Lesson Two

by Tom Lanier, Sprinkler Pros 

Landlords and property managers! This may be the most important article in this series for you.

Frank Tyger said,” Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble.“

Lesson Two: The Sprinkler System Shutoff Valve. The next item in line should be a shutoff valve to the system itself. When a sprinkler valve goes bad, there may not be a dedicated shutoff valve to the sprinkler system so the house water shutoff or the shutoff at the meter has to be shut off until a sprinkler repairman can come fix the problem. I’ve experienced house shutoffs that were broken or rusted shut. What if the repairman is backed up for two weeks? Yep, someone will eventually be found to take care of it, but you get the point. You either have a flood, geyser, or you’ll be without water until it gets resolved. If you don’t have a shutoff, have myself or someone else install one for you.

            Sometimes a shutoff exists, but the occupant doesn’t know that it exists because it’s buried by dirt, bark, landscape rock, or their landlords never showed it to them. The shutoff valve is usually in the ground and, unfortunately, in a vertical sleeve made from a 2-3” drain pipe too narrow for your hand to fit into. Hello!? The openings are rarely covered so the drain pipe fills with dirt, rock, bark, and debris making it difficult or impossible to access the valve. The shutoffs are also normally brass gate valves. Gate valves are the type of valves that have the round handles that you spin clockwise to shut off. They tend to rust out, leak, and freeze up making them useless when needed. The recommended valve for this job is a PVC ball valve. It won’t rust or leak and rarely freezes up. The way it’s designed, it just turns a quarter turn to turn on and off. It’s quick and easy. The best way to contain this valve is with a semi-cylindrical PVC valve box with an included lid. Be sure to keep the top of the box an inch or two above the soil level to avoid accidental burial and loss. Keep things off of it like your favorite garden gnome so the valve box doesn’t disappear. And put it on your To Do List of things to introduce your new tenants to when they are getting the tour. It could save you a pile of money and bottle full of heartache.

Always remember: “Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody.” - Mark Twain.

If you have sprinkler work needed, be sure to call now. Don’t wait until the heat turns up. My cell phone: 878.5449.

 All content is copyright Tom Lanier.  

This article was originally published in the Orcutt Pioneer http://www.orcuttpioneer.com/.