We want to thank all veterans and all active duty military personnel for their service.  Without them we would not be here.  It is because of you that we are free to vote, travel, argue with our officials, work in our chosen career, and live a life of freedom.

We want to thank the families who have supported our military through the years. Because of your support they can do their job. It is difficult to raise a family when a spouse is away for months at a time. It is hard to watch your child or spouse leave knowing they are going into danger. And it is hard to explain to your children why Daddy or Mommy won’t be home for Christmas.  A lot is asked of you and you come through. Your support is indispensable.

Finally, the last veterans of WWII are disappearing fast. They are truly a generation that saved our nation. Please take a moment to thank them while you still can.

We wish one and all a great Memorial Day weekend.

The most important thing to know if you have never read one: read the instructions. Two or three times. Make sure you understand the symbols and connections. There are few things as interesting as trying to test a 110AC wall outlet when your meter is set for low voltage DC. You’ll know you messed up.

Your problem: your valve won’t come on. And we don’t know why. There are really three electrical reasons it might not: bad controller, bad wires, bad solenoid. We always start with the simplest test first.

When testing to see whether our problem is with the controller the question we are really asking is “does the controller put power out to the valve?” To check this we’ll simply test two connections inside the controller. So open your controller so that you can see where the valve wires connect. You should have one COMMON, usually white, and any number of zones, usually red but any color is possible.

Turn your Multimeter to the proper VAC setting. Turn the problem zone on with the manual start on the controller. Here we will say it is zone 1. Touch one lead to the common and one lead to the zone 1 wire/screw. You should get around 24V. Usually 22 to 28 works. If you get lower than 22 you have a problem. Check another zone even though the other zones are working properly. It only takes a second and verifies that the Mulitmeter is set and functioning correctly.

Let’s assume the voltage is good. Now let’s check the wires. We’ll check for continuity, which is testing the ohms or resistance of the zone. Turn to the Ohms setting. It might look like (Ω). Check your manual to be sure. This will test for a short in the circuit. First, turn off the controller. You don’t want to check resistance with a live circuit. Disconnect the zone wire. Place one lead on the common terminal and one lead on the zone wire/screw. Depending on the valve brand you should get a reading from 20-60 ohms; every manufacture’s valves will have a slightly different reading. Low signals indicate trouble with the solenoid. On the other hand, any reading above 60 means you have a wiring problem, either stripped insulation, nicked wire or bad connection. Wire problems can be involved so, before we get the shovel out, let’s go test the solenoid and other wire end. Before you start walking, manually turn the zone on again.

At the valve disconnect the wires from the valve. Now set your solenoid back to the proper VAC setting. Touch one lead to the common and one to the power. You should get the same reading here (24v) as you did at the controller. If you continuity test you did in the last paragraph failed you probably won’t. We are double checking the wire to make sure of problems before we tell you to start digging.

If all that passes we are left with two things: either the twist connection for the controller wire to valve was bad or the solenoid is bad. Let’s test the solenoid first. Go back to your Ohms setting. Touch one lead to one wire from the solenoid, the other lead to the other. Again, you should get between 20 and 60 ohms. If not, replace the solenoid. If it passes the only thing left is a bad connection. Re-connect the wires using waterproof connectors, see if it now activates. Remember that the controller has that zone on so 24V should be going through those wires.  Careful. Might want to turn the zone off then reconnect and test.

If you have not found the problem at this time there may be a mechanical problem in the valve. You can replace the valve but first just open it and clean the internals.

We tested the controller for output, the wire for continuity, the connections for, well, connection and the solenoid for resistance. All with the handy-dandy Mulitmeter.

If you plan on doing this on a regular basis, consider the Pro 48.   The Pro48 TechTool incorporates a solenoid activator to hold valves open; a chatterer to locate lost valves; a continuity checker to identify cut or shorted wires or solenoids; and a 24 VAC detector to ensure proper clock power output. Operation is simple as LEDs indicate tests and conditions. Truly a workhorse product for any landscape professional. This, along with a valve locator, can be purchased or rented at Sprinkler Warehouse.

Great news, huh? Sure beats the ‘not enough water to water the crops’ and ‘not enough water to drink’ rants you hear all the time now.  Want water? We have water.

All you have to do is pay for it. And it’s going to get very, very expensive. Costs are going up. Eden Prairie, Minnesota: +7%; Clay Center, Kansas: +26%; Hershey, Pennsylvania: +14%; Sacramento, California: +27%.

Eyes glazed over yet? Mine did and I’m writing this. Don’t want to pay? Fine, go get the water. It’s in the ocean (remove salt and fish before use) or the nearest lake (long walk in Arizona) or deep underground. Start digging.

The problem is not the lack of water. It’s the lack of drinkable water in particular areas. Lots of it today in Houston, Texas.  Not so much in San Antonio, Texas.  Or parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Utah, etc. Getting water from one place to another costs lots of money. Lots. Whether you are pumping from underground (now discouraged), piping in from near or distant lakes, or pulling from a river, it’s expensive.

And it’s not just the drought that’s causing prices to increase. Sometimes you are just mussel bound. No, not the gym kind. Mussel. Like aquatic animal. Zebra Mussels have clogged up water pipes at numerous municipal water supplies. The Great Lakes has them. Lake Takoma in Texas has them. They are clogging the water supply lines and are expected to cost the US $5 billion in control efforts and reparation. How big is this monster? About the size of a dime.

What else is causing your water bill to go up? Surprisingly, the fact that we are using less water. Water districts have fixed costs/overhead, such as electricity, payroll, insurance, equipment, fuel, supplies, etc. All budgets are figured on a estimate of how much water is sold divided by overhead equals cost per gallon.  Gallons sold/fixed costs = cost per gallon.

Well, when you use less water (you meaning everyone as a whole), the quantity of gallons sold goes down. This means the district does not sell enough to cover its costs. It now has to raise the cost per gallon to match the fixed costs. So cost per gallon goes up and usually stays there.

Confused? Use the donut idea. Pretend you sell donuts for $.05 (5 cents) each and you clear $.01 per donut. Now say it costs you $1.00 to operate. You have to sell 100 donuts to break even. If Weight Watchers moves into your neighborhood and half your neighborhood joins, you can only sell 50 donuts. This means you only make $0.50.  That’s not $1.00 by a long shot. So you have to raise the price of each donut to $.06 to keep your $1.00  (ain’t finance fun!).

Water costs are going up. Conservation does help, as it means we need fewer pumps and less piping. But, as you can see, it’s not a cure. The reasons are varied and the drought is involved but it’s not the only thing.

That’s it. Not trying to sell anything, except possibly water conservation. Just trying to help you understand where your money is going and why.

Three things are combining to cause trouble. The economy is down, which means unemployment is up. Besides the standard, everyday crook, people who would never consider theft before now turn to it to pay bills. The second thing is continuing global population growth. More people means more resources are needed to support them. That means metal for tools. The final thing is the growth of formerly agricultural economies into modern, technology driven countries. Technology requires metals of all sorts.  Roll all this together and prices for scrap metals are high and rising. Your backflow is worth noticeable money to someone.

You lose in two ways. The most obvious is you have to pay to get the backflow replaced, parts and labor. The second is the water you have to pay for when they steal the backflow and your system starts pouring thousands of gallons out to the street.  Not to mention the inconvenience of going without household water if you don’t have a cut off valve on your system.  The best thing to do is stop the theft from ever happening.

One way is to use the Jedi mind trick: “you only thought you saw a backflow here…you are obviously wrong…there is no backflow here…” This trick works best if you supplement it with a Dekorra rock enclosure. These are fake boulders designed to cover your backflow and make it blend into the landscaping. Who notices a rock? There’s not a lot of demand for stolen boulders. The enclosures cover the backflow, are available in standard, insulated and heated options, two finishes and a multitude of sizes. Since rocks are used in landscaping already it doesn’t scream out “hidden backflow.”  It says “landscaping feature.”

If you want the cover and/or insulation but aren’t a Jedi you can use the standard backflow enclosure. They provide the same weather protection as the rock enclosures without the camouflage effect. They do add the option of a side grid for quick visual inspections.

These also add one more step to getting to your backflow. This adds time and your average thief wants a short, quick job. Adding time discourages theft.

If adding time and effort discourages theft, then the other option is making the backflow very hard to get. Use the Gorilla Cage. Sounds like a visit to the zoo, doesn’t it? Except this cage keeps animals (crooks) out and peace and serenity in. The cage is made of strong steel tubing, angle and expanded metal with a guard to prevent the padlock from be cut by bolt cutters. Notice how the lock guard completely surrounds the lock? You don’t  The cage is bolted down to a concrete pad making for strong unitized construction. The form is even provided with the cage. Once unlocked they allow easy access for servicing or testing of the back flow.

No one will open these with a simple hammer or hacksaw. Bolt cutters won’t work. A cutting torch will but that’s a little more obvious than crooks want to be. Most crooks will pass these by and go to the next unprotected backflow they can find.

Whether you protect your backflow by hiding it or locking it away, the important things is that it stays in your yard, not someone’s truck.

Ok. Irrigation designs don’t talk about your dog but a bad one will cost you time and money, along with increasing your stress level. Dry spots, swamps, water runoff, irrigating your neighbor’s yard and watering in the rain are all problems caused by bad design. To quote someone, somewhere “It don’t ever have to be that way no more never.” (I put the ‘never’ in to cancel the double negative.)

Irrigation planning is involved and challenging and simple and logical. The great thing about residential planning is so much of the work is done for you and there are companies that will do it absolutely free. They send you a drawing, instructions and a parts breakdown. If you want to go that route check out Rain Bird and Toro.

If you want to design your own Hunter has a very good guide. There are countless references and books available and all the math has been worked out. The answers are in a chart somewhere. Check here for a sample. At first glance you may get dizzy, but don’t worry, the numbers make a lot of sense once you start designing a system.

Whichever system you use, make sure you mark and consider all trees, fences, storage sheds, etc. You can’t blame Rain Bird if you forget to tell them about the pool.

If you decide to have a professional design your system, which I strongly recommend, be sure to check their credentials. In Texas you must be licensed to charge for a system design. In other states you must either be a licensed irrigator, a licensed plumber, or a licensed architect. Some states don’t have any restrictions on who can design a system. That makes it tough. Ask for references. Ask to see their work. As a professional I’d be glad to let anyone see any system I’ve ever designed. They should be also. If not, something is wrong.

A good design should have a drawing showing you the locations of the spray heads, the piping, the controller, the backflow, the valves and the areas covered by each head and the flow.

In this sample you see the spray head location, the radius and pattern (10H= 10 foot radius, half circle, Q = quarter), zone number, size of pipe (1”) and gallons per minute. The pipes are shown, coverage is shown and the valves are located.

Very important: a good design will also include a parts list of all pipes, fittings, heads, wire, valves, etc. Do not accept a design that does not.

Now for the hard part: when you have a good design, follow it. Don’t decide in the field that digging 3 more feet is just too much effort. People get tired and figure anywhere in the general area is close enough. It’s not. You’ll realize that before too long.  Digging is hard work. Lots of digging of little trenches is real high on the “I’m sick of this” list. Keep telling yourself “the shovel is my friend. The shovel is my friend…”. It will be well worth it when that good design lets you forget all about it as your lawn and gardens flourish and you save money with efficient water usage.

This works fine but someday, when you need to find the valve for repair, it may be overgrown, have a dog house on it or have simply disappeared.  Plus you are spending money on seven valve boxes and all that wire to go to all those valves.

This is another way to place your valves. This keeps all the valves in a simple to find and maintain area and you would only need two valve boxes. This is called clustering. It makes long term maintenance far easier. You can also cluster them in out of the way, low traffic areas, minimizing risk of damage.

The easiest way to install this is with pre-made manifolds. Two of the most popular are the Action Machine and Dura brands. They are both available in different sizes and are expandable for future growth.

So what’s the difference? Why is one labeled Premium and one Standard?  There are two main differences. The first is the pressure rating. The Premium has a pressure rating of 235 psi @73^o. The standard has a rating of 150 psi. Again, either will work for the vast majority of installations.

The second difference is more practical. Understand that once these are installed you don’t touch them again until something goes wrong, usually years down the line. At that time they will be dirty, wet, muddy and possibly underwater. Now you want anything that will make it easier to work on the system. The Action Machine coupling has a much larger and more defined grip on the ring. The larger grip makes a world of difference when it’s wet and slippery. Saves time, skin and frustration.

Either manifold will work fine.  You might wonder at this time why you can’t just build your own. After all, PVC is cheap and you will be working with it already.  No reason you can’t and it will work. However, the premium manifolds are made of Schedule 80 PVC, much stronger than the Schedule 40 you will be working with. Add the fact that the manifold backbone is one piece and you gain both rigidity and a guaranteed straight line.  Finally, the time and effort you spend measuring, cutting and gluing your parts together is worth something. Save that time for relaxing after the job is done.   Pre-made is best by far.

MORE INFORMATION

For any irrigation system questions please visit us at Sprinkler Warehouse.

Take a look at the K-Rain Indexing valve. This valve lets you irrigate up to six zones without installing and wiring six different valves.  Each time the waters turns off and back on the valve waters a different zone.  There is a really smart disc inside that advances to the next zone when pressure drops. Water zone one, stop water for a few moments, start water, water zone two, etc. Automatically.

Yes, it looks strange. We don’t care: it works great.  These are commonly installed either on a direct feed from a pump or downstream of a single solenoid valve. The way it works is simple. Say you are using a solenoid valve. The valve comes on. Zone one on the index valve opens and water goes to zone one. The solenoid valve turns off. The index resets to zone two. The master valve comes on, zone two waters. Repeat for three through six. These are available with either four or six outlets; a six outlet is shown.

If you are working off a pump then each time the pump cycles the valve advances.  This completely eliminates the need for a solenoid valve and the related wiring and controller.  These valves work with flows as low as 10 GPM and at pressures of 25 to 75 PSI.

A great feature is the possibility of future expansion. Say you only have two zones but plan on expanding. You can get the four outlet model with a two zone cam. Down the line you can change the cam out to allow for three or four zones. Just keep the two future outlets capped off until then. The four zone outlet pattern is shown; the six zone is similar.

Here we have one valve that eliminates the need for any solenoid valves if working directly off a pump and eliminates the need for all but one if working off a municipal system supply. No wonder Florida loves it. Money saved on valves and money saved on wiring. Labor saved by not installing the other valves and wiring. Labor saved = money saved.  Order now. Operators are standing by. Or the website is, anyway. And if you order in the next 10 minutes you’ll have plenty of time to do something else today! So hurry!

I generally believe that “free” is better than “costs money.”  I really like “free” when it’s going to be handed to me with no effort on my part. Rainwater is free. Tap water costs money. Twice. It costs when you get it and you pay for sewage when it goes away. It’s going to cost more as time goes by. Population growth and nationwide drought means we don’t always have all the water we need. Water is becoming hard to get and “hard to get” always means “expensive.”

As water becomes scarcer, regulations on its use will increase. If you want to know where your water regulations are heading, check out  San Antonio, Texas or Santa Fe, New Mexico. They are hurting for water. Examples are: you may not wash your car more than once a month; you may not use water to clean your driveway or patio, no fountain or waterfalls in any landscaping, indoors or out. Only water your lawn once a week. More and more restrictions are being established to make sure there is enough water for survival.  Survival does not mean washing your car or filling your swimming pool.  And it doesn’t mean watering your garden.

Back to rain. Rain does a very good job of watering your yard and your garden. Besides the fact that it is free, it is also pretty clean. Tap water has all kinds of chemicals your plants don’t want or need. Rain is soft water, readily absorbed by your plants. No iron deposits to stain, no calcium build up, just water.

Just because it is raining doesn’t mean you are using it. Rain falls on your house at the rate of about a half gallon of water per square foot of roof area during a 1-inch rainfall. If you have a 2,000 square foot roof you can collect around 1,000 to 1,200 gallons of water. What do you pay now for 1,000 gallons of water? Why are you giving it all away?

Rain barrels collect water from your downspouts and put it where you can use it. Most residential rain barrels hold around 50 gallons. They have faucets for your water hose and can be linked together to increase capacity. They come in numerous colors and designs to blend into your landscaping. Put one in your front yard, one in your back and one in the garden.  If you figure you need to have ½” of water  to irrigate your garden then 50 gallons can irrigate about 160 square feet at a time. With no time/day restrictions.

Ok, it’s zombie time. For many people, “zombies” is short hand for TEOTWAWKI. That stands for The End Of The World As We Know It.  You know: civilization collapses, you have no electricity, no running water, no cell phone, nuthin’. Your world just fell apart around you.

It doesn’t take a deadly mutant virus to cause this. Hurricanes will. Earthquakes will. Wild fires will. Don’t forget tornadoes.  All of these can bring your normal world to a screaming halt. All of these can leave you without a domestic water supply.

Besides watering plants, water from rain barrels can be used to flush toilets, wash your hands, clean counters, furniture and floors, top off your car radiator, and, if really desperate, wash your clothes. You’ll be surprised at how useful 100 gallons of water can be when your water supply is cut off.

The water from a rain barrel is better for your plants, it’s free and it’s not subject to watering restrictions for time or day.  And it’s zombie proof.  That’s a hard combination to beat.

We are going to discuss measuring, fitting and gluing pipe. The premise is that if you do it correctly you only do it once. Not to mention limiting trips to the hardware store and controlling blood pressure.

Before we do anything else, there are two warnings. One on safety, one on product performance.

• Folks, these are harsh chemicals. Don’t get them on your skin. Definitely don’t get them in your eyes. No breathing fumes. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation, as in ‘do it outside’. Wear gloves. Wear eye protection. Care to guess what the cement does to plastic contacts or your expensive glasses?
• There is such a thing as too much glue. This is not Elmer’s Paste. If you put too much cement on and it has a chance to puddle it can and will eat through the pipe or fitting. Now you have a hole in the fitting. Also, too much glue when attaching valves can drip into the valve body and cause failure.

First, get these things together:

• Rags
• Primer and cement
• Something to put the pipe on while you cut (sawhorse, cinder block, table, etc.)
• Gloves
• Hacksaw
• Marker or crayon
• Rough file or course sandpaper

Optional but you should have

• Miter box
• Pipe cutter, preferably ratcheting type though standard will work fine.
• Hammer/Channel Lock pliers

Measuring is the shortest part of this paper. Remember that you have to include the length of pipe that goes into the fitting and the length of the fitting. Say you have a 10’ section from corner to corner.  The fittings add length. You need to figure out how short to cut the pipe so you can add the fittings and still get 10’.  How far does the pipe go into the fitting?  Depends. Depends on the cut, the pipe, your strength.  There is a stop designed into the fitting. How far in is it? To find out, take the pipe and fitting, get them wet with water only, and push the pipe into the fitting with firm but not killer force. The water makes it easier to slide them together. Now take a pencil and mark the pipe at the edge of the fitting. Twist the pipe back out. The distance from that mark to the end of your pipe is your glue area. This can vary depending on fittings and pipe size.  Measure everything twice. Write it down.

Cutting the pipe is more important that people realize. The cut should be square and smooth.   If you don’t cut it square the short end will not make complete contact with the inside of the fitting and will not bond as it should. It helps to use a miter box, if you can, or good ratcheting cutters. Take your time. It will help avoid problems later.

Ideally the end of the pipe should be smooth with tapered edges. Now I know you don’t hear many people talking about tapering a PVC pipe edge. You’ve probably never seen it and I know many professionals that have never even heard of it. However, we’re discussing the correct way to do this. You can bring in the shortcuts when I’m not looking. If you have a simple square cut pipe it has a tendency to push the cement ahead of it, as in the drawing. A smooth pipe with an edge taper lets the cement flow between the two. So take your file, file off the burrs that are left from the cutting, if any, and add a quick taper to the end. At the very least use sand paper to smooth the edges and take off any burrs.

On to fittings.  Once you have your pipe cut do a practice assembly. We do this to make sure we don’t glue the elbow on facing the wrong direction. Lay the pipe out along the trenches. Put the elbows, Tee’s and 45’s on just as if you were putting it in the trench. Once you are sure it is correct draw a line on the fitting and pipe with a marker or crayon. This will help line it up for you when the cement is on and drying fast.

Ok. Pipes are cut, fittings are ready. Now time for primer and glue. First I’d like to clarify one thing. It’s not really glue or cement. It’s a solvent. The solvent basically melts the PVC. When two pieces of PVC are joined using PVC cement the plastic melts, molecules blend, and it re-solidifies to a single unit.  That’s a gross simplification of what happens but its close enough.  When the cement is through and the PVC has re-solidified it is now the strongest piece. If you do it right the fitting or pipe will break long before the joint.

The first thing you do is make sure the pipes and fittings are dry. There are some cements that don’t need primer and will work with a wet pipe but we tend to avoid them. First, using primer gives us a last chance to check the pipe. You’d be surprised how often a small crack will hide until the primer hits it. . The other reason is that special cement tends to set FAST. Real fast.  No room for error or hesitation. Why ask for trouble?

Now prime both the pipe and the fitting. Use just enough to do the job. Too much doesn’t gain you anything. Using the included dauber wipe the glue area of the pipe and the glue area of the fitting with primer. Since it’s purple it’s easy to keep track. By the way, it stains everything so be careful. Primer removes dirt and grease and preps the PVC. When PVC is formed it has a hard, clear coating on it. This is resistant to the cement. Primer removes the coating, exposing the PVC.

Now apply the cement to both pieces. Do the fitting first. Since the cement is inside you can lay it down for a moment while you coat the pipe. Once both are done push the pipe into the fitting, turning about ¼ to ½ turn as you go. This makes sure the cement spreads evenly. Hold it together for about 15 to 30 seconds. Because of the chemical reaction and the way the fittings are formed there is a tendency for push back. The pipe will want to come out so hold until is sets.  If you’ve done everything correctly you can look around the edge of the fitting and see a little glue bead that has been push out by the fitting. It should be continuous. A gap might mean a pinhole leak later. Wipe off any excess cement.

I know. I didn’t say what you did with the pliers or hammer. That’s ok. They are always good to have.

That’s it. Doing takes far less time than reading about it. Doing it correctly doesn’t add any time and sure can save you a headache in the future.

The drought that hit the United States has damaged or killed millions of trees. Texas has been particularly hard hit but the damage extends from New Mexico to Florida. By one estimate, Texas has lost approximately 500 million trees, with other states suffering various levels of damage. Unfortunately, the drought is predicted to continue through 2012.

The question then becomes: what is the best way to water a tree? Ideally, the method chosen will provide the greatest amount of benefit to the tree while using the least amount of water.  The first thing to know is where to water your tree. Watering directly at the trunk is not only a waste of water but can promote some diseases. There are a few simple guidelines to follow for established trees.

First, the water needs to get to the roots. Watering too little, or just surface watering, will cause shallow roots, weakening the tree and leading to more drought damage. Deep watering to about 10” to 18” inches below the surface is best, depending on tree size. The older, more mature tree the deeper you should go.

For most trees, irrigate within the drip line. The exception is evergreens, as they tend to grow up and not out. For these, imagine the drip line to extend a couple of feet outside the physical drip line.

This Drip Line is basically the furthest most extent of the leaves, as shown in the picture of the tree. Inside this area is where the plant is growing smaller roots known as Feeder Rootlets.  These absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil.

The objective is to water slowly, dispersing the flow of water to get the water deep down to the trees roots.

Don’t dig holes in the ground in an effort to water deeply. This exposes the roots to air and dries out roots even more. Watering at ground level with a sprinkler system does help. However, running your sprinkler system long enough to provide sufficient water for trees would result in a great waste of water in other areas and increase chances for water runoff.

There are a number of ways to provide water at the proper rate and in the proper place, saving both the tree and water. The first, and simplest, is through the use of soaker hoses. Simply place rings within the watering area and turn the system on. The water goes where it is needed with little waste. The disadvantage is the labor involved in placing the hose, turning it on and off, removal and replacement for mowing and raking, and the possibility of damage to the hoses, requiring replacement. While efficient in water placement this method does require a bit of effort.

A more efficient method is the use of deep watering systems. One system involves using tree watering stakes. These range in lengths from 14” to 36”, connect to your watering system, either drip or garden hose, and put the water where it can be best utilized. This way the roots are sure to receive the water without worry of wind or run off.

Finally, there is a root watering system that attaches directly to your irrigation system. These provide the needed water and have minimal visual impact on the yard, as they are installed at grade. Since they are attached to your irrigation system you have the ability to set the watering schedule as needed without the frequent labor needed with soaker hoses or garden hose attachment.

Whichever system you choose, the key to tree survival is proper watering. Too much, too little or watering in the wrong place can cause further harm to the tree. Proper watering can extend the life, health and beauty of the tree for years to come.

For more information about anything involving irrigation, please visit us at www.SprinklerWarehouse.com.