I bought a house that had a bunch of broken sprinklers, as evidenced by
puddles of water. When I dig down more than a foot for each one, I find
they all have this horribly complicated plumbing arrangement.
http://picturepush.com/public/7728890

It's easy enough to repair, as I can simply match parts at Home Depot,
but I was wondering WHY there are six or seven couplings where just two
or three would work just fine (seems to me).

Maybe I'm missing something important.

Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:55:26 +0000, alpha male wrote:
Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

Here's the correct picture (something went wrong with the last upload):
http://picturepush.com/public/7728911

I bought a house that had a bunch of broken sprinklers, as evidenced
by puddles of water. When I dig down more than a foot for each one, I
find they all have this horribly complicated plumbing arrangement.
http://picturepush.com/public/7728890

It's easy enough to repair, as I can simply match parts at Home
Depot,
but I was wondering WHY there are six or seven couplings where just
two or three would work just fine (seems to me).

Maybe I'm missing something important.

Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

thats definitely presidentionally engineered, get rid of it and just
use schedule 40 PVC

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 05:55:26 +0000 (UTC), alpha male
wrote:

I bought a house that had a bunch of broken sprinklers, as evidenced by
puddles of water. When I dig down more than a foot for each one, I find
they all have this horribly complicated plumbing arrangement.
http://picturepush.com/public/7728890

It's easy enough to repair, as I can simply match parts at Home Depot,
but I was wondering WHY there are six or seven couplings where just two
or three would work just fine (seems to me).

Maybe I'm missing something important.

Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?


You can't hook the sprinkler to the pipe or it would not reach the
grass. You could use less couplings with a rubber hose as a riser.
That's what some outfits are doing where I live.

Maybe someone was trying to get rid of all their small "scrap" pieces
of piping.

Sonny

On 3/6/2012 1:01 AM, alpha male wrote:
On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:55:26 +0000, alpha male wrote:
Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

Here's the correct picture (something went wrong with the last upload):
http://picturepush.com/public/7728911


The bunch of odd fittings may just be old repairs using what was in the
workshop, rather than making a trip to the store for "prettier" stuff.
It may also have been rigged to avoid some landscaping feature.
Sometimes longer offsets are installed so that if a head is run over by
the mower the pressure isn't directed straight down onto the line; there
is also flex pipe for that purpose that will help avoid broken lines.

alpha male wrote:
I bought a house that had a bunch of broken sprinklers, as evidenced
by puddles of water. When I dig down more than a foot for each one, I
find they all have this horribly complicated plumbing arrangement.
http://picturepush.com/public/7728890

It's easy enough to repair, as I can simply match parts at Home Depot,
but I was wondering WHY there are six or seven couplings where just
two or three would work just fine (seems to me).

Maybe I'm missing something important.

Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

To provide the possibility of rotation in case the upper part gets whacked.
The original can rotate in two planes; your repair can rotate in only one
plane.

If the soil is clay and gets rock hard, the ability to move won't mean much;
if the soil is sandy, it can mean the difference between broken and
unbroken.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

On Mar 6, 7:52*am, Sonny wrote:
Maybe someone was trying to get rid of all their small "scrap" pieces
of piping.

Sonny


They might have done it thinking that with all the
elbows it gives more freedom to get the head
located exactly where they wanted it. But it's not
normally done that way. Around here, NJ, they
typically don't install it 12" deep either. About
7 inches is more typical and they use black poly
pipe that can be pulled without trenching and is
easier to work with, no glueing, can curve it, etc.

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 04:52:55 -0800 (PST), Sonny
wrote:

Maybe someone was trying to get rid of all their small "scrap" pieces
of piping.

Sonny


Right. If he meant to a new piece of pipe, then yes, he could do that
but I wouldn't. I read his message as if he could just connect to
the old pipe but that was before I had my coffee. Of course that
doesn't make sense.

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 08:48:13 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

alpha male wrote:
I bought a house that had a bunch of broken sprinklers, as evidenced
by puddles of water. When I dig down more than a foot for each one, I
find they all have this horribly complicated plumbing arrangement.
http://picturepush.com/public/7728890

It's easy enough to repair, as I can simply match parts at Home Depot,
but I was wondering WHY there are six or seven couplings where just
two or three would work just fine (seems to me).

Maybe I'm missing something important.

Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

To provide the possibility of rotation in case the upper part gets whacked.
The original can rotate in two planes; your repair can rotate in only one
plane.

If the soil is clay and gets rock hard, the ability to move won't mean much;
if the soil is sandy, it can mean the difference between broken and
unbroken.

Called a _Swing Pipe Assembly_

• Primary Application: Residential Installation

• Allows to minimize overall system depth underground

• Swing motion allows for easy and accurate depth setting of the
sprinkler head

• Allows easy parallel connection of sprinkler heads to main
irrigation line.

http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/accessories/SwingPipeAssembly.htm

They also allow for some stress relief in case you step on the
sprinkler head. You can even buy them in metal, that flexes.

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 08:48:13 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

alpha male wrote:
I bought a house that had a bunch of broken sprinklers, as evidenced
by puddles of water. When I dig down more than a foot for each one, I
find they all have this horribly complicated plumbing arrangement.
http://picturepush.com/public/7728890

It's easy enough to repair, as I can simply match parts at Home Depot,
but I was wondering WHY there are six or seven couplings where just
two or three would work just fine (seems to me).

Maybe I'm missing something important.

Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

To provide the possibility of rotation in case the upper part gets whacked.
The original can rotate in two planes; your repair can rotate in only one
plane.

If the soil is clay and gets rock hard, the ability to move won't mean much;
if the soil is sandy, it can mean the difference between broken and
unbroken.

Called a _Swing Pipe Assembly_

• Primary Application: Residential Installation

• Allows to minimize overall system depth underground

• Swing motion allows for easy and accurate depth setting of the
sprinkler head

• Allows easy parallel connection of sprinkler heads to main
irrigation line.

http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/accessories/SwingPipeAssembly.htm

They also allow for some stress relief in case you step on the
sprinkler head. You can even buy them in metal, that flexes.

On 03/06/2012 10:15 AM, Oren wrote:

[snip]

Called a _Swing Pipe Assembly_

• Primary Application: Residential Installation

• Allows to minimize overall system depth underground

• Swing motion allows for easy and accurate depth setting of the
sprinkler head

• Allows easy parallel connection of sprinkler heads to main
irrigation line.

http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/accessories/SwingPipeAssembly.htm

They also allow for some stress relief in case you step on the
sprinkler head. You can even buy them in metal, that flexes.

I have one sprinkler head that won't come up any more (although it still
sprays) because of a tree root that grew over the top. That _Swing Pipe
Assembly_ would have made it easier to fix.

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us

"Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there
be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded fear" -- Thomas Jefferson, 1787

On 3/6/2012 5:28 AM, Norminn wrote:
On 3/6/2012 1:01 AM, alpha male wrote:
On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:55:26 +0000, alpha male wrote:
Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

Here's the correct picture (something went wrong with the last upload):
http://picturepush.com/public/7728911


The bunch of odd fittings may just be old repairs using what was in the
workshop, rather than making a trip to the store for "prettier" stuff.
It may also have been rigged to avoid some landscaping feature.
Sometimes longer offsets are installed so that if a head is run over by
the mower the pressure isn't directed straight down onto the line; there
is also flex pipe for that purpose that will help avoid broken lines.

I suspect there was a reason to this madness. Wanting the ability to
position the sprinkler in a specific position after the main pipe was
installed is one reason. When planting a tree and adding a sprinkler to
water it you can end up with some strange plumbing to minimize digging.

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:12:26 -0800, Oren wrote:

Called a _Swing Pipe Assembly_
Swing motion allows for easy and accurate depth setting
of the sprinkler head
They also allow for some stress relief in case you step
on the sprinkler head.

Hi Oren,

Thanks again for helping me out!

That must be what it is, i.e., a home-made Swing Pipe Assembly.

Here's a picture of the final assembly before I covered it in the mucky
clay soil (which will set around it like concrete).
http://picturepush.com/public/7734851

Many of the sprinklers are broken but all that I've dug up used a similar
contraption. The only thing different is the length of the sprinkler
bodies themselves. They all had the same number of elbows.

As Oren suggested, I can see that the Swing Pipe Assembly allows me to
position the head within a foot or so of the pipe in any direction, and
it allows me to level it with the soil.

I guess it also allows some protection (as Oren also stated) since it can
move - but once that clay sets, it won't move much.

I don't at all see how it can do the other things advertised:
a) Allows to minimize overall system depth underground
I have no idea what that means or implies as the pipe is more than a foot
underground at all places whether or not this contraption is attached.

b) Allows easy parallel connection of sprinkler heads to main
irrigation line.
I don't see how all the extra fittings make the connection to the main
line any easier or harder?

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:24:28 -0800, SMS wrote:

I suspect there was a reason to this madness. Wanting the ability to
position the sprinkler in a specific position after the main pipe was
installed is one reason.

As shown in this picture below, I must agree that all the swing fittings
allow for the final location to be in a wide 1 foot arc around the main
(white) irrigation line output.
http://picturepush.com/public/7734851

Since all the sprinklers appear to be built this way, I'm gonna assume
they did it on purpose.

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:48:22 -0800, wrote:

They might have done it thinking that with all the elbows it gives more
freedom to get the head located exactly where they wanted it. But it's
not normally done that way. Around here, NJ, they typically don't
install it 12" deep either.

Hi Trader4,

That's interesting because I'm in the Santa Cruz Mountains which never
(almost never) get to freezing whereas you're in NJ where it does freeze
every year.

Mine is easily more than a foot deep to the main irrigation line. I'm not
sure why I'm deeper than you in NJ since the weather is so mild here.

Maybe because we never shut off our water in the winter and you probably
do?

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:48:13 -0500, dadiOH wrote:
The original can rotate in two planes; your repair can rotate
in only one plane.

Hi DadiOH,

I may have misunderstood how to install it.

I exactly replaced, one to one, the elbow that had broken (you can see
the tag on the bottom-most elbow which is the new part in this picture):
http://picturepush.com/public/7734851

I've since filled it with the mucky clay so it's done - but do you think
that last picture has the three planes of rotation still in effect?

If not, I guess the actual position you put the thing can determine the
planes of rotation since you can position it about a foot either way of
the actual location of the main (white) irrigation line.

If the soil is clay and gets rock hard, the ability to move won't mean
much;

The soil will be like concrete in just a few weeks!

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:30:58 -0600, Mark Lloyd wrote:

I have one sprinkler head that won't come up any more (although it still
sprays) because of a tree root that grew over the top. That _Swing Pipe
Assembly_ would have made it easier to fix.

Interesting you say that because I had one last week that a big root had
sideswiped it underground, tilting it almost level with the ground
instead of pointing straight up.

When I dug down and cut the root away, I was shocked to see nothing was
damaged. The two-inch-thick root merely pushed the entire sprinkler swing
arm over.

I didn't snap a picture of it at the time, but, I guess that's one
advantage of the swing arm assembly.

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 06:01:41 +0000 (UTC), alpha male
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:55:26 +0000, alpha male wrote:
Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

Here's the correct picture (something went wrong with the last upload):
http://picturepush.com/public/7728911

1) Needed to tilt the pipes..

2) How deep is the white pipe...

2.a) Don't count on it...

3) Your pipes give you flexibility...

4) No...?

Fix what broke!

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:28:04 -0800, Oren wrote:
2) How deep is the white pipe...
The main white irrigation line is just about a bit more than a foot deep.

Fix what broke!
That's what I did. I replaced the elbow that had broken at the white
pipe. I had to unscrew the broken part from the white pipe and screw it
on in the mud (which is amazing that it worked because it can't possibly
have been clean).
http://picturepush.com/public/7734851

Using the keywords Oren provided, I was able to find this tutorial:
http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/instal06.htm

Unfortunately, I think that tutorial implies that the white elbow MUST be
pointed UP and not to the side like mine is. I'm not sure why though but
it says so in the diagram titled "Drawing of a Rigid Quadruple Swing
Riser" on that web page.

On Mar 6, 5:14*pm, alpha male wrote:
On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:48:22 -0800, wrote:
They might have done it thinking that with all the elbows it gives more
freedom to get the head located exactly where they wanted it. *But it's
not normally done that way. *Around here, NJ, they typically don't
install it 12" deep either.

Hi Trader4,

That's interesting because I'm in the Santa Cruz Mountains which never
(almost never) get to freezing whereas you're in NJ where it does freeze
every year.

Mine is easily more than a foot deep to the main irrigation line. I'm not
sure why I'm deeper than you in NJ since the weather is so mild here.

Maybe because we never shut off our water in the winter and you probably
do?

Yes, here sprinkler systems are blown out every Fall. In some
cases you can design them so that using gravity they are self-
draining, but that makes installation more difficult, so most are
blown out with an air compressor.

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 22:09:56 +0000 (UTC), alpha male
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:12:26 -0800, Oren wrote:

Called a _Swing Pipe Assembly_
Swing motion allows for easy and accurate depth setting
of the sprinkler head
They also allow for some stress relief in case you step
on the sprinkler head.

Hi Oren,

Thanks again for helping me out!

That must be what it is, i.e., a home-made Swing Pipe Assembly.

Here's a picture of the final assembly before I covered it in the mucky
clay soil (which will set around it like concrete).
http://picturepush.com/public/7734851

Many of the sprinklers are broken but all that I've dug up used a similar
contraption. The only thing different is the length of the sprinkler
bodies themselves. They all had the same number of elbows.

As Oren suggested, I can see that the Swing Pipe Assembly allows me to
position the head within a foot or so of the pipe in any direction, and
it allows me to level it with the soil.

I guess it also allows some protection (as Oren also stated) since it can
move - but once that clay sets, it won't move much.

I don't at all see how it can do the other things advertised:
a) Allows to minimize overall system depth underground
I have no idea what that means or implies as the pipe is more than a foot
underground at all places whether or not this contraption is attached.

b) Allows easy parallel connection of sprinkler heads to main
irrigation line.
I don't see how all the extra fittings make the connection to the main
line any easier or harder?




I like the rubber hose that the pros use around here instead. Easier
to manipulate in any direction and easier to dismantle too. I'm in
west Houston and we also bury pvc pipes about a foot below. We do get
an occasion freeze but usually in worst cases, 2 to 3 days but this is
not common.

I wonder what pipe material they use in NJ nowadays? When I was a
kid, a neighbor across the street from us had a underground sprinkler
and I believe his was using copper pipe but I can't swear to that. Not
sure if this makes sense tho because this was in Long Island, NY and
there they do have extended freezing temps. Can anyone tell me if
this would make sense in the late 50s or early 60s ? I remember tho
he had a nice lawn grin. He was the only one I ever knew in our
area with an underground system (we just lived in a average
neighborhood... not upscale).

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:54:10 -0600, Doug wrote:
I wonder what pipe material they use ...nowadays?

It's interesting that the tutorial I found based on Oren's keywords:
http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/instal06.htm

Says the following about materials:
"A typical rigid swing riser is constructed using a 12 inch long SCH 80
PVC nipple for the rigid arm (generally SCH 80 is gray colored) and high
density polyethylene street ells (see photo of a street ell above.) High
density polyethylene is typically referred to as "Marlex". Marlex is
black in color, softer than PVC, and works better for swing risers than
PVC because it has a naturally oily surface. Do not use standard threaded
white or gray PVC ells on swing risers! The threads on standard PVC ells
tend to stick to each other and keep the swing riser arm from moving as
it should. I recommend that you use a small amount of Teflon tape on the
male threads, even when using Marlex street ells. By the way, the black
plastic used for the Funny Pipe ® risers mentioned earlier are not Marlex!
If you can't scratch it with your fingernail, it is not Marlex."

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:15:02 -0800, Oren wrote:
http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/accessories/
SwingPipeAssembly.htm

I also found a video of them being used here, thanks to your keywords:

http://www.rainbird.com/landscape/products/accessories/
SAseriesSwingAssemblies.htm

What scares me though, is the guy in the video is installing one on a
pipe that is above ground as he swings the foot-long thing in a wide
circle to attach it to the white lateral pipe.

Problem is, for a repair, you're not going to have a two-foot diameter
hole to swing the preassembled ones in. So, I guess that's one argument
for the home-made triple swing riser and quadruple swing riser.

BTW, after reading the tutorial I found based on Oren's keywords, I think
mine is properly called the triple swing riser (whereas, for a dollar
more, had I known, I could have created a quadruple swing riser which has
freedom of direction).

On 3/5/2012 11:55 PM, alpha male wrote:
I bought a house that had a bunch of broken sprinklers, as evidenced by
puddles of water. When I dig down more than a foot for each one, I find
they all have this horribly complicated plumbing arrangement.
http://picturepush.com/public/7728890

It's easy enough to repair, as I can simply match parts at Home Depot,
but I was wondering WHY there are six or seven couplings where just two
or three would work just fine (seems to me).

Maybe I'm missing something important.

Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?


It is actually a better installation. It is meant to be easier to
adjust height and much easier to repair heads.

--


___________________________________

Keep the whole world singing . . .
Dan G
remove the seven

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 23:15:48 +0000 (UTC), alpha male
wrote:

BTW, after reading the tutorial I found based on Oren's keywords, I think
mine is properly called the triple swing riser (whereas, for a dollar
more, had I known, I could have created a quadruple swing riser which has
freedom of direction).


....and a cherry on top

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:04:51 -0600, DanG wrote:

It is meant to be easier to
adjust height and much easier to repair heads.

It's certainly easier to adjust height ... but I'd have to think how the
triple rigid swing riser makes it easier to repair heads.

I guess it's because the bottom of the sprinkler head is about half a
foot less deep into the ground?

On 3/5/2012 11:55 PM, alpha male wrote:
I bought a house that had a bunch of broken sprinklers, as evidenced by
puddles of water. When I dig down more than a foot for each one, I find
they all have this horribly complicated plumbing arrangement.
http://picturepush.com/public/7728890

It's easy enough to repair, as I can simply match parts at Home Depot,
but I was wondering WHY there are six or seven couplings where just two
or three would work just fine (seems to me).

Maybe I'm missing something important.

Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

the gray part with the swiveling black ends is call a swing arm
assembly. It's commonly used in this application . It's supposed to
absorb any impact it may receive in any direction up, down, or sidways
to prevent breakage. If you'll visit your local irrigation specialist
he'll explain it all to you.

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email

On Tue, 6 Mar 2012 23:04:50 +0000 (UTC), alpha male
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:54:10 -0600, Doug wrote:
I wonder what pipe material they use ...nowadays?

It's interesting that the tutorial I found based on Oren's keywords:
http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/instal06.htm

Says the following about materials:
"A typical rigid swing riser is constructed using a 12 inch long SCH 80
PVC nipple for the rigid arm (generally SCH 80 is gray colored) and high
density polyethylene street ells (see photo of a street ell above.) High
density polyethylene is typically referred to as "Marlex". Marlex is
black in color, softer than PVC, and works better for swing risers than
PVC because it has a naturally oily surface. Do not use standard threaded
white or gray PVC ells on swing risers! The threads on standard PVC ells
tend to stick to each other and keep the swing riser arm from moving as
it should. I recommend that you use a small amount of Teflon tape on the
male threads, even when using Marlex street ells. By the way, the black
plastic used for the Funny Pipe ® risers mentioned earlier are not Marlex!
If you can't scratch it with your fingernail, it is not Marlex."


Good info... thanks.

On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:14:18 -0600, Steve Barker wrote:

If you'll visit your local irrigation specialist
he'll explain it all to you.

I stopped by the landscape wholesaler to get a sixty pound bag of Fescue
and a gallon of roundup concentrate and asked him about it.

He said it was a very professional setup but he wasn't sure what exactly
the advantages were. He said it costs a few dollars more per sprinkler to
do it the way mine was, and most installers just skip it.

I'm glad, now that I know about it, that whoever installed mine, took the
time and effort and money to do it right!

On 3/6/2012 1:24 PM, SMS wrote:
On 3/6/2012 5:28 AM, Norminn wrote:
On 3/6/2012 1:01 AM, alpha male wrote:
On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:55:26 +0000, alpha male wrote:
Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

Here's the correct picture (something went wrong with the last upload):
http://picturepush.com/public/7728911


The bunch of odd fittings may just be old repairs using what was in the
workshop, rather than making a trip to the store for "prettier" stuff.
It may also have been rigged to avoid some landscaping feature.
Sometimes longer offsets are installed so that if a head is run over by
the mower the pressure isn't directed straight down onto the line; there
is also flex pipe for that purpose that will help avoid broken lines.

I suspect there was a reason to this madness. Wanting the ability to
position the sprinkler in a specific position after the main pipe was
installed is one reason. When planting a tree and adding a sprinkler to
water it you can end up with some strange plumbing to minimize digging.

You can also end up with brown stripes in the lawn if a tree blocks the
sprinkler....Florida volunteer palms )

On Mar 8, 7:53*am, Norminn wrote:
On 3/6/2012 1:24 PM, SMS wrote:





On 3/6/2012 5:28 AM, Norminn wrote:
On 3/6/2012 1:01 AM, alpha male wrote:
On Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:55:26 +0000, alpha male wrote:
Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

Here's the correct picture (something went wrong with the last upload):
http://picturepush.com/public/7728911

The bunch of odd fittings may just be old repairs using what was in the
workshop, rather than making a trip to the store for "prettier" stuff.
It may also have been rigged to avoid some landscaping feature.
Sometimes longer offsets are installed so that if a head is run over by
the mower the pressure isn't directed straight down onto the line; there
is also flex pipe for that purpose that will help avoid broken lines.

I suspect there was a reason to this madness. Wanting the ability to
position the sprinkler in a specific position after the main pipe was
installed is one reason. When planting a tree and adding a sprinkler to
water it you can end up with some strange plumbing to minimize digging.

You can also end up with brown stripes in the lawn if a tree blocks the
sprinkler....Florida volunteer palms )- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

They make a short piece of flex pipe with threaded male ends that is a
lot easier to use for shock absorbsion and adjustability. I just put
all my heads directly on top of a piece of threaded straight pipe. I
have had to replace the straight pipe a few times but not enough to
justify all the extra junk.

On Mar 6, 4:04*pm, DanG wrote:
On 3/5/2012 11:55 PM, alpha male wrote:

I bought a house that had a bunch of broken sprinklers, as evidenced by
puddles of water. When I dig down more than a foot for each one, I find
they all have this horribly complicated plumbing arrangement.
http://picturepush.com/public/7728890

It's easy enough to repair, as I can simply match parts at Home Depot,
but I was wondering WHY there are six or seven couplings where just two
or three would work just fine (seems to me).

Maybe I'm missing something important.

Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

It is actually a better installation. *It is meant to be easier to
adjust height and much easier to repair heads.

--

___________________________________

Keep the whole world singing . . .
Dan G
remove the seven

Completely normal. I see this set up frequently and as noted in
Rainbird link it is designed to breakage from either lawn equipment or
people stepping on sprinkler heads. Much better that either flex-pipe
or (God forbid) rigid piper risers.

On Mar 9, 2:47*am, Tim wrote:
On Mar 6, 4:04*pm, DanG wrote:





On 3/5/2012 11:55 PM, alpha male wrote:

I bought a house that had a bunch of broken sprinklers, as evidenced by
puddles of water. When I dig down more than a foot for each one, I find
they all have this horribly complicated plumbing arrangement.
http://picturepush.com/public/7728890

It's easy enough to repair, as I can simply match parts at Home Depot,
but I was wondering WHY there are six or seven couplings where just two
or three would work just fine (seems to me).

Maybe I'm missing something important.

Is it normal for typical lawn sprinklers to look like this?
http://picturepush.com/public/7728891

Why?

It is actually a better installation. *It is meant to be easier to
adjust height and much easier to repair heads.

--

___________________________________

Keep the whole world singing . . .
Dan G
remove the seven

Completely normal. I see this set up frequently and as noted in
Rainbird link it is designed to breakage from either lawn equipment or
people stepping on sprinkler heads. Much better that either flex-pipe
or (God forbid) rigid piper risers.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I've been using rigid pipe risers for years and have never
lost a head or had a pipe crack due to physical damage from
a mower driving over them or someone stepping on them. I think
the fact that around here we use poly pipe for the runs,
which has give, as opposed to rigid PVC, could be a factor.
I don't know why anyone would use PVC as poly is so much
easier to work with.

On Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:47:55 -0800, Tim wrote:
Completely normal. I see this set up frequently and as noted in Rainbird
link it is designed to breakage from either lawn equipment or people
stepping on sprinkler heads. Much better that either flex-pipe or (God
forbid) rigid piper risers.

Thanks. It looks like this is very normal for some, and weird for others.

For me, it was a learning experience.

When I do it again, I'll change the three-elbowed riser to a four-elbowed
one for additional benefits.