Automated Irrigation/Underground Sprinkler Issue

[JordanEG6]

I've had some water pressure issues with one my zones that have been a little finicky since day one. The issue is on and off and it does build enough pressure most times (about 90%). The past few waterings, it's been about 60% reliable. First thought would be a leak. But I'm sure a leak would result in a consistent failure, but I could be wrong.

The sprinkler heads in one zone don't pop up entirely and dribble for about 10-15 seconds to a minute before popping all the way up for a full spray. Lately the heads have been taking longer to pop up (2 minutes roughly) and today, the heads didn't pop up fully at all when the timer went (around 6am if that matters).

So right before I left work, I manually turned it on and it popped up after a couple minutes. Then I shut it off for a bit and turned it on again and waited, and they didn't pop up fully this time.

Side note: When I turn on the system and heads begin to partially pop up, one thing that does help, is if I press one of the sprinkler heads back down to create more pressure, all the heads pop up immediately. It also didn't matter which one I pressed down.

Any help would be great.

[Tik-Tok]

How old is the system? Possibly calcium build up in the heads, so they're getting sticky with age. Also, make sure no one is using any water while you are testing them, including a water softeners daily maintenance routine.

[mobius]

The first thing I would try is to replace the solenoid valve for that zone. A weak solenoid can cause the issues you are describing.

[JordanEG6]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
How old is the system? Possibly calcium build up in the heads, so they're getting sticky with age. Also, make sure no one is using any water while you are testing them, including a water softeners daily maintenance routine.

My bad, I should also note that I installed it last summer. Winterized the lines for winter. Started again around May this year. Also, I live alone and I tested and ran them without using water or running another zone.

Originally posted by mobius
The first thing I would try is to replace the solenoid valve for that zone. A weak solenoid can cause the issues you are describing.

I could, but when I use the manual screw to bypass the solenoid I get the same type of problem.

[Tik-Tok]

Sounds to me like debris in your system then. Any major work done to water lines in your neighborhood that you know of? We got a ton of crap in ours after they fixed a water main leak down the street.

[JordanEG6]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
Sounds to me like debris in your system then. Any major work done to water lines in your neighborhood that you know of? We got a ton of crap in ours after they fixed a water main leak down the street.

Not that I know of. I'll check the filters of all the valve heads and see if they are clogged. But wouldn't my other zones malfunction as well? The others seem to be working okay.

Also, it might have to do with that zone running at 6am. Usually that's when people get up and use the shower. Maybe heavy water use on my block could result in low pressure? I dunno. I'll try running it again in the afternoon and see if the pressure is higher than what it was this morning.

[Tik-Tok]

Yeah, that definitely affects it. A few years ago I noticed some dead spots on the edge of a sprinkler radius, but every time I tested it (in the mid afternoon), it was hitting those areas. So one day I tested my water pressure at 6:30am, and sure enough it was lower than the afternoon, so I changed my time to 8am.

[speedog]

FWP

[BMDUBS]

Did this zone work properly in the past? If so and this is a recent issue, I would recommend that you run the effected zone for 30+ minutes to see if a leak shows itself inspecting the the entire zone area. If this has always been a problem on this zone, it most likely is a design issue with too many heads per zone.

It is not a solenoid problem as these either work or they don't and if you can run the valve manually through the bleeder with the same result that goes to prove it.

Feel free to PM me on this as I am in the industry.

[thinmyster]

I'm having this issue now too in one zone. The only "fix" is if I pull up on the second sprinkler head and give it a hand up the rest will pop up on their own.

[BMDUBS]

So guys, did you get this fixed? What was the issue if so?