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Posted by Bob F on July 15, 2007, 10:41 am
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> >> > My automatic outdoor water sprinkler system suddenly has low
>> >> > to
>> >> > no
>> >> > water pressure. It just came on. Some times it works fine,
>> >> > others it
>> >> > has low pressure. Any ideas on what could cause that?
>>
>> >> Sprinkler systems need both sufficient pressure and sufficient
>> >> flow
>> >> volume. One or the other might not be up to the task.
>>
>> >> It's entirely possible that it is a neighborhood problem
>> >> (assuming
>> >> you
>> >> don't run the sprinkler off of a well) - ask around. It is also
>> >> possible that you have a leak or diminished capacity water main.
>> >> If
>> >> your house is older and the water main is galvanized, the inside
>> >> may
>> >> be partially blocked - galvanizing doesn't last forever and it
>> >> rusts
>> >> from the inside out. That would lower your flow volume
>> >> considerably.
>> >> Test it by filling a 2 1/2 gallon bucket at different times of
>> >> the
>> >> day
>> >> and night. Time how long it takes to fill the bucket.
>>
>> >> You need to get a water pressure gauge, ~$10, and hook it up to
>> >> a
>> >> hose
>> >> bib and take repeated reading throughout the day and night.
>> >> Check
>> >> the
>> >> pressure with nothing at all running, then turn on the sprinkler
>> >> zones
>> >> one at a time and see what the water pressure is at the hose
>> >> bib.
>> >> You
>> >> should see the pressure drop as you turn on each zone, then the
>> >> pressure should build back up as the heads pop up. It should
>> >> stabilize at a pressure of at least 30 PSI - that's a fairly
>> >> typical
>> >> minimum pressure for correct operation. If you see one zone has
>> >> lower
>> >> pressure, you may have a leak.
>>
>> >> I suspect it is a combination of problems.
>>
>> >> R
>>
>> > Thanks. Where it stands now, the third, farthest away station
>> > works
>> > great. The other two closer stations drip. Does this sound like
>> > an
>> > electrical thing or a plumbing thing?
>>
>> If the problem zones have automatic drain valves, it could be that
>> the
>> pressure is not getting high enough to close the valves, so the
>> valves
>> leak large amounts of water, so the pressure can't get high enough
>> to
>> close the valves. A master valve that is not all the way open could
>> cause this problem.
>>
>> Bob- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> Thanks.
>
> Another strange development. I turned on a hose/faucet near the
> sprinkler system. Amazingly, then I tested the sprinkler system and
> all the 3 sprinkler zones worked perfectly.
>
That suggests to me that the valves don't like the high water
pressure.
One thing you could do is remove the last sprinkler on the problem
zones, then flush the zone to wash out any debris.
Bob
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