# Where do I even begin figuring this out



## JDM83 (Sep 19, 2018)

Hi fellow lawn care guru's, I am in need of help figuring out my irrigation system in my new home.

for starters ill tell you what I know and a bit of my background, ill do my best to keep it short but do not want to leave out any pertinent information so bear with me if this post gets a little long. as far as my back ground i'm mid thirties and back in my high school and college years i worked on several golf courses as part of grounds maintenance crews. i worked on every thing from building a new course from scratch, grounds maintenance on a PGA tour course, and reviving and old over grown course for an older development. im no expert and maybe a little rusty on some things but i have a slightly better than base understanding of proper turf care, and what they require. irrigation systems, fertilizer, mowing etc...

with the purchase of my new home i finally have some decent turf to work with and would love to kick start this lawn into the best in the neighborhood. i believe the ground work is there to turn this around into a beautiful landscape. The home we purchased was originally the model home for the neighborhood when it was built in 2005. at that time it had an irrigation system installed, bermuda sod and fully landscaped yard. the previous home owners apparently did not use the irrigation system, (nor care to do anything in the yard other than mow the grass)

Here is what i know of the irrigation system. it is serviced from its own meter. about 3 feet from the meter box is an irrigation control valve box approx 1' x 2' with 3 or 4 valves in there... i cant really remember from memory... there are 3 or 4 other 6 inch round boxes throughout the front sides and rear of the home all with some sort of valve in them. in all my searching i have found NO sprinkler heads... found a couple of low places in the yard where they might have been at one time. i have a controller in the basement that appears to be wired for 4 zones,

And this is the extent of my knowledge of my irrigation system. i know its not alot to go on and more information can be provided if specifics are needed. i hope to get the irrigation up and going soon so that when spring rolls around i can start to push the turf as much as possible. ANY help i can get as to where to even go with this is much appreciated.

-John


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## Wlodyd (Aug 27, 2018)

What happens when you turn the system on at the controller? Does the meter see water flow? I would make sure all those valves in the boxes you mentioned are on, then try to turn the system on and see what happens. I would trace your full length of pipe and check all your shutoff valves and make sure their on. Do you have a backflow preventer? (several valves may be on there too).

Are there pipes going into and out of each of the valves out of those boxes? I would try to trace the approximate pipe route and hand dig in a couple places to try to find it. Perhaps the heads got buried, or damaged, or both and the previous home


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## SJ Lawn (May 7, 2018)

@JDM83 Try asking a neighbor who has a similar sized lot and home that was built around the time the model home was built. Maybe their irrigation set up is very similar to yours and can give you some clues..


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## JDM83 (Sep 19, 2018)

Wlodyd said:


> What happens when you turn the system on at the controller? Does the meter see water flow? I would make sure all those valves in the boxes you mentioned are on, then try to turn the system on and see what happens. I would trace your full length of pipe and check all your shutoff valves and make sure their on. Do you have a backflow preventer? (several valves may be on there too).
> 
> Are there pipes going into and out of each of the valves out of those boxes? I would try to trace the approximate pipe route and hand dig in a couple places to try to find it. Perhaps the heads got buried, or damaged, or both and the previous home


i am not sure if there is a backflow preventer. since it is not tied to the house service line i wasnt sure if i should expect to find one. not sure where to look for one or what it may look like. my house is on a walk out basement lot so there is significant grade from the street to the creek in back if that helps ill get some pictures and diagrams up as soon as i can. i plan to map out the yard and known locations of the irrigation system tonight after work. i have been out of tow for a few days.

as far as the turn it on and see what happens. i plan to do this once we turn the service on... i was unaware it was on its on meter until a few days ago


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## JDM83 (Sep 19, 2018)

SJ Lawn said:


> @JDM83 Try asking a neighbor who has a similar sized lot and home that was built around the time the model home was built. Maybe their irrigation set up is very similar to yours and can give you some clues..
> [/q@JDM83
> 
> i have no knowledge of anyone else in the neighborhood having or using an irrigation system. the few who do have a nice lawn i have seen using a sprinkler and hose


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## thatlawnguy (Aug 16, 2018)

Post pictures of the valve boxes/controller so we can see and offer more help.
Probe or dig in a corner of the lawn (i.e. where a sidewalk meets the driveway) as generally there is a sprinkler in the corner so you can see if they are there and just overgrown with grass of is someone removed them.

-tlg


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## JDM83 (Sep 19, 2018)

thatlawnguy said:


> Post pictures of the valve boxes/controller so we can see and offer more help.
> Probe or dig in a corner of the lawn (i.e. where a sidewalk meets the driveway) as generally there is a sprinkler in the corner so you can see if they are there and just overgrown with grass of is someone removed them.
> 
> -tlg


i started the mapping process last night but didn't quite get finished. kids are gone this weekend so i should have ample time tonight to get some pics and the map finished.


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## JDM83 (Sep 19, 2018)

alright i have some good news and a ton more questions lol. i was able to get 2 of 3 zones turned on last night. this system has not been run in over 10 years so i was expecting to find major problems but really it seems to function ok for the most part. several heads popped up, amazingly enough as they were all completely covered and required digging out around them after i knew where they were.

i found what im thinking is a back flow prevent valve about 3 feet from the meter. it has two shut off valves and that it in the box. it is also the highest part of the system. Of the 3 small round boxes in the yard 2 of them have control valves in them. both being rain bird 100 DV the third is nothing but wiring and is located just outside the house where the controller is in the basement.

manual testing found what im assuming "zone one" in the front yard around drive way turns on and has 8 heads, they spray about 12 feet.

manual testing of the other valve in the back yard turns on 3 rotating heads. they spray about 20 feet.

electrically the only zone that works is the back yard heads and it operates on zone 3. zone one and 2 do not function via the controller, and i have yet to even find zone 2. i found a wire that has been cut many years ago, but only the side that leads back to the controller, i have yet to locate the other side of that wire and i assume it goes to zone 1 and 2. just by looking at what i have working i am guessing zone 2 is the corner of the front yard that goes around to the back where zone 1 and 3 do not water but i haven't found the control valve yet. i know this isnt much more help without a drawing, that still isnt finished yet as i spent yesterday after work fiddling with what i just posted until dark. will get it done soon i hope and post as soon as i do.

im excited to see most of it functioning! most all of the heads need to be cleaned up and some re-leveled. the control valve for zone 1 has a stripped out screw that was how i turned it on but getting it off was a chore. maybe have to replace that valve (i hope not but still)


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## JDM83 (Sep 19, 2018)

zone 2 found electronically over the weekend. i repaired the cut wiring i had found on the side of the house and zone 2 turns on. it also has 8 spray heads. from what i can tell im thinking the back yard zone 3 is missing a head... maybe this is a wrong assumption but just by looking at the lay out (as crappy as it is) it feels like there should be a 4th head on that zone.


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