# Issue after zone runs



## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

A while back I had someone come out and re-route and replace some sprinkler heads and on one of my zones it looks like that the lowest sprinkler on that zone was capped. It's a pop-up and they just replaced the head with a "don't spray" head on it. It's fine since they added other sprinklers to cover the area that it's in.

The problem is that after the zone runs that the sprinkler is attached to it looks like all the water between the valve and that sprinkler drains downhill and it's likely to cause issues. It runs down against the edge of the foundation and around the corner and it keeps the whole area soaking wet.

Is there anything I can do other than dig the sprinkler up and cap it where the riser meets the pipe? The next sprinkler is up the hill in an area that would be fine with extra water as it's just in/around some bushes that are growing between my house and my neighbor's house.


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

Just in case anybody needs it in the future the term is "low head drainage"

RainBird bodies that prevent this are called Seal-a-Matic. Externally they look identical to their non SAM counterparts but they have a much heavier retraction spring and a little seal at the bottom of the pop-up part that closes tightly against the riser threads when it's off. They're only 50 cents or so more than the non-SAM bodies and work with regular heads. It absolutely fixed the issues I was having


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Hunter and everybody else offers the same feature for their heads for just a few pennies extra. I thing the check-valve option can also be retro-fitted to for most brands heads. For me, the check-valve feature is worth the extra money just because the pipes stay full. The next time each zone runs, the heads pop-up and start spraying quicker without all that spitting and hissing noise.


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## fusebox7 (Jul 27, 2017)

hsvtoolfool said:


> Hunter and everybody else offers the same feature for their heads for just a few pennies extra. I thing the check-valve option can also be retro-fitted to for most brands heads. For me, the check-valve feature is worth the extra money just because the pipes stay full. The next time each zone runs, the heads pop-up and start spraying quicker without all that spitting and hissing noise.


Yup - it's a shame that contractors don't install CV by default. The price difference is negligible and the spitting and hissing and drainage issues are completely absent. I just ordered 50 new bodies/heads (Hunter I20s) with CV and pressure reg. It's a no brainer after having learned the hard way... at my last house I installed a few CV rotors at the bottom of my big slopes. It was a game-changer. This time I'm doing it all right out of the gates.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

50 I-20s with check valves! Whoa! That's like...$650 in rotors alone. That's going to be a major league install! How many zones will you run? 7 to 10?


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## jayhawk (Apr 18, 2017)

@fusebox7 same boat. Not only that, I'm sure my heads are getting plenty of pressure. I am not looking forward to swapping.

I'd payed more for 'ideal' but like many in the trades, consultive conversations -expecting too much I guess.


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## fusebox7 (Jul 27, 2017)

hsvtoolfool said:


> 50 I-20s with check valves! Whoa! That's like...$650 in rotors alone. That's going to be a major league install! How many zones will you run? 7 to 10?


12 zones currently. It's a necessary upgrade for my liking. The current heads are probably on their last leg anyways. Need to be ready for any potential renos in the future


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

That will be an epic DIY. Please post photos.


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## fusebox7 (Jul 27, 2017)

hsvtoolfool said:


> That will be an epic DIY. Please post photos.


Oh me? This is just a swap-out job. The zones and old heads all currently exist. Will still be some work on my end but not nearly the exhaustion that comes from a bottom-up install.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Awwww...


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

fusebox7 said:


> hsvtoolfool said:
> 
> 
> > That will be an epic DIY. Please post photos.
> ...


You can just replace the stem and top of a body without pulling the whole body if you want to do that


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