends up about an inch lower?

Thanks!

-- Jon

mrfixit

Moderator

Posts: 1,510

Location: USA

4

Wednesday, December 18th 2013, 2:37pm

Yep, they'll be 1" lower which will be just fine.
--
You'll need to buy primer and glue. The primer cleans the pipe so the glue will stick better.
Sometimes I'll use sandpaper on the pipe if it's moldy or has calcification on it or scrape it off with a knife then use primer and glue.

This post has been edited 2 times, last edit by "mrfixit" (Dec 18th 2013, 4:14pm)

jpk

New Member

Posts: 9

Location: Pleasanton CA

5

Monday, December 23rd 2013, 7:54pm

IT WORKS!

Local supplier was out of 2711APR but had 2711DPR. Needed an adaptor: threaded to slip fit.

Now when I cut off the old guy, I found I didn't get the pipes the same height.
I thought this could be an issue for fit and seal. So I tried sanding/filing down
the taller pipe, but I didn't get it much shorter. But it sealed OK.

It was my first time using primer! In my previous jobs I just used glue.
Maybe because they were sections that aren't under pressure all the time.

There is a very slight leak at the threads of the adaptor, which I'm hoping will
seal over time (have seen this happen with teflon tape sometimes). Since it's
way less than the leak on the guy I replaced, I'm pronouncing this job
a success.

Got the wiring back. The previous installation had put some sort of
white goo on the wire ends inside the caps. Got it all over my fingers.
Is this to keep water out?

I'm looking to replace the other three guys next to it. They're all the same
so I think it should go smoothly. The real challenge in this job seems to be
getting two pipes at once to insert into the slip fit. You can't do the
recommended quarter turn. At most you could maybe do it on one of
the pipes before you insert the other? Maybe do it on the pressure side?

-- Jon

mrfixit

Moderator

Posts: 1,510

Location: USA

6

Monday, December 23rd 2013, 11:19pm

You want the pipes the same height before gluing. If the longer one in your case is on the pressure side then you probably wont have to worry about it blowing the valve off. If you're using pvc cutters it's easy to get the pipes the same heigth. Just have the edge of the cutter up against the existing male adapter and do it the same on the other adapter.
That leak will probably never go away. You should have used teflon tape.
Your pipes are plenty tall. Just glue both sides and once and turn the valve to the right or left a bit then back straight right when you glue it on.
The DPR's should be fine for you. I don't like them because over the jartop sometimes leaks.
Yes the goo/silicone grease keeps the water off of the wire connections.

jpk

New Member

Posts: 9

Location: Pleasanton CA

7

Tuesday, December 24th 2013, 6:44pm

Sadly the taller pipe is the pressure side.
But happily it's not leaking from the glue.
Bud sadly it's leaking from the threads.
But happily I did use teflon tape.
Oh wait not sure that's happy.

Happy Holidays everyone!

-- Jon

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