Sunday, July 27, 2008

Sprinkler Valve Low Pressure.



My no. 4 spray zone has low water pressure. All the other 5 zones work fine. No construction or lawn service has been done recently. What could be some of the causes for this low pressure? Thanks for any help you might give.
Regards,
Bill

Hi Bill! Lets start with the basics. I would guess that 75-80% of the time, I find that a low pressure problem is due to a broken head or pipe. However, the problem is not always evident. You will have to search the area that the zone covers carefully looking for wet spots. Check behind the shrubs as this is a common place to find broken PVC pipe. If the problem is a spray zone, you can turn the nozzles off using the adjustment screw on top to force more water out of the break.

If a thorough investigation of the area reveals no leaks, it's time to move on to the valve.
Lawn sprinkler valves fail in a variety of ways, one of which is that the diaphragm in the valve will will not flex to a complete open position, thus constricting the water. In this case the valve either needs to be replaced or re-built. If you do not know where the valve is, you may need a
wire tracker to find it. Or you could read finding buried lawn sprinkler valves.

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