IRRIGATION VALVES AND SPRINKLER REPAIR

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IRRIGATION VALVES

Irrigation valves are one of the most important components to your irrigation system. They are what turns your sprinklers on and off, also if you have a drip system, they control them too. You will have an electric valve per zone or station that your irrigation system has. Example, if you have 5 zones, you'll have 5 electric valves throughout your yard somewhere. Sometimes they'll be all together and other times they'll be scattered out in the yard. Usually they will be in a valve box with a green top, most of the time buried with the grass grown over them making them very hard to locate. If you're lucky, the green or purple top may be exposed making it easy to locate your valves. 

PARTS OF VALVE

Irrigation valves have 2 main components to them, diaphragm and solenoid. The diaphragm or solenoid are usually the cause for a faulty or bad valve. If your valve won't turn on, its usually a shorted out solenoid. If the water won't shut off or leaks when your system is in the off position, its usually the diaphragm. 

HOW DOES A VALVE WORK

Water enters the valve from the system main line and exerts a force against the center of the valve’s diaphragm. A small orifice in the diaphragm allows the water to flow through to the upper chamber between the diaphragm and the bonnet. The water continues to travel on through a port in the bonnet to the solenoid area. The solenoid has a light spring loaded metal piston that, when the valve is closed, covers the inlet port hole. The surface area that the water comes in contact with on top of the diaphragm is greater than the surface area on the bottom of the diaphragm, so the valve stays closed until the water in the upper chamber is released.

Sprinkler Repair and Irrigation Repair