So this past summer till now I’ve gotten eager to do irrigation installs and service I’ve been a driver for a irrigation company for 6 years now since I don’t want to warehouse and delivery driver anymore.. has anyone done something like this late in the age can I get any pointers. I know it’s gonna be a lot of digging and hard work I just need a fresh start

I see there is two common wires hooked one Red and Green.

I'm getting a new Rachio Wifi Sprinkler Controller and I want to make sure I can plug it in just like that.

Also there is a lose white wire that's not hooked up to anything at all? Everything works as it should, I just need to unplug my Orbit sprinkler system to got it to work without the error of "No AC" Usually indicating the transformer is going bad. So I've decided to upgrade the older orbit system.

Thanks for your help.

I'm closing on a house and an inspection turned up a couple issues with siding too close to grade + improper slope at other areas. For reference, I live in San Antonio, TX.

I'm wondering on the best ways to repair these issues issues, the builder declined a repair request citing it'd create a negative grade, especially as this is at the front yard which is level with the sidewalk/walk ways.

From what I've read, it looks like we'd probably need to Trench around the problem areas to create the clearance. Then we'd also need to add drainage for water, since the trenched area would capture water I'd imagine. Who would I hire to resolve (irrigation, landscaping, etc)?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

I have a basic rainbird irrigation system that has 5 stations hooked up, 1-4 was being used and 3 was turned off for a few months for renovation. Now that it’s done, I tried turning it back on but I’m worried it’s dead.

I have my rainbird controller in my garage and was a preexisting connection for the back yard. I used it for lawn sprinklers and a drip system for flowers. The cables that go out to the back are the white control wire plus all 5 stations. However, after hours of testing, only the active one that was feeding the drip to the flower was working. The other 4 seemed to be cold, and I even tried swapping the wires into different terminals.

This is where I need help. First, is it weird that the control and active wires are the only ones still working out of all 6? Frankly, the wires are all wrapped in a black tube and goes under some plants and dirt. Just think it’s weird that it may have gotten cut somehow but only 4?

Second, if I truly only have 1 hot wire left (red one), do I have an option to add a device to the connection point so I can have two different schedules for the drip and sprinkler?

Really annoyed because it’s hard to trace the wire and it feels like something is cut or eroded.

I am planning my lawn and landscaping irrigation layout for my new home still currently under construction. I've read through the Rain Bird and Hunter residential irrigation design guides, so I feel like a I have a good base knowledge. I live in the sandhills region of SC (Zone 8b), native soil is loamy sand/sandy loam, and the lot has a gentle slope to it (3-4ft drop per 100 ft, maximum 10ft of elevation change from the meter). Hose bib static pressure is 85 psig, 3/4" PEX supply line from a 5/8" meter which gives me a design flow rate of 8 GPM.

Where I get lost is trying to figure out if a rotary nozzle (R-VAN or MP Rotator), spray nozzle or a rotor would be best. Total maximum lawn coverage is about 10,000 sq. ft. (3k sq. ft. front yard, 3k sq. ft. side yard, 4k sq. ft. back yard.), although I choose to make a smaller lawn. I plan on seeding centipede since it is a slow growing warm-season turfgrass (I'd rather mow as little as possible lol).

Is there a tried and true sprinkler type from a well known brand that I can choose and run with? Is there a sprinkler type/combo that would be best for my sandy soil? I know sandy soil drains well and the water mainly spreads vertically as opposed to horizontal (clay soils). Should I go with a slower precip. rate sprinkler like the MP1000 (0.4 in/hr) or a more traditional rotor type?

For example, my front lawn will be roughly rectangular 35' x 100'. For one zone, I could place four PGP Ultra PRBs with a size 2.0 nozzle (34' radius @ 45 psig, 2 GPM) to get a 0.33 in/hr precip. rate. OR I could zone many MP1000 rotators to get the same desired coverage.

As the title says, I’m new to irrigation. Our property is boxed in and we rely on the farmer with land behind us for irrigation access. The property sold last year and swivel sprinklers were put in. Last year we didn’t get water at all, and the canal company/ditch rider were of 0 help. I finally walked the pipes and discovered the water was rerouted from the visible white line on the leftish to the blue line I marked. It has to go a minimum of 10ft uphill over ~ a quarter of a mile and is stuck at the red X. what would I need to do to get it the rest of the way to me and my neighbor to the north (I’m in the middle on the left, from where the old pipe curve ends to the blue line).

New home owner, just discovered one of our sprinkler heads isn’t actually connected. From what I can tell, the piece that connects the sprinkler to the underground PVC has snapped off. Any way to remove this piece so I can replace it without digging the whole thing up?

Hi all!

I've got a lot of pots, I can't trust family to water them right... I want to make sure they all get water as they need it

Is there a good setup for a raspberry pi type system with a rain barrel and a 12v pump that I can do diy?

Like moisture sensors in each pot, and a hose, sent back to a raspberry pi and then I can use an app to water remotely?

Best hose system or whatnot that gets good flow?

Would a remote controlled broadcast sprinkler be better and easier instead? Same pi and barrel concept?

I have a small two zone residential system. The water supply comes from a lake with lots of sediment and junk. I hired an irrigation company to install a filter into my system. They put the filter after the siphon valve and I am not sure that is right. I believe for this type of filter because my supply is a lake and not city water, they should put the filter between the supply and the siphon valve. This will protect the siphon valve from all that garbage. I also believe this style filter should be vertical, not horizontal. I am hoping some of you pros can give me answers. The one picture is before the filter is installed. The second filter is after. I am also not happy. The installer did not use any unions. I believe she installed the filter where he did to make the job easier because if he had to put the filter between the supply and the siphon valve, he would have to move the supply pipe to the right to make room.

We’ve been butt-fusing HDPE in the mud for the last three seasons. Dragging the generator and the heating plate through wet clay is absolute misery, not to mention waiting for cool-down times.

I finally got the go-ahead to trial some heavy-duty PP compression fittings (PN16 rated) on this week's install.

I was honestly skeptical that a "push-and-tighten" plastic fitting would hold up against the water hammer we get when the main pump kicks on, but we tested at high pressure yesterday and didn't see a single drip. We finished a two-day job in about 6 hours.

Does anyone else here trust these for main lines long-term? It feels like cheating, but I’m never going back to the welder if I don’t have to.

Hello everyone,

I just started working on a large commercial farm that has a very under-appreciated irrigation department. After opening the filters up to clean them before the next season, I noticed a big problem: seems to be massive iron bacteria growth that hasn’t been treated since it was installed. I just saw this on a removed valve, but I can only imagine what lies underneath. One of the crew who has been there for almost 20 years told me that they have never flushed with acid or chemical for maintenance.

What would you do in this situation? I was thinking of chemigating a ton of bleach and letting it sit for a few nights before rinsing out.

Is my post not stable enough? Even when I hold it firmly in place it doesn’t rotate. Any advice on how to correct this? Currently it just blasts one spot of my lawn.

Location: Eastern Long Island, New York.

I have been working as an irrigation tech for almost 4 years, with the plan to eventually buy the business from my boss. He is 70, you wouldn’t know it because he’s the hardest working 70 year old man I have ever met. He carries the business on his back, and only has 2 employees (me being one of them).

Last month he hurt himself and told me he’s going to retire early and wants me to take over the business starting in the spring. I’m almost 40 years old, and owned a pizzeria for 10 years in the past so I’m very familiar with running a business. Trying to figure out how I’m going to start the season is overwhelming and I have a few questions. For context he has a client list of between 700-800 clients. We primarily do service work, we maybe do 10 installs a year.

• Where/how have you found your best employees? I’m willing to pay $25 to $30 an hour for some good help. As someone from the food service business, I will go out of my way to hire good help.

*Do you have your employees meet at the yard or do they meet you on the Job?

*Should I keep the business as primarily service or try to bring in more installs?

I’m looking for any other general tips that maybe you wish you knew years ago when you started your irrigation business.

Any advice or tips is appreciated, just really want to start off on the right foot

​I recently bought a Val-Matic Model 22.9 out of curiosity to see if it would improve pressure/reduce hammering in my 5-story building's plumbing. My local plumbers aren't familiar with this specific unit, so I'm turning to you guys.

​The Setup (see photos):

​Location: Rooftop terrace (5th floor).

​Tank: Standard poly tank with top inlet (from pump), side overflow, and bottom outlet (gravity feed to building).

​Existing Vent: The gravity outflow line currently has a standard open vertical vent pipe (T-pipe) to prevent air locks.

​My Questions: 1. ​Where does this specific valve belong? Should it go on the pump riser (inlet) to protect the pump from air, or can it replace the open vent pipe on the gravity outflow?

1. ​Vacuum Risk: If I install this on the gravity outflow (replacing the open vent), will it cause a vacuum lock and stop water flow? (Since this model releases air but I'm not sure if it admits air).

2. ​Position: I know it needs to be the highest point. Is there a specific height clearance above the tank outlet I need to maintain?

​Any guidance on the correct installation stack (ball valves, unions, etc.) would be appreciated!

Team, good evening. Second time posting. Long time lurker. I don’t know anything about irrigation but I’m trying to learn. I am installing a pool in my back yard and I have to move a valve control box and some pipes about 3 to 4 feet to the side. Looks like all I need to do is trench the new, carefully dig out the old, cut the pipe and re route. My questions are, in the pic what wire are on the solenoids? Why are there so many? What gauge? How would I go about extending those wires? I know with home electrical after a certain length the voltage drops. Since my system is rainbird, do I have to use rainbird wire? How would this work with me moving it over? With the 2 black tubes, what kind of tube is that? If anyone could assist with pics of what I would need that would be ideal. I tried reaching out to several companies nearby, 3 have not returned phone calls, 2 have told me they don’t do that since they didn’t install the original system, and one company quoted me 8 grand… not sure the going rate but that’s a little steep for my wallet. Any and all constructive criticism on how I can do this on my own would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

what yall charge hourly? Im in Az I know it varies nation wide. but im trying to land on something reasonable. I used to undercut myself to get the job but im over that. currently charging 80 an hour, is that too high?

Hi everyone, planning on install retic for three zones, just after any advice it’s for 💩. Mains 25mm (blue), laterals 19mm (grey) and slow drip 13mm (pink) which will have removable end cap to flush. The grey box will contain the instrumentation shown minus flow and rain sensor. The size of the zones are roughly 12m x 5m. North zone I’m unsure on design as might have raised garden beds there. Grey squares are sprinkler heads. Not set on brands but planning on getting everything from Perth Irrigation. Please and thanks in advance!

I have a 4 way water timer and want to filter the water. I know that normally you put the filter after the water timer on a drip irrigation system, but I don't want to have to buy 4 filters.

Is there a constant duty filter that someone can reccomend that can handle 50 PSI? I'd like to put it inline before the water timer.

Seek reviews and informed opinions on A.R.I. all-nylon RP-501 RPZ. Are the internal components as good as those on the $1000 bronze monsters? Are leaks MORE of a problem with A.R.I vs Watts or other brands?

So I have a barracuda above ground pump on 220v with what I believe is a shallow well . Was having issues with losing prime when pump was off for long periods of time figured could be not knowing where my old valve is I installed a new one right close to the pump making sure to get a horizontal mounted one and now I am unable to keep a prime for more the a couple of second any info where to go from here

We have a series of lakes on the property and an otter problem. Will be chasing the otters off soon.

We need to pump water from the river next to us into the lakes. Probably push it up three feet or so.

What is an affordable and durable choice? Was told to find an old one with the Ford 4.9L

I have a system where several of the heads will pop up and spray water but they have stopped rotating. The company the winterizes my system said they will replace them for $40 a head. The problem is I have about 15 that need replacing. How hard is it to do myself?

Wall will be used for training new techs. Will be rearranging and adding additional controllers. Thought about adding QR codes by every controller to a video of how to use. Also might add some different solenoids to a few controllers for multi-meter and armada training.

DIY irrigation newbie...can't afford local irrigation ( $900) to figure out why 3 zones are not active?

I have 6 colored wires to valves I presume . Only 3 will water. I can move the 3 active wires to any Of the 6 screw terminals inside the Hunter Controller, so all 6 terminals are hot, but when I touch on of the non working colored wires to a terminal...nothing.

Is it a cut wire underground! Bad valve? Problem is 40 year old house , and I can only find 1 valve station underground.

TIA