x-mas/h20

[Toy2]

Okay sprinklers guys and gals, need help....put up X-mas lights for a customer last saturday....today comes and his sprinklers stopped working???? See the connection? I know there is none, but homeowners thinks the lights have something to do with it///WTF....house is 5 years old, he claimed it did this before and some kid he knew blew the lines out??? I have never heard of this in this town...I found the main valve, its on, I found the anti-siphon valve...I think thats it, it was next to the house in a valve box, it had 5 bleeder screws, i messed with them and nothing, the back yard has a Toro valve that I turned counter-clock to see if that would turn them on...nothing...I checked the power in the garage...thinking i had tripped the GFI with the X-mas lights....nothing....someone please help me fix this.....thanks...happy Thanksgiving!!!!

[PurpHaze]

Are you saying that there is no water to the system at all or is the homeowner thinking that the controller isn't firing the sprinklers?

[Critical Care]

Forget the controller. If you couldn't manually turn on the water, then there is a problem in the line somewhere... like a valve being shut off. Anti-siphon valve in a valve box? Nah, it sounds like a double check, and you were opening the testcocks. Double checks have inline valves, input and output, that have to be open. Are you sure they were open, especially the input valve on the device.

Be careful messing around with the testcocks, because they will keep turning around and around, opening and closing. With no water to the device, you could easily leave one open, and then if the water came back on, you could have a flood on your hands.

There could also be a master valve being used.

[bicmudpuppy]

Okay sprinklers guys and gals, need help....put up X-mas lights for a customer last saturday....today comes and his sprinklers stopped working???? See the connection? I know there is none, but homeowners thinks the lights have something to do with it///WTF....house is 5 years old, he claimed it did this before and some kid he knew blew the lines out??? I have never heard of this in this town...I found the main valve, its on, I found the anti-siphon valve...I think thats it, it was next to the house in a valve box, it had 5 bleeder screws, i messed with them and nothing, the back yard has a Toro valve that I turned counter-clock to see if that would turn them on...nothing...I checked the power in the garage...thinking i had tripped the GFI with the X-mas lights....nothing....someone please help me fix this.....thanks...happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Four bleed screws in a box would be the backflow device and should be a double check. Main water valve (to the sprinklers?) is on but you have no water at the backflow device? Then the water is off somewhere. Is the house water and the irrigation water the same? If not, is the meter off? or are you missing a valve? Are the valves in the backflow device open? are they ball vavles or gate valves? If it is an older gate valve device, the first gate may be broken in a closed position, but the first testcock (bleed screw?) should still give you water even if the other 3 would be dry.

[Dirty Water]

If it the system uses a master valve, and you did somehow kill the timer, then it would prevent the zone valves from getting water.

But...if you were not getting water at the backflow, then I don't know. I've never seen a double check installed after a master valve.

[PurpHaze]

Personally I think we need more and better information as to exactly what is happening and how things are lined up. :p

[Toy2]

Thanks for the response, this system is totally jacked, cheap install///my 02...the bleed screws
are in a valve box very close to the front of the house???? In the back yard he has a small valve box with a single Toro valve with wires to the vlave, I turned this one counter clock to see if something would fire up, nothing...I unscrewed it all the way and had a steady stream of H20...the sprinkler line tees off at the street.....when I messed with the bleed screws, a little water came out of each one, as I closed one the small stream would increase to the next and so on.....so I tell him to call he buddy....the kid to fix it???? Gate valve at the street, 2 ball valves, one in front of the anti, and one in back....the line goes under the house from there....i hope he never has a leak there..

[Wet_Boots]

The first mistake was returning to the scene of the crime. If a breaker didn't trip, there won't be any connection between lights and sprinklers.

[PurpHaze]

Christmas lights are electrical and irrigation systems are hydraulic with an electrical (controller) interface. The only way I can think of this guy not having any water is if there is a master valve or pump that is activated by the controller.

[Toy2]

Old people on fixed incomes always attempt to tie things together.....mowed the lawn on 9/10......caused 9/11...that type......I just want to make sure i've done all I could and pass it off if needed....and of couse it has to be my neighbor.......Happy Turkey day to all!!!!

[Wet_Boots]

Ahhh, neighbors to boot, love 'em! You do what you can. Just don't drive yourself nuts over unconnected events.

[PurpHaze]

Old people on fixed incomes always attempt to tie things together.....mowed the lawn on 9/10......caused 9/11...that type......I just want to make sure i've done all I could and pass it off if needed....and of couse it has to be my neighbor.......Happy Turkey day to all!!!!

I think it was the vibration from the mowing that caused all the problems. <jk> :D

I know how you feel because they are your neighbors. But like Boots said you've done all you can and these really seem to be non-connected problems.

[Dirty Water]

Sub it out to the local irrigation guy, and charge 10% more.

[Toy2]

I fixed it.........located another valve box a few feet away from the shut off..under 3 inches of St. Aug......just used a long screwdriver to probe the area.....cranked on it untill the heard the valve open(Toro) like the back yard one.......it fired up....I told the homeowner I think the rubber diapharm is going out....or out already.....crazy set-up......anyway he said he was buying me some Corona........headed to the in-laws to eat some turkey....thanks all for the info and advise.....his fence is falling down....think I hit it to hard with the trimmer....:D

[Dirty Water]

It doesn't sound fixed to me.

Call a professional.

[2k1yzfr1]

Did you leave the bleeder screw undone? If so you are gonna have a nice little leak..... Just take the top of the valve off and take it over to Irrigation Supply. Buy a new diaphram and solenoid or complete valve and charge him $80, or just gut the master valve.

[Toy2]

Waters on and that's all that matters, homeowner now knows that the X-Mas lights didn't short out the sprinkler valve???? He has the same Toro valves I have/////backflow is different.......I.S. sold me a couple of new diaphrams...so I'm set...when he calls again that it stopped working......I'll repair it.....thanks 2k1yzfr1 for the response...

[PurpHaze]

Waters on and that's all that matters, homeowner now knows that the X-Mas lights didn't short out the sprinkler valve???? He has the same Toro valves I have/////backflow is different.......I.S. sold me a couple of new diaphrams...so I'm set...when he calls again that it stopped working......I'll repair it.....thanks 2k1yzfr1 for the response...

Good to hear that your neighbor is happy and that the Xmas lights had nothing to do with it. :blob3:

[jerryrwm]

Waters on and that's all that matters, homeowner now knows that the X-Mas lights didn't short out the sprinkler valve???? He has the same Toro valves I have/////backflow is different.......I.S. sold me a couple of new diaphrams...so I'm set...when he calls again that it stopped working......I'll repair it.....thanks 2k1yzfr1 for the response...

Toy and you too 2k1yzfr1,

Just in case you haven't been exposed to it, if you are not a licensed irrigator, you cannot legally work on an irrigation system in the state of Texas. The fine can be pretty heavy - $1000.00 and up!!

Now, that being said, if you are quiet about it, and don't advertise the fact that you repair sprinklers, no one will say anything. But if you piss off some of the irrigators in the area, and there are quite a few in your neck of the woods, someone may take exception to the fact that you are unlicensed, and turn you in to the TCEQ.

Just a word to the wise.

Jerry

ps: How's Jack Muse doing up there in Hewitt? haven't seen him in a number of years.

[Toy2]

Jerry.....thanks for the info....things around here are pretty much laid back when it comes to getting caught....I always use the "handyman" line which works for the homeowners......they all are trying to save a $$.......any big installs I pass along to someone with a license////permits....I really need to get mine(lic.)....just need a weekend course to come alone.....every company so far has been the week long course...if all else fails, I pull the no hablo english line......thanks again...

[2k1yzfr1]

Li # 8943

Jack Muse that name sounds familiar?

[jerryrwm]

Li # 8943

Jack Muse that name sounds familiar?

He is the owner of Irrigation Specialty and Supply in Hewitt. But I had heard that he was going to sell the business to his daughter and son-in-law a couple years ago, so he may have retired.

[jerryrwm]

Jerry.....thanks for the info....things around here are pretty much laid back when it comes to getting caught....I always use the "handyman" line which works for the homeowners......they all are trying to save a $$.......any big installs I pass along to someone with a license////permits....I really need to get mine(lic.)....just need a weekend course to come alone.....every company so far has been the week long course...if all else fails, I pull the no hablo english line......thanks again...

The problem is not with the homeowners unless you piss one of them off and they file a complaint. The TCEQ really gets after those more than the complaints from other irrigators. And there are 27 licensed irrigators in Waco, so just tread lightly.

The courses are going to be 32 hrs regardless of where you go. Some have them split over two weekends, some have them in the evenings over a two week period. Check with Sundance to see when they might be having a class.

And that 'no hablo' defense won't work, because the TCEQ is bi-lingual.

Jerry

[Toy2]

Thanks for the info Jerry.....yes we have a ton of lic. people here......each underbidding the next guy....crazy....I will check and see when the next weekend class is and take it....thanks again....