Fun home owner stuff. Sprinklers.

[Chris_in_SoCal]

Last week I had a leak on one of my back yard sprinkler valves. It should have been an easy fix but After cutting out the bad part I only had about 1/4" left on one pipe which wasn't enough but I thought I would chance it. It held for a couple hours and I thought I would be good but made one more check and I am glad I did. This is what I found.

This was two feet deep. I have a 1 inch pipe that connects to the main and runs around the yard. It was done way before I bought my house but also has plenty of pressure to water around the yard. I had to dig deeper to get to where the main gets there and decided to make it better. I added two shutoff valves so if there is a problem in the future I can shut off everything or just the sprinklers and leave the hose running.

It looks a little sloppy but it is holding so far. I will give it a few days before filling in the voids with dirt.

So far so good. It does not look like much but was a lot of work.

 

[Newglide]

Man that's a long back breaking day. Hopefully no leaks after you got done.

 

[PolishDeli]

It should have been an easy fix but

Yup

 

[GatorAGR]

Pain in the ass job, but very satisfying to fix things yourself. Well done.

 

[Fueling Around]

Well done
Guy that used to own a local hardware store told me “ every plumbing job requires at least three trips to the store

 

[mneeley490]

Well done
Guy that used to own a local hardware store told me “ every plumbing job requires at least three trips to the store

Reminds me of when I built my commercial fridge smoker. I lost count of how many trips I made to the hardware store. (I actually used a lot of plumbing supplies in it.)
We have a small, local chain of old-school hardware stores called McClendon's. Unlike Lowe's & Home Depot, it's staffed by a bunch of old farts who really know their stuff. Whatever oddball part you need, they will have it. But you will pay a hefty price for it.

 

[forktender]

No fun at all, Chris!!!
I refuse to dig these days, I'll pay a day laborer before I even think about picking up a shovel. I don't even want to think about how many miles of trenching that I've dug for water, and sewer mains by hand in my lifetime.

My only recommendations would be:
#1 To drive a steel foundation stake behind the hose bib riser, and tie them together with plastic coated tie wire, to protect it from bumps, and breakage.

#2 Purchase and install a Christy box to place over the new valves.
Buy a plastic one, that way you can remove the hose bib, and drill out the lid so you can slide it over the hose bib riser.
(That way you will never have to dig up the valves to access them in the future).


Nice work bruth'a!!!

 

[civilsmoker]

I just overhauled our supply and one zone box at the house to…..it’s WORK!

Well done
Guy that used to own a local hardware store told me “ every plumbing job requires at least three trips to the store

3 trips…….3x10….

 

[Fueling Around]

…We have a small, local chain of old-school hardware stores called McClendon's. Unlike Lowe's & Home Depot, it's staffed by a bunch of old farts who really know their stuff. Whatever oddball part you need, they will have it. But you will pay a hefty price for it.

I miss McClendon’s

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

No fun at all, Chris!!!
I refuse to dig these days, I'll pay a day laborer before I even think about picking up a shovel. I don't even want to think about how many miles of trenching that I've dug for water, and sewer mains by hand in my lifetime.

My only recommendations would be:
#1 To drive a steel foundation stake behind the hose bib riser, and tie them together with plastic coated tie wire, to protect it from bumps, and breakage.

#2 Purchase and install a Christy box to place over the new valves.
Buy a plastic one, that way you can remove the hose bib, and drill out the lid so you can slide it over the hose bib riser.
(That way you will never have to dig up the valves to access them in the future).


Nice work bruth'a!!!

Thanks, great ideas and we think alike.

#1 I had a 2 foot section of rebar. I also had the pipe from the original faucet location. Both are wrapped in bailing wire.

#2 I have two boxes, one for the sprinkler valves and the other for the shutoff valves. I will give it a couple more days before I cover them up, just in case.

One of them had a giant black widow in it. I cooked him up with my BBQ torche.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

I just overhauled our supply and one zone box at the house to…..it’s WORK!


3 trips…….3x10….

That 1" pipe runs strait from the main before the house. I had to shutoff the whole house at the main while I did the repairs. 10 or more years ago I replaced the main shutoff valve with a brass quick release. When I shut it off the handle was rusted at almost felt like it would break.

Just in case I bought a new one but I don't want to have to replace that until I absolutely have to.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

Man that's a long back breaking day. Hopefully no leaks after you got done.

so far, so good.

 

[Fueling Around]

...
Both are wrapped in bailing wire.
...
One of them had a giant black widow in it. I cooked him up with my BBQ torche.

Replace bailing wire with SS hose clamps or cable (zip) ties. While I rarely hear the term bailing wire anymore it has a place and not where it may rust.

I think of you every time I use the torch. Best pellet tube lighter ever.
I use to sit on the back stoop and burn the yellow jacket wasps that congregated. Hung a trap so don't have to fight them now

 

[forktender]

Thanks, great ideas and we think alike.

#1 I had a 2 foot section of rebar. I also had the pipe from the original faucet location. Both are wrapped in bailing wire.

View attachment 724783

#2 I have two boxes, one for the sprinkler valves and the other for the shutoff valves. I will give it a couple more days before I cover them up, just in case.

View attachment 724784

One of them had a giant black widow in it. I cooked him up with my BBQ torche.

Yrs ago I was braising a 4'' copper water main that was in a huge Christy box, my feet were in the box on the ground. As I'm braising, I feel something move in the pant leg of my Carhartt bibs. I keep working, thinking it was just the way I moved or something. A few seconds later, I feel it moving again, this time it is about 6'' away from my ball sack.
I grab it through my pants, and it's F'ing big, bigger than a good sized mouse.
I fling off my dark braising glasses while jumping out of the box, shaking the leg of my bibs, and this huge Tarantula falls out of the bottom of my bibs. I almost $h!t myself, as I absolutely HATE spiders. I would have been much better off if it was a snake, as I love snakes. I will never ever forget the feeling, I had the heebie geebies, BIG TIME!!!
I went back into the box, but not before I nuked it with my Oxy-Acetylene torch.
Now I nuke every box I have to work in before I get started.

Have I ever told you how much I HATE SPIDERES???

 

[forktender]

Thanks, great ideas and we think alike.

#1 I had a 2 foot section of rebar. I also had the pipe from the original faucet location. Both are wrapped in bailing wire.

View attachment 724783

#2 I have two boxes, one for the sprinkler valves and the other for the shutoff valves. I will give it a couple more days before I cover them up, just in case.

View attachment 724784

One of them had a giant black widow in it. I cooked him up with my BBQ torche.

Yrs ago I was braising a 4'' copper water main that was in a huge Christy box, my feet were in the box on the ground. As I'm braising, I feel something move in the pant leg of my Carhartt bibs. I keep working, thinking it was just the way I moved or something. A few seconds later, I feel it moving again, this time it is about 6'' away from my ball sack.
I grab it through my pants, and it's F'ing big, bigger than a good sized mouse.
I fling off my dark braising glasses while jumping out of the box, shaking the leg of my bibs, and this huge Tarantula falls out of the bottom of my bibs. I almost $h!t myself, as I absolutely HATE spiders. I would have been much better off if it was a snake, as I love snakes. I will never ever forget the feeling, I had the heebie geebies, BIG TIME!!!
I went back into the box, but not before I nuked it with my Oxy-Acetylene torch.
Now I nuke every box I have to work in before I get started.

Have I ever told you how much I HATE SPIDERES???

 

[forktender]

https://a.co/d/hbvXzg85

These are the best valves made for water mains. Full bore/port 1/4 turn valves are the best. Gate valves suck, most are throated down to 3/8"* which meases qith the volume of water delivered.
Use full bore or nothing, in my opinion.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

https://a.co/d/hbvXzg85

These are the best valves made for water mains. Full bore/port 1/4 turn valves are the best. Gate valves suck, most are throated down to 3/8"* which meases qith the volume of water delivered.
Use full bore or nothing, in my opinion.

Thanks but the link didn't work.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

Yrs ago I was braising a 4'' copper water main that was in a huge Christy box, my feet were in the box on the ground. As I'm braising, I feel something move in the pant leg of my Carhartt bibs. I keep working, thinking it was just the way I moved or something. A few seconds later, I feel it moving again, this time it is about 6'' away from my ball sack.
I grab it through my pants, and it's F'ing big, bigger than a good sized mouse.
I fling off my dark braising glasses while jumping out of the box, shaking the leg of my bibs, and this huge Tarantula falls out of the bottom of my bibs. I almost $h!t myself, as I absolutely HATE spiders. I would have been much better off if it was a snake, as I love snakes. I will never ever forget the feeling, I had the heebie geebies, BIG TIME!!!
I went back into the box, but not before I nuked it with my Oxy-Acetylene torch.
Now I nuke every box I have to work in before I get started.

Have I ever told you how much I HATE SPIDERES???

Funny, in the mid 1980's my parents bought a new house on the very edge of town. Just hills behind them. They had one of the first two houses built before the rest of the construction began. There were hundreds of slabs layed but the houses were not built yet.

Whenever it would rain there would be hundreds of turnatulas on every slab. As a late teen this was my ultimate treasure hunt. I would keep them in aquariums and feed them crickets. I was never bitten by one and they were fun pets. I also caught and kept lizards and snakes.

That said, one crawling up my pant leg would give me the hibbie jeebies like no other so I don't blame you on that.

I mostly have to deal with spider webs. Mostly black widows and daddy long legs. I go out at night with a flashlight and terminate them on site. This time of year I kill many of them every few days. It is hard to believe how frequently they can repopulate. If I have on my size 10 I smash them but I have found it more fun to use the butane torch for my BBQ to burn them to hell when possible.

 

[forktender]

Thanks, great ideas and we think alike.

#1 I had a 2 foot section of rebar. I also had the pipe from the original faucet location. Both are wrapped in bailing wire.

View attachment 724783

#2 I have two boxes, one for the sprinkler valves and the other for the shutoff valves. I will give it a couple more days before I cover them up, just in case.

View attachment 724784

One of them had a giant black widow in it. I cooked him up with my BBQ torche.

Yrs ago I was braising a 4'' copper water main that was in a huge Christy box, my feet were in the box on the ground. As I'm braising, I feel something move in the pant leg of my Carhartt bibs. I keep working, thinking it was just the way I moved or something. A few seconds later, I feel it moving again, this time it is about 6'' away from my ball sack.
I grab it through my pants, and it's F'ing big, bigger than a good sized mouse.
I fling off my dark braising glasses while jumping out of the box, shaking the leg of my bibs, and this huge Tarantula falls out of the bottom of my bibs. I almost $h!t myself, as I absolutely HATE spiders. I would have been much better off if it was a snake, as I love snakes. I will never ever forget the feeling, I had the heebie geebies, BIG TIME!!!
I went back into the box, but not before I nuked it with my Oxy-Acetylene torch.
Now I nuke every box I have to work in before I get started.

Have I ever told you how much I HATE SPIDERES???

 

[forktender]

Chris_in_SoCal
This one should work, they are all that we used, I've installed literally tens of thousands, and can't remember getting a bad one, I'm sure it happened a few times but very rarely.

NIBCO Fig No S-FP-600A, 1 in. Brass Ball Valve, Brass, Two-Piece, Full Port, Cup x Cup, Solder: Industrial Ball Valves: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

NIBCO Fig No S-FP-600A, 1 in. Brass Ball Valve, Brass, Two-Piece, Full Port, Cup x Cup, Solder: Industrial Ball Valves: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.com