Talk of The Villages Florida - CAUTION on Old Irrigation Sprinklers Heads

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- - CAUTION on Old Irrigation Sprinklers Heads (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/caution-old-irrigation-sprinklers-heads-337442/)

I would never have a sprinkler head within 3' of a foundation. In fact, back home in Colorado (where we have expansive soils), code says no closer than 5'. In really poor soils, it's 10'. I know that would leave a lot of homes in TV without turf, but that's OK. Landscapers and architects adapt with creative and beautiful ideas.

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Originally Posted by vintageogauge (Post 2166981)

This is why God created Home Watch people.

If home watch does a regular irrigation check that is a good idea.

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Originally Posted by Ski Bum (Post 2167249)

That’s great but villages residents did not install the systems. Unfortunately many were built such that the risers or popups are less than 2 feet from house foundation.

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Originally Posted by asianthree (Post 2166833)

Water bill will be a big indication of broken head. Our small flower bed head broke, and bill jumped $35 in next bill.

Also. Turning on your zones and taking a walk around your property every couple of weeks is a good idea. It’s easy to see when something’s not right and then you have the option of fixing it yourself or calling a professional. Keep in mind that with irrigation the money you spend on a pro can be a far better deal than the do it yourselfer who has no idea what they are doing.

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Originally Posted by DAVES (Post 2167115)

Far from an expert. Water you pay by the gallon, I think the bill is by cubic feet but you can convert it to gallons with simple math. I do wonder broken head, the number of gallons should be the same. Just the water is not being properly distributed.

Far as a broke head. They do not break on their own. Probably broken by one of the workers. Our mowing guy, someone else did it. I only run my heavy riding mower over it.
Sort of like playing Sherlock Holms who really broke the one in our flower bed. The painter or the garden guys. Replacing broken ones is fairly easy and fairly inexpensive.
The utube presentations. It takes me far longer to do it then the video. That seems to be true about all of them.

It is a good idea to put cups, washed tuna fish cans work well to see how even your water is being distributed. The heads, most of them can be adjusted for direction and flow. They do get improperly adjusted over time. Same guy with the heavy mower, he does not do that either.

Sprinkler nozzles DO break on their own. It takes time but our hot sun breaks down the plastic over a couple of years and over time they can disintegrate and eventually break under the pressure. Villages irrigation pressure is quite good so they can break off. My advice is to replace the nozzles every few years as a preventative maintenance. They are very inexpensive and many can do it themselves or there are pros who will be happy to help.

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Originally Posted by DAVES (Post 2167115)

While sprinkler heads are prone to damage from mowers and landscapers (keep those protective donuts in good position) they absolutely can fail on their own, especially as they age. Certain common types fail by a fatigue mechanism, mainly when the return spring in the housing slams them back home when the cycle is complete. This results in a water-wasting geyser from that sprinkler head on the next cycle. I check my system regularly - very easy to do. Also, easier to spot a problem when you run the system early in the morning rather than during the night.

I agree but I think once a year is enough

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Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive (Post 2166999)

We get our system checked every six months. Joe Tucker, (352) 430-5615. Local guy, I think he's in business alone. First-rate service: last time out he checked the entire system, replaced two sprinkler heads and made sure every sprinkler was aiming in the right direction. Total cost $125.00.

. This something you need to do. You don't want to pay for your neighbor's damages because your sprinkler shot under their eves and caused damage under the roof.