Strange problem with an irrigation head
 

I have been taking care of my own irrigation for years but have run into a problem I have not seen before. I removed a pop up to install an extension to make it higher and when I went to test it the pop up came up and was charged with water but nothing was coming out even though the head was set to the desired opening.
I have tried:
Checking filter - put in new
Took off head and flushed pipe for 20 seconds
Replaced with new adjustable head
Replaced the inner guts completely with another set of guts
Put in a whole new pop up of another brand

If anyone has any other ideas I would love to hear from you.

Are you saying that water comes out of the pipe, but when you screw in the nozzle, you get no water? Two things I would try:

1. Remove the filter. They are not needed.
2. Try using the nozzle at another spray location. If it doesn't work at the other location, you have a defective nozzle. Note that some nozzles are designed to not spray any water. I installed one where I had removed the plants. The pop-up comes up, but no water comes out.

There is enough pressure to make it pop up but no water comes out of the head?

If you remove the head and turn upon the water, what happens? I would expect nothing to pop up but you should have a geyser at least six feet high.

I assume no water came out in any of your tests including the whole new head. Did it work before you changed things? Are other heads in that zone working? Do you know if any heads in that zone farther down the line are working?

Sorry, no answers just questions. With everything you’ve done it doesn’t sound like a clog in the assembly itself. It could be low pressure and checking other heads in that zone and the geyser height should help determine that.

remove filter , look for small
pebble in nozzle, then replace sprinkler, and celebrate victory with a highball

Take the spray head off, blow through it if you can't then open the adjustment till you can, you likely are closing the head when you tighten it. When you tighten it on the pop up, hold the bottom of the head when you twist the top to open the spray.
Seen new guys do what you did over and over again over the years. I used to giggle a little, now I just expect it.

Leave the filter in, they allow you to adjust flow, and they are easier to clean than the spray head, and they don't hurt a thing.

This is the only right answer, given you did everything you said. Chance you could be getting dirt in the pop-up when you remove/replace though, only take the spray head off when you flush, and check that you can blow through the spray head before you put it back on. Have someone else turn off the water when flushing so you can hold the pop up from returning into the ground and letting dirt in.

There is more, but I don't seem to be getting any royalties from TOTV soooo...

I would verify the extension you installed not the problem especially if you used thread tape? It may be waded up blocking flow?

Happened to me once and the only thing wrong was with the adjustable spray pattern setting was set to zero degrees. I opened up the spray pattern to the 30 degrees I was looking for and the unit worked fine.

The filter is important if you are using rotary spray heads like the Hunter MP rotators. Once sand or a small rock gets into the head you need to throw it away since it can't be fixed. For all other heads especially the big canons, you can get away without the filter.

The best solution is to install a master irrigation filter at the source of your water at the control box. It will remove most of the harmful stuff and leave you with only one filter to clean once a month. If you live in the North where you don't use reclaimed water for irrigation then you should not have any problems since you are using clean pottable water for your irrigation.

Another thing to look for. If the adjustment screw is backed all the way out, its head (on the underside of the nozzle) might have bottomed out.

You’ve got a blockage in the water line

Maybe it’s leaking underground
 

If it sprayed, before, and if water comes out with no resistance from the head, but no water comes out with the resistance/pressure a head provides, and you changed the head, perhaps there is a leak underneath that doesn’t show when there is no resistance, but when you add pressure on the line with a head the water diverts to the leak point. I would dig around the pop up so you can see the joints- or at least see if the hole fills up with water with a head on.

If he is flushing the line, there is no blockage in the line. Yes, could be the screw is bottomed out. If you can blow thru the bottom of the head and air goes thru, and water comes out the pop up with the head off, then you are closing the head adjustment when you tighten it on the pop up.
I can't even estimate how many thousands of heads I have repaired, checked and adjusted over the years... but for sure, there is no reason to discard the filter. Many reasons to keep it there. It also doesn't reason that multiple companies are manufacturing all those heads, selling as cheap as possible, yet adding a filter you need to throw away to make the nozzle work better.
Same people telling me to throw them away also tell me rain gauges don't work.

I understand that you need the filter to adjust the throw distance, but I have never seen any technician actually adjust the throw distance. They just use another nozzle. I have had technicians tell me that they routinely discard the filters because it reduces clogs and maintenance calls. Personally, I never clean a filter, I just throw them away. To me, the only purpose the filter has is to protect a nozzle that you can buy for less than 2 dollars. I understand that this may not apply to rotating sprinkler heads, which I don't have.

Right except for the MP rotators. They will clog and you will be replacing a lot of them if you remove the filter.

Wonder how the OP made out?

I was thinking the same thing, I hope they reply on what they found.

Guess I am old school. I clean the filters, clean spray heads, adjust heads, BEFORE replacing parts. But I am not chasing sales to boost my income, as most techs are.
I am chasing the best landscape I can give each homeowner.
I have heard too many "techs" and "landscape designers" laugh about "Job security" after I point out that what they are doing (or teaching employees to do) isn't the best for the homeowner... than I can count.
Very sad how greed has become a forgivable sin in today's society.

Not many homes in TV have a properly adjusted shrub spray system. Most are watering walls, sidewalks at the entry etc.
A GOOD tech will utilize the adjustments as needed.
The increments ALL irrigation heads come in, leave a lot in between. And except for the cheapest "spot spitter", they are ALL adjustable (well except the spray heads someone stole the filter out of) for a reason.

A lazy or greedy tech will set you up for replacing more spray heads in the future because more will clog after the filter is gone, and that is sales. But most homeowners think a tech knows his (or her) stuff, because the tech knows how to set a timer, or was from a big 5 company that takes care of everyone's lawn, and they trust them.

I don't care if 1,000 techs, (and 10 guys working at Ace hardware) told you to not use the filter in a spray head, it lessens the value of the head, shortens the life of the head... and is IRRITATING to the honest and educated tech that attempts to adjust the head to properly tune the system.

Right, most people think, well I'll just replace the head when it goes bad but in reality once they remove the filter, they find they are replacing a lot of heads over time that they would not have had to do.

I think a main irrigation filter is the answer. Since I've installed one years ago, never had any problems with the spray heads. Especially the small ones spraying my flower bed. I make a couple of adjustments periodically if I see something not right but that's about it.

I like a filter in the line. Before the valves or after the valves? Both? They do require maint. of course, but most of what I find clogging heads is either a bit of pipe glue that finally came loose from the install or work, crap that got in the pipe when someone else worked on it and didn't flush lines at all, lots of stuff that is actually growing in the lines themselves. Even parts of valves that are wearing. Nothing stops us from needing to do occasional maintenance, and just good ol' walk arounds looking at every head on every zone.

What is "a lot of heads" and over what time? I'm at eight years and I think I've replaced three heads. Even then, one was hit by a mower so a filter would not have helped at all.

I can't emphasize enough: YMMV. Those who irrigate with potable water likely have fewer problems. I have irrigation water that must be pretty clean. A lot of the problems mentioned in other threads were from those south of 44.

You are in a minority. Typically the non-potable water is full of sediment when the ponds are low and we don't have a lot of rain. For those who use potable water I wouldn't expect any problems.

Since I've installed an in-line irrigation filter, in the past 4 years since I've lived here I haven't had to replace any filters, zero and when I check the spray head filters are clean. But I'm always sad watching my neighbors who don't want to spend the money installing an in-line filter but spend money having an Irrigation company come and replace spray heads every single year.

The irrigation filter I was referring to goes in-line before the valve box. Depending on your non-potable irrigation water you typically have to clean the one in-line filter once a month.

For more information call Chuck
chuck.grospitch@gmail.com
440-823-4273