A CASE IN POINT: Old age and iron pipe scale teamed up to render a sprinkler system almost useless by the time this writer arrived on the jobsite to troubleshoot . By old age, I mean a system that is probably 10 to 12 years old. That is old enough to make the diaphragm seats suspect on any system. As was discussed in last month’s newsletter the seating grooves were getting deep enough that the valves would not always shut off completely or consistently.
Sometimes when you would turn on one zone, all of them would try to run. Other times only 2 or 3 zones would try to run at the same time. I think this had a lot to do with the very low pressure and volume of the water flow. Probably, if a toilet was flushed at the same time the sprinklers were trying to come on it was like a perfect storm and factors added up to cause inconsistent seating of the diaphragms when the clock called for them to shut off. Add to that an iron pipe main line out of the basement which had been unpressurized all winter long, thus allowing oxidation to occur inside the pipe. When the system was finally pressurized for the summer I believe that the oxidation, scale, rust migrated out to the valves, also probably contributing to the difficulty of the diaphragms seating consistently. Any little obstruction like that can contribute to valve’s inability to seat. The scale will probably flush on out of the valves after several cycles of on and off, but I highly recommend getting rid of the Iron pipe on the downstream side of the tap anyway, for several reasons. The second big reason is that as iron pipe ages scale and calcium accumulate more and more on the inside walls of the pipe, thus restricting flow more and more each year.
So, inspect , at least clean, and replace as indicated all the diaphragms in the system; Replace the iron pipe part of the main line; and time the system to come on at an hour when water use in the rest of the home is lowest and when city pressure is highest. These are my recommendations for this “case in point”. — Lesson learned — Many times the answers to problems are more than one. Several factors usually contribute to problems in sprinkler systems, especially on older installations. Use logic and common sense and it might just all make some sense at the end of the day.
FUN WITH SPRINKLER SYSTEMS: A study in how to better enjoy your sprinkler system. I always enjoy just watching and listening to sprinkler systems running. Especially zones that have gear heads, or impact heads, or the like that turn and show off a little for the public. Impact heads, although they are getting very rare, are extra fun because of the sound that they have as a byproduct of the motion. At my previous home, I always kept at least one impact head in the yard just for the sound. I believe that the sight and sound of sprinkler systems running early in the morning or late in the evening when the wind is calm, is one of the most soothing and relaxing experiences that one can enjoy. It is good for the soul !
Little kids sure have fun with sprinklers, as do many dogs and other pets. On a hot afternoon, when there might not be time for a trip to the pool, sometimes just turning on the sprinklers for a few minutes can be a good alternative activity. And if you really want to have some fun, have a whiffle ball game in the back yard with the sprinkler system running and a slip n slide at each base. Who needs a swimming pool?
If gardening is fun for you it can be even more fun if you can create or expand a drip irrigation zone to make everything get the proper amount of water at the right time. Also, with drip technology the water conservation aspect of gardening can be a fun game too.
Use a zone of your sprinkler system to provide makeup water for your water feature , pond, or decorative waterfall. Enjoy your beautiful water features without having to be constantly concerned about running the pumps dry, or having to refill the reservoir.
I could go on and on, being the sprinkler guy that I am. But seriously, there can be much more to owning a sprinkler system than just watering the grass. Send in your entry about how you use your sprinkler system for unique purposes that some of the rest of us might want to try. Your ideas might get published in the next AQS newsletter, who knows?
FULL CIRCLE: The return of the indexing valve is now at hand, at least at AQS irrigation Supply. For those who do not know what I’m talking about indexing valves are a product line that I sold back in the early eighties. It involves use of a single solenoid valve to control up to eight zones of irrigation. As the solenoid valve opens, it allows water to enter a round indexing valve which directs flow thru only one of the multiple ports in the bottom of the valve. Then, when it closes and re-opens it indexes to the next port, and so on. I sold this set up back in the day because it was inexpensive and gave me a competitive edge. K-RAIN MANUFACTURING in Florida has continued to make these valves and still does.
Now, I think the price factor might be more important again but I have another big reason for re- introducing this product. — AQS still owns a fairly large inventory of these indexing valves — I need to find new homes for them so I can make room for other inventory. So, I am motivated. And if the market seems to be there for the product in general at my extra, extra, discounted prices then I might start buying this product again and promote them at regular pricing Even at regular pricing they will make the cost of materials for a multi – zone sprinkler system substantially less than for a conventional electrically controlled system with separate valves for each zone, and wire running all over the yard.
Also, in the next article after this one, SPRINKLERS ON A TIGHT BUDGET, you will see how innovations like the indexing valve and other cost saving measures will help more people to experience the joy of owning automatic, in ground irrigation systems.
SPRINKLERS ON A TIGHT BUDGET: The joy of being a DIY, — DO-IT YOURSELFER. —- So you want a sprinkler system, but you are on a very strict budget, and you do not know anything about plumbing, electricity, landscaping, hydraulics, or operating a trencher, pipe puller or boring machine. Don’t worry, it is OK. AQS has worked with DIY folks just like you for over 30 years now. In fact, we kind of specialize in your kind of folks. I too was a DIY on the system for my first house. I learned so much and had so much fun that I got into the business, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The sweat equity factor has once again come into play as money gets tighter and we seem to have more time on our hands at home. School teachers are becoming part time carpenters on their own home improvements and remodeling. Office workers are becoming painters, electricians, and landscapers. Barbers are cutting grass instead of hair. Be careful when they come back to work that they don’t apply crabgrass preventer to your scalp. — The point is that labor is one of the largest dollar components of most home improvement projects. And the home owner can take control of that aspect, time permitting. Especially on something like installing a sprinkler system.
But I am not skilled, you might say. I am not skilled at typing either, but here I am writing a monthly newsletter. I can only do it now because I have the TIME. Do you have a little extra time lately? Are you willing to learn with a little help from your friends at AQS ? Could you feel good knowing that you would be saving roughly 50% of the cost of your system by becoming a DIY?
Would you like to know everything about your sprinkler system as you use it in years to come? Do you take pride in your accomplishments? —Let’s talk. I’ll help you design and plan your project. We can discuss options and values. You will have a fairly accurate estimate of material costs before you start. You will have access to professionals in case you need a little help with certain specific aspects like the water tie in, or pipe installation. You will have a go to guy (me ) when questions arise. — YOU CAN DO THIS ! I know you can because I have worked with hundreds of other successful DIY’S over the years. You can even have fun doing it. Make it a family project.
And, the bonus factor is the additional incentive this summer only if you participate in our MADE IN USA PROGRAM at AQS irrigation supply. We are talking EXTRA DISCOUNTS here folks. See the next article for details.
MADE IN USA: Our lawn sprinkler systems in this country are automatically MADE IN USA because the customer’s lawn or grounds is the final assembly factory. Contractors and DIY’s are the workers in this factory. Stores like AQS are the warehouses to keep the factory supplied just like Ford cars draw on their internal warehouses to keep parts supplied to the final assembly lines.
But, just as with cars and many other products, our components are often imported. I understand why this has been necessary in many cases and it still is and will remain so for a long while I suspect. Our friends in foreign countries depend on us to consume their products just as we need them to produce them. If they can do a better job and possibly at a lower price, it is difficult to justify domestic production of many items. EXCEPT AND UNTIL, our dependence on other countries makes us vulnerable or weakens our position in the world community. That is where we find ourselves increasingly in this country. We CAN DO THINGS but we increasingly choose to have other countries do it for us. It is called outsourcing and I believe that we simply must try to do less buying from other countries and increase our original manufacturing activities right here in the USA.
As an older person who takes several prescription drugs every day, I don’t like that I am dependent on our friends in China to keep my supply coming. I trust Americans more. Why doesn’t big pharma understand that? I think it may be because we have not told them loudly enough or often enough.
I’m sure you can list a large number of products that you would like to see produced in the USA rather than off shore. A few others that come to my mind are shoes, appliances, clothing, and, of course, electronic devices.
In my world of lawn sprinkler components it is no different. Over 25 years ago I was asked by a customer who was very patriotic to develop a bill of materials for his new sprinkler system which would include only items made in the USA. Even that long ago it was extremely difficult for me to develop that bill of materials. Today, I doubt if I could do it at all. Even though It may not seem very important in the sprinkler industry, I believe we should make an effort to reverse this trend of buying foreign so much, in every industry.
So, with this in mind I challenge the manufacturers, distributers, and buyers in the lawn sprinkler industry to start making an effort to bring it on home in terms of component manufacturing for lawn sprinklers. AQS will try to do our part by implementing our MADE IN USA program which is outlined below.
Each month this newsletter will feature a product or manufacturer which is demonstrating an effort to bring production of sprinkler parts back to the USA. And in an effort to put our money where our mouth is, we will offer our customers special pricing and or discounts on the featured products.
The AQS featured products for May and June, 2020 will be the Hunter PGP – ADJ gear head and the Hunter MP ROTATOR nozzles. Packaging must have the words “ MADE IN USA” in order for the buyer to qualify for this promotion and the buyer must say that he/she wants the “ MADE IN USA “ discount for the time frame stated above. In addition to what ever your normal discounts might be, you will receive another “AND 5 % “ during this promotion and during this time period. — Congratulations to Hunter Industries for continuing to be a MADE IN USA manufacturer. Keep up the good work. And you sprinkler customers continue to buy American when possible.