| Author | Message | ||
     Rah7777777 |
Hello everyone! Short story, does anyone know where the main valve for a house sprinkler system is usually located? I'm in Texas in a 25 year old house (no basement) I've got a bad leak on one of my sprinkler solenoids thats flooding the yard, I installed a ball valve in the anti-feeback siphon valve, but that somehow didnt kill the water flow to this particular solenoid. Ive spent hours using a 3 foot screwdriver poking the yard trying to find a dang water valve box, ive found 8 of them with solenoids, but not one with the main water supply shut off for the sprinklers.... My neighbor had a box in his flower bed about a foot deep that had a bunch of valves in it, but as far as I can tell mine is not even close to the same location. 2 of the solenoids did have a screw valves, but made no difference in the leak :-( I had the water off most of today, but the pregnant wife started bickering too much and I had to turn it back on, I setup a siphon system so most of the water should be going straight from the ground to the street so tomorrow when I dig it up, it won't be as muddy.... but if I could only find that darn main sprinkler supply valve I would be in good shape! Thanks! -Robert | ||
| Two_seasons |
For now, dig up the supply line and get it capped. Just temp for now. Find all the solenoids later. When you are ready to fix it properly, all solenoids need to be in a manifold box, just like you've seen over at your neighbors. But for your wife's sanity, cap it tomorrow. You can always use a hose for now. | ||
| Blk_uly |
Here in fl. we have dual water. the sprinkler valve is close to the road at the front property line usually.the best thing to do is go out to the street and look for the small, round man hole cover in the road 8-10 inches in diameter, then follow it to the control box. If that doesn't work,than look between you and your neighbor house to see which side of the house his water comes in from. Usually the water main comes from the road between the two houses then splits off to either side. the control valve is in side a rectangular box about 12x18 inches with ether a plastic or cast iron lid. open the box and you will see the meter and all that. then you will see how to turn it off. I once mistakenly turned off the neighbors water.... not a big deal, until he came running out of the house half naked with shampoo in his hair (Message edited by blk_uly on March 27, 2011) | ||
| Strokizator |
Out here in Cali there's usually an X stamped into the concrete curb to indicate the location of the corp stop, many of which are just direct buried (no valve box). The original plumbing in your house was done by a professional. The lawn sprinklers could have been installed by the homeowner and there's no telling what he did. Good luck. | ||
| Rah7777777 |
Thanks for the feedback guys! The leaking solenoid is in its own box literally about 10 inches from my houses main water supply valve at the front curb. The main supply valve only has one valve and its for the whole house, everything is on that line. The other box about 10 inches away has a solenoid in it, but no valve. At first, when I was opening the lid for the solenoid box I was thinking, well this is for sure the water supply valve for the sprinkler system! turns out that wasnt the case :-( I'm worried since the house was built 25 years ago, the sprinkler supply valve might be buried in the dirt with no box. And I would cap the sprinkler system line off, if I could find where it splits off. Thats my main problem, I know where the main HOUSE valve is, but not the sprinkler systems supply valve :-( I was under the impression ALL of the sprinklers water flow was through the siphon valve, which is why I installed a shut off valve inline with the siphon valve today. But even that was a no go. Thanks! | ||
| Etennuly |
If it is just plastic pipe cut the feed side going the the errant sprinkler, cap it there temporarily or even glue in a ball valve. Or you can go back to where they run near the house, cut the pipe and install the ball valve there and you will know for sure where the(a)shut off is. | ||
| Blake |
You are correct about the anti-drain-back valve or anti-siphon valve. All sprinkler lines should have one or else the water supply is at risk of contamination. Is there possibly another siphon valve somewhere? They might have T'd off the main line to facilitate getting to an opposite side of the house or around another impediment. Otherwise, just follow the line from the sprinkler head and see where it goes. Shouldn't be too tough. | ||
| Blake |
Unfortunately it sounds like an ignorant homeowner installed the system. Try to think like a dumb arss and maybe it will come to you. Likely no main shutoff. My 25 year old home in Grand Prairie has shut-offs on top of the anti-siphon and in a box in the ground in front of it. Two other boxes nearby house manifolds of three solenoid valves each. I just replaced the old Lawn Genie analog controller with a new digital model. Now if the power goes out off, the controller will still work on the correct schedule thanks to its nonvolatile memory chip. | ||
| Rah7777777 |
Thanks everyone! I'll be getting muddy today I think. Called into work to take care of it. I was certain installing the valve in the siphon line would have done the trick.... It's the only exposed piping I can find and from what I've gathered, it has to be 6" above your tallest sprinkler component. Two of the zone solenoids have screw valves, but no idea for what? Anyhow, thanks everyone! I'll get this terd to sink again soon. | ||
| Blk_uly |
The screw valves are to manually open the valve. you loosen them to open. | ||
| Rah7777777 |
6:50pm and the leak is no more!! You ever feel like you spend so much time trying to get crap fixed just so you can go back to your starting point a couple days back??? I'm done with that damn system! I'm pretty sure it DOES NOT have a seperate supply valve for the sprinkler system. If it does, it's this one valve that was buried in my shrubs, but it screwed in just fine!?!? But who knows about the internals. But I now have a pipe full of JB weld and no leak :-) It was my LAST resort ( next to digging the yard up ) | ||
| Two_seasons |
I'd pull it all out before summer and do it correctly. Or hire it out. Use a hose in the interim. | ||
| Rah7777777 |
I'm gonna just use a hose for the rest of..... Oh my life :-) I'm done with that system for sure. If I ever do anything I'll rip that one out completely and redo it all to be safe. | ||
| Ourdee |
I spend all summer trying to kill the grass so I don't have to cut it. |
