Irrigation System Information

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Wire Finder and Tracer?
2008-06-01 23:08:00
Oops, that last video had bad sound. Hopefully this wire tracer and wire finder video sounds a little better. Subscribe to RSS
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Wire Finder and Tracer
2008-06-01 22:47:00
Okay, it's finally here, the successor to the Pro Tech 600. Subscribe to RSS
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Sprinkler Controller Problem
2008-05-29 23:20:00
From Carroll;Craig, I am having a timing or cycle issue with my irrigation system. Currently, I have to manually turn the system on and shut down after each watering. Some the system completes the full cycle and then repeats the cycle once again. Once it completed the cycle and then started again in zone 4. One day it would not start at all. I have 6 zones and run it two times per week summer and one time per week winter. Do you have any suggestions? CarrollAll sprinkler timers, except the most antiquated, have multiple programs. Each program is independent of the other. Normally they are named A,B,C, and D. Rain Bird ESP controllers have only two, A and B, as do most mechanical timers.Repeating cycles are not a bad thing, if they are intended to re-start.See how long to water grass. But if they are unintended, thats a bad thing.Look for the word "program" or "pgm" on your controller dial. Take off all the minutes, and all the run days, on every program except "A". Make "A" t...
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Leaking Sprinkler Valve
2008-05-25 01:16:00
Oh-oh. More problems for Rich: Thanks. You answered so quickly. That is awesome Now I have a new problem. When I turned the solenoid back to turn the water off the water would not turn off. The only way I can get it to stop is turning the line valve in the box or the main. Having way too much fun. Any ideas? RichHere's one:Turn off the water to the valve. Open another valve that is down hill from the problem valve with the controller to help drain the mainline.Unscrew the solenoid all the way out. Be careful not to lose the plunger when you do so. Wrap ONE TURN of Teflon tape around the solenoid threads. Screw the solenoid back in, taking care not to cross thread it. Turn the water back on and observe the top of the valve for any leaking anywhere.Let me know how it goes.Subscribe to RSS
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Pro-Tech 700 Wire Finder, Wire Tracker and Valve Locator
2008-05-24 20:19:00
Well folks, it's finally here. The pro-tech 700 replaces the previous model,the pro-tech 600 wire tracker. Watch it!Subscribe to RSS
More About: Tech , Finder , Wire , Tracker , Valve

Open Lawn Sprinkler Valve
2008-05-24 20:12:00
Rich has a sprinkler valve question:hello craig, how do you turn on a zone manually from the valve. in a automatic system i had in san diego, on the top of the valve there was a + screw that you could turn and that zone the sprinklers would turn on until you turned the + screw off. when you did this you weren't closing the valve itself. i have an automatic system but dont know where i can't manually turn it on. any thoughts. rich All of the automatic sprinkler valves that I am familiar with can be manually opened by turning the solenoid counter clock wise. This releases water off the top of the diaphragm, which is exactly what a solenoid does when activated by the sprinkler timer. The area on the top of the valve diaphragm is slightly larger than the area below it, which means that the pounds per square inch (psi) is greater. Any release of this upper chamber pressure will open the valve.When you open a valve manually in this fashion, do it very slowly and stop as soon as y...
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Sprinkler Valve Won't Turn Off
2008-05-23 01:25:00
This from John:Craig, I bought your Irrigation Repair DVD a while ago, it's a very good information you presented. Recently, my son turn on my irrigation system after the winterization and I have the problem with one zone (I have 24 zones system): it keep spaying the water even I turn off at the controller, so I have to turn off the main water supply to stop this bad zone! I think the valve or the selinoid is broken, what do you think? Please give me some advise. I don't care if I have to replace both the valve and selinoid.24 zones? My goodness you have a big yard!What has happened is that the valve has failed. Sprinkler valves fail in three main ways.1. They don't come on at all. This can be electrical or mechanical.2. They won't turn off . The same as above, however the problem is really mechanical, because if the diaphragm is not the problem, sometimes the plunger in the solenoid will stick in the up position, but this is not common.3. The valve will "weep". T...
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Clogged sprinkler Heads
2008-05-20 12:35:00
I have a well, a centrifugal pump, an Intermatic timer, and an old cast metal K-Rain 4 zone indexing valve with one zone closed off. I replaced the indexing valve interior parts maybe 1-2 years ago. I will list the symptoms in the order of their occurrence. Can you tell me the most likely cause and recommend a solution? 1) Several months ago, several mist heads became clogged with rotten, black, vegetative matter, leaves, etc. Most located at end of zone lines. Just found another head totally clogged with large clump of same stuff. 2) Reduced coverage from existing sprinkler heads. Also possible reduced pressure although haven't measured it. 3) After indexing flow valve, one of the 3 zones (call it zone A) operates by itself as it should. When I index to the next zone (B), zones B and C run at the same time. When I index to C, it runs by itself as it should. Can you tell me the most likely cause(s) and recommend solution(s) ?BruceHi Bruce,What is the water sourc...
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How Long Should I Run My Sprinklers
2008-05-18 12:55:00
Hi Craig. First, thank you for all of your hard work. I love your site. Ok, so I want to know how long to run my rotor zones, spray zones and drip zones. I will be watering every day. i am looking for a general ball park time. I will keep an eye on things and adjust the times when needed. for example is 40 min for rotors, 10 min for spray and 15 min for drip ok? Thanks for reading this and I look forward to hearing from you. Trevor Hi Trevor, Are you watering everyday because you have new sod? That would be the only reason to do so. Run times are different for different soil types. If you have a clay soil, you would run much shorter times than if it was sand based. Your drip zone should NOT be on a multiple start time program, as it applies the water at a much slower rate. Put the drip on the "B" program, and start it after the other zones have finished.Watch this video: How Long Should I Run My Sprinklers Subscribe to RSS

Sprinkler System Cost
2008-05-14 21:41:00
Alex sent me this email,Hello Craig,I would like information on the costs of running an irrigation system, would like a monthly estimate to have an idea. Hi Alex,I assume by "cost" you mean the cost of the water. So lets do a little math.Most residential systems have 1" mainlines. One inch pipe carries 16 gallons per minute at a little less than a five feet per second velocity (the recommended velocity to stay below).So lets say you have four zones running for 30 minutes each, twice per week or eight times a month. Each zone is putting out 16 gallons per minute.16gpm x 30 minutes = 480 gallons4 zones x 480 gallons = 1920 gallons per system run1920 gallons x 8 runs = 15,360 gallons per monthTimes 15,360 by the cost per gallon of water and you have your worst case scenario monthly cost.Watch this video about how long to water lawn. It will save you money and save all of us water. Go to this link for more diy lawn irrigation repair.Subscribe to RSS
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Lawn Sprinkler Wire Problem
2008-05-14 03:06:00
I got this email from Kurt: Craig - I got your voice mail last night concerning my phone call about a zone problem. Thank you for returning my call. Here's my issue, my zone 3 (backyard) started blowing fuses late last week. I have a total of 4 zones. So far I have not been able to locate the control valves. I did read your article on where the valves are typically located, but so far no luck in locating them. My home is relatively new (2000) and was built by M/I Homes (we bought it in 2004). Recently we planted some new plants just outside the garage where the wiring comes out from the controller. The conduit that protected the wire had been hit and when I loosened it I could see the outer casing was damaged exposing two strands (red & blue). Could this be where my issue is? I don't think the casings on the individual wires were damaged; it looked like it was more of a problem with the wire rubbing on the block that caused the damage.Hi Kurt, this is what I have ded...
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How Long To Water The Lawn
2008-05-13 03:00:00
I have received a little flack from supposed "irrigation experts" about my video "How Long To Water Your Lawn" There seems to be a mis-understanding of the terms "light" and "frequent". According to the source of irrigation knowledge, the Center for Irrigation Technology at the Engineering Department of USC Fresno, (CIT), there are very specific definitions in irrigation terminology for the words "light" and "frequent"."Frequent" does not mean "often", or "a lot", or "more than necessary". It means one thing, and one thing only. Everyday."Light" does not means "just a little" or "not enough" or "a sprinkle". It means one thing, and one thing only. Less than soil capacity.So, if you water everyday without achieving soil capacity, you are practicing "light and frequent watering" which leads to poor root depth. Period.Hey, you irrigation guys that are spouting mis-information to your clients, put down the beer, quit watching Dancing With The Stars and pick up a book from the Irrigatio...

How To Save Water For Kids
2008-05-03 12:38:00
Your children are going to grow up in a world where water is more precious than ever. Global leaders have predicted that the wars of the 21st century will be about water, not oil.The EPA Water Sense Program has made a site where kids can learn about water savings.They have also created a game for them to play.Check it out HERE.Subscribe to RSS
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Troubleshooting a Sprinkler System Indexing Valve
2008-05-01 21:42:00
Here is a question from Neil,I have a flotec 1 1/2 hp pump which gets water from a large retention pond. The pipe that goes into the pond is mounted on a pvc sled that I made to keep the pipe off the bottom. I have a K Rain 4000 series 5 zone valve (6 outlets, 1 capped) that sometimes skips a zone. In my trouble shooting process, I removed all the screws from the top of the K Rain valve, but have not figured out how the top comes off. Does it twist off clockwise or counter-clockwise? or does it come straight up? Also, once the cover is removed, will this cause my pump to lose it's prime? I dont know if these are related, but In another issue, a few weeks ago, my pump had lost its prime, so I replaced my check valve down by the pond, which seemed to solve that issue. Or so I thought.. My lawn had been getting water for a few weeks since I replaced the check valve, until the other day. At 6:45am I saw the sprinklers were watering on a zone. At 7:00am when the sprinklers should...
More About: System , Troubleshooting , Valve , Indexing

Sprinkler System Electrical Problems
2008-04-28 02:28:00
I got this email from Lisa. I love emails. They give me something to post about!Hi Craig, We currently have a 7 zone sprinkler system and only zones 1-3 are "working" (they run when the controller tells them to and the water actually comes out of the sprinkler heads). I have googled so many articles and adds regarding troubleshooting and I have done all the readings etc.. needed to check voltage and ohms, but nothing we have done appears to fix our problem. We have an older system that only has 16 gauge wiring (red and white) which runs out to 7 different valves (spread out all over our yard). When testing voltage at the controller (with the zone turned on) we get the following zone readings: 28.0 27.9 28.0 29.5 29.5 29.5 29.5 When checking ohms (at the controller with the zones off), on our multimeter, we selected "20K" and it produced the following readings: 0.04 0.08 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 We replaced the controller with a Rain Bird 9-zone c...
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Sprinkler Valve Repair
2008-04-23 22:43:00
Here is a quick plug for my irrigation video DVD.Subscribe to RSS
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Saf-T-Lawn Rotors.
2008-04-20 15:29:00
I received this email from Craig D.,Hello Craig,I recently purchased a home that has many saf-t-lawn rotator heads. They allseem to be working well but some are a bit out of adjustment. Can these beadjusted (and if so, how?) and should I just start to replace them anyway? Thanks very much ! Craig D.Hi Craig D., I searched for information on Saf-T-Lawn rotor heads and I found very little useful information.Obviously it is a defunct brand of sprinklers. I would replace them only if you cannot adjust them, they leak or stop turning. Different contractors prefer different brands of sprinkler heads (Ford versus Chevy).I, and many contractors prefer Hunter PGP rotors. Orbit has a knock-off of the Hunter called the Voyager 2 which should be available at the big box stores. I can't vouch for the reliability of Orbit heads, so it may be worth paying a little more at an irrigation supply house.Good luck! Click here for more information on sprinkler repair.Subscribe to RSS

Spring sprinkler System Start Up
2008-04-19 14:10:00
I got this email from Bob in Long Island:All I want to do it activate my irrigation system. It was winterized last fall. I don't want to pay someone to turn on the system but I can't find information on how to do it. It's a hunter system. Can you help.I don't have a lot of experience in winterizing sprinkler systems, but I think I can help. The sprinkler pipes are now full of air because they are not full of water. So we need to first turn on a zone at the controller and SLOWLY open the water supply to the system. This will allow the air to escape through the sprinkler heads as the mainline fills with water. As we all know, air compresses but water does not, and we do not want to burst a pipe with compressed air. When the system was shut down for the winter, a drain plug may have been left open. You would look for this drain at the lowest elevation of the system. It should be in a valve box. Once the system is pressurized, check each zone on the system for clogged or brok...
More About: System , Spring , Start-Up , Start

Sprinkler System Wiring Problems
2008-04-15 12:57:00
I got this email from Johnny:Hi Craig, I really hope you put out a electrical wiring troubleshooting DVD soon! I could really use it right now. On the phone you gave a quick troubleshooting wiring run-down but I can't remember what the heck you told me. I have a house that has a problem with the sprinklers coming on . They just stopped all of a sudden. Its a new home with a Hunter Pro-C and 10 Hunter ASV 1" valves. The Controller is on the outside of the house. I am getting a message on a Pro-C that says "1 err, 2 err, 3 err, 4 err" etc. I get this when I try and put it through manual mode. All connections looks good on the outside at the valves. I took my volt tester and there is power coming in and the transformer is working. I don't think there is a broken wire. Its a brand new home. How do I troubleshoot the wiring to find out where there is a short or faulty solenoid on specific valves and station wires? I really appreciate any help on this. Thanks. Jo...
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Hand Watering versus an Automatic Sprinkler System
2008-04-14 23:29:00
I received this email from Claire:Craig, I found your profile online and with your experience I hope you can answer a question for me. To be environmentally responsible, especially in Florida where water is precious, would it not be more responsible to have a water irrigation system installed to control water output to a garden, opposed to using a garden hose that is manually operated? I have a debate with a subdivision and do not understand their logic, so would much appreciate your opinion.Well Claire, as with most questions, it depends on other considerations.In general, people with automatic sprinkler systems waste more water on their lawn than those who do not. The reason for this is the "set it and forget it" mentality. In a nutshell, if you have to drag a hose around to water the garden, you will wait until the plants need it because it is a pain-in-the-neck. If you have an automatic system, it will probably turn on and water only because it is Thursday, regardl...
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Sarasota Lawn Care
2008-04-07 13:09:00
If you live in the Southwest part of Florida and you are looking for Venice lawn care orSarasota lawn care, check out State of the Art Landscaping. Heres a quick video aboutSarasota landscaper.Subscribe to RSS
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How Long To Water Your Lawn
2008-04-05 02:14:00
It's springtime and folks are getting ready to fire up their sprinkler systems. For this reason I think it's important to bring up the age old question "how long to water your lawn".If you are looking to save water and money, you will be glad you did.Subscribe to RSS
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Sprinkler Wiring
2008-04-05 01:35:00
I received this question about sprinkler repair from Armando:I have a Rain Bird ESP-6TM Controller that?s 8 years old with Hunter valve/solenoids. And was working fine until last summer. The problem seems to be between the the valves and the controller as it shows the correct time and station yet doesn?t communicate to valves to open or close. I did some messing around with the wiring at the valve box and seem to have an extra wire that goes somewhere. In addition I don?t know how tight or loose the solenoids should be to be considered on without manual operation.Hi Armando;My first thought would be "what sits between the controller and the valves?" That would be the rain sensor. Try disconnecting that and see if it works.At the same time you could look for an extra wire in the controller. Possibly the unconnected wire in the valve box is a spare.On a ESP controller it is difficult to insert a prong from a voltage meter into the terminal. Insert a 2" piece of wire into the ...
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do it yourself sprinkler system troubleshooting
2008-03-24 13:20:00
Are you tired of the high cost of sprinkler repair? It's not expensive because the irrigation repair companies are getting rich. It costs a lot because being in business is expensive. I know because I am an Orlando FL irrigation contractor. As a homeowner you do not have all the costs associated with running a business. Here is how you can do it yourself lawn sprinklers and save a lot of money.Subscribe to RSS
More About: System , Troubleshooting

sarasota landscapers
2008-03-20 23:25:00
I get questions from all over the world, but mostly from people asking about diy sprinkler system.However, Madeline R. needs sarasosota landscapers. However, Madeline lives in Venice.So Madeline, go here to find venice fl landscapers. I hope this helps.Subscribe to RSS
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Sprinklers Won't Turn Off
2008-03-20 12:29:00
I received an email from L. Scott about his drip system repair. Here is what he wrote: "Hi, My drip system that I have not used in 10 years is suddenly on & won't turn off. I turned it off at the valve/spicket, but it's still on. It's been on for at least a month now. How can I get it turned off?"Well Mr. Scott, obviously you have some sort of "stuck valve." This could be either an electric solenoid valve or a hose bib, sometimes called a spigot.The hose bib could be stripped inside. The easy fix is to just replace it. Sometimes this is easier said then done. I have seen hose bibs cemented to the wall. If this is the case, most spigots have a nut on the top which you can loosen and remove, and then replace the moving parts.Is the sprinkler system is connected to an automatic sprinkler valve, you can go here to view free sprinkler repair videos.The big question is "why isn't the system connected to a back flow preventer?" Maybe it is, I can't really be sure from the quest...
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Sprinkler System Irrigation Training.
2008-03-01 23:09:00
Oh shucks, I'm blushing. It is nice to be recognized by an organization as large as the Environmental Protection Agency. Here is thier quick article about me regardingdiy sprinkler repair.Subscribe to RSS
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EPA WaterSense Current
2008-03-01 22:53:00
Oh shucks. I'm blushing as I publish this post.The WaterSense Current Issue V, Winter 2008In This Issue: * Make a Smaller Splash in 2008 * Toilet Selection Tops 100 * Partner Profile: Craig Borglum * Drops to Watts: Have You Made the Water Use?Energy Connection? * Heard Around the Water Cooler About WaterSense WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water.The WaterSense Current is a quarterly update dedicated to news and events related to WaterSense. About WaterSense: Make a Smaller Splash in 20082008:It's time to put a fresh spin on the classic New Year's resolution. Rather than pledging to shed a few pounds this year, resolve to cut down on daily water usage. WaterSense can help you keep this New Year's resolution: use our simple tips to save water in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and yard, and save some green for yourself and for the environ...

This Has Absolutely Nothing To Do With Irrigation
2008-02-29 20:30:00
I found this cool site and I just wanted to share it with you. It is a site that does virtual tours of historic hotels. Click here to go there: historic hotelsSubscribe to RSS
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How To Program Your Sprinkler Controller
2008-02-27 12:47:00
Here is a video I did for a local water utility where I explain how to properly set your sprinkler timer. Keep in mind I'm speaking about Florida's sandy soils. In other parts of the country the run times will be much shorter. How To Set Sprinkler TimerIf you live in Central Florida click Orlando sprinkler system to access my local site.If you live on the West Coast of Florida click Sarasota landscapingSubscribe to RSS
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