Fixing irrigation nozzle
 

My irrigation nozzle and the white base came off the black pipe which comes up. I can push the nozzle and white base in but the spray pattern is completely off and unchangeable. What can I do?

The nozzle should screw in to the black pipe, not pushed in. Make sure that the nozzle is not broken and leaving a piece stuck in the black pipe. Take the nozzle to ACE Hardware and buy another one or several for spares. The white part sounds like the filter which can be removed by just pulling it off. If that is the filter, just leave it off and try the nozzle without the filter. The filter is basically worthless anyway. Good luck.

Thank you, I took the filter out but the head is not spraying properly not enough water is coming out. Previously nothing at all came out. I’ll take it to Ace.

One thing you can try is to remove the nozzle and turn on the sprinkler so that you get a geyser. This can flush out dirt in the underground pipe. If the geyser is at least 3 feet high, you should have enough pressure to operate the nozzle, unless the nozzle itself is clogged. But, I would also recommend buying some new nozzles.

Yes, I got a geyser - right in my face but this was before I wrote here. I turned on the system and the nozzle didn’t come up, so I cleaned the donut and tried to adjust the nozzle, which did not come up, then suddenly the black tube came up threw off the nozzle and sprayed a geyser on me while it descended back to the ground with the nozzle thrown off. I had to take a bath, this stuff is recycled water.

It really sounds like you need a new nozzle, and you need to check inside the black pipe to see if there is a piece of broken nozzle stuck in the black pipe.

No, I checked. I don’t want to screw it on too tight not to break it. Tomorrow I’ll look again the daylight. (My deceased husband would have fixed this in no time at all.) I really appreciate your help.

CORRECTION. not recycled.

Home Irrigation:

North of CR 466, homes are irrigated with potable water.

South of CR 466, homes are irrigated with non-potable water which is comprised of storm water runoff that is collected in water retention areas and groundwater from the lower Floridan aquifer when storm water supplies are not available.

Well, it smells horrible! I hope I won’t get sick from it.

Good luck. You could have a small rock or grit stuck inside the nozzle. New nozzles only cost about 2 dollars. I always keep several spares around to replace them when they get clogged or break off, which happens often. Note that there are several different types of nozzles. They have a model number stamped on them, and they are color coded to indicate the throw distance.

Do you know what brand nozzle you have? Irrigation nozzles comes in several designed. So would valuable information knowing what type/brand nozzles you’re trying to seek help with.

If it’s basic orbit pop up (depend on what design) the white part you’re talking about might be the bushing that black pipe pops up and down in? If so the sun will deteriorate them over time and they will crack or crumble and fail. See picture.

Does nozzle look like this? See picture

Or does pop up look like this bottom picture?

These all are basic pop up and take same kind of nozzle as shown. Also the nozzles has different spray lengths by looking at number on top 6 means 6 foot, 10 would mean 10 foot length spray pattern.

Can’t tell you right now because I have to go back outside to take it off and it’s dark and it’s in a bit of water in the donut. It is definitely the pop up kind. I found it interesting that when the nozzle head came off with the filter, the black pipe descended back into the ground even though the water was coming out of the pipe.

Spring pressure over took drop in water pressure. Hopefully the nozzle just came unscrewed? If it broke off them you will have to replace the pop up assemble. unless you have old same type and hold base pop up housing screw top off (see picture). If you have old top cap and pipe parts you can just screw it back into the base housing. If not you have to buy same type in unscrew top install guts or dig up the old pop up and replace with new same type length pop up. Ace or big box stores will have them. look at picture if you have same type you can see all internal parts that just unscrews and you can screw into old housing without digging it up.

You have a pm.

For the black pipe to pop up, the nozzle needs to be in place. It provides upward pressure inside the black pipe to push it up. Often, the nozzle will break off and leave a piece of the threaded end on the black pipe. This broken piece needs to be removed before screwing a new nozzle onto the black pipe.