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VALVE SPACING QUESTION

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TellyDSP

Unregistered

1

Wednesday, March 16th 2011, 5:29am

VALVE SPACING QUESTION

I purchased a house with 2 zones and would like to add a third. The issue I have is that the new zone will be on the opposite side of a 15-20' driveway from the current valves and main. There is already a zone on that far side, so I'm wondering if I can eliminate the the current valve for that zone and move it to the other side of the driveway, while at the same time branching off the third zone from the new valve location. Would spacing valves 15-20' apart create an issue? It looks like the line running under the driveway is 3/4 - 1". For reference, I made some fine art.

Current Placement



Proposed Placement



TIA

Craig

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

2

Wednesday, March 16th 2011, 7:10am

Zone valves are electric - Are you going to run wire to the far side of the drive way?

Mitchgo

Supreme Member

Posts: 502

Location: Seattle

3

Wednesday, March 16th 2011, 10:06pm

Ditto!! Don't forget the wiring!

Where is the controller located?

Is it inside the garage basically right behind the shut off and valves of the current location?

If it's in the garage you can easily run the wire up, over and through the garage rafters to the otherside of the driveway to the new valves.

TellyDSP

Unregistered

4

Friday, March 18th 2011, 8:50am

The control box is just inside the garage wall near the current valves. I would run the wiring through the garage to the other side. I suppose I would have to split the common wire to both sides of the driveway. Is there any issue with respect to the water supply and having the excess plumbing between valves?

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

5

Friday, March 18th 2011, 12:44pm

Pipe is pipe - you could have an extra hundred feet or so to zone valves in the field, and no worries.

-

One thing, though, is that zone pipe is not always good for being under 24/7 water pressure. Use a master valve to feed this new "mainline" running under the driveway, and the pipe isn't exposed to continuous pressure.

TellyDSP

Unregistered

6

Friday, March 18th 2011, 4:21pm

Could I leave the current valve that I was planning to eliminate in place as a "master" and the put the two new valves on the other side of the driveway? I suppose I would wire both valves to the master, as well as their respective zones? Would this affect the control panel at all?

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

7

Monday, March 21st 2011, 7:58am

That will work. Some controllers can even selectively power the "new master valve" so it only is on when the zones it feeds are on.

TellyDSP

Unregistered

8

Sunday, March 27th 2011, 2:11pm

I have the older RainBird ESP4 which has a master valve connection, however it seems this is only able to run as an "all zone" feature. It doesnt appear that would be a problem, as long as it closes off the valve when the cycle is done running. It's only 3 zones.

Am I wrong to use this master valve terminal to control the current zone valve on the "main" side of the driveway which I'll now use as a master for the two new zones, and install two new valves on that plumbing, on the far side of the driveway? (That made sense in my head, hopefully it come out clearly)

Wet_Boots

Supreme Member

Posts: 4,102

Location: Metro NYC

9

Tuesday, March 29th 2011, 8:37am

It should work. Will it be completely reliable in all circumstances? That depends on the zone valves always functioning, and never sticking closed. Or it depends on the mainline pipe and connections being able to withstand full supply pressure on a continual basis.

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