Lets talk sprinkler heads.

[stomachmonkey]

Currently have those Rainbird spinny things and I really don't like them.

Recently resodded the front yard.

Went with Zyosia to replace the shyte Bermuda.

Long story short, I now need to do some sprinkler work.

The Rainbirds tend to shoot flat and the Zyosia actually grows fast and thick enough that it blocks the sprinklers so I need some more loft.

No, I'm not interested in digging up and replacing 30 sprinklers with units that pop higher.

Looking for a head that covers better.

Suggestions?

Baz?

[pwd72s]

Might check these out...some pop up over 3"...

https://www.toro.com/en/homeowner/irrigation-sprinklers-funny-pipe

[regency]

If your running 1800 type Rainbird pop-ups, there's lots of different RB nozzle choices that won't shoot so flat.

Steve

[Evans, Marv]

It's been about ten years, so my memory is kind of fuzzy, but I did my system with Hunter sprinklers. Not saying to switch over, but just that mine came with a variety of nozzles I could install in the sprinklers that had different spray patterns, gpm rates, and distances they sprayed. Can yo buy those kinds of things for Rainbirds? If you want to raise yours, can you just change out the risers for longer ones (or screw extensions onto the ones you have)?

[tabs]

I knew Mary LaFetra the founder of the Rainbird Corp. A neighbor of hers invented the iconic RB sprinkler in his barn in Glendora, CA in 1940. She and her husband went into business with him making the sprinkler which was primarily designed to water the then prevalent Orange groves.Oranges were big business in s CA after 1900. They soon bought the neighbor out for $1000. Mary's husband passed away where she took over and grew the company into what it has become. Production was in Glendora then moving to Azusa and then into Mexico starting in the late 70's. I met Mary while on a junket to Hong Kong, where we had a nice conversation. She passed away a little more than a year after that trip of pancreatic cancer. After her death her son's took over complete control of the company. Mary during her life was a philanthropist donating two homes to Azusa Pacific University and making a large donation to La Verne College where she fulfilled a dream of getting a college degree while she was in her 70's.

[Baz]

Scott---

Marv hit the nail on the head when he wrote in his post above "or screw extensions onto the ones you have."

Assuming you have what are known as pop up impact heads - like this one:



But even if it's a different brand/model....they all screw onto a threaded nipple, and that's where we go to address your issue.

Most sprinkler heads have either a 1/2" or a 3/4" threaded inlet at the bottom of the body, where it screws onto a nipple (as stated above).

Smaller heads have the 1/2"....larger ones have the 3/4". If you are running a head that rotates and is designed for a larger radius - such as a lawn area - chances are they have a 3/4" inlet.

If your system was constructed with each head on a section of flex or funny pipe - you can dig around each head to loosen, and raise the head up as needed without unscrewing or changing anything else.

If the heads are not on a section of flex or funny pipe, the easiest way to raise them is to use an "extension nipple":



They are "poly", which is the nice soft stuff that is easy to screw in - and more forgiving than(for example) the gray colored schedule 80 stuff that some nipples come as.

That one pictured is a 3/4" - and they also come in a 1/2". You will know which ones you need after you unscrew your head and look at the inlet at the bottom.

These nipples are different than 'normal' nipples because they have a male on one end and a female on the other - so when you unscrew your head....you have one end that is male and one that is female....and this nipple goes back in between the two....and just like that....your head sits higher than it was. Note also the nipples are segmented so you can cut to desired height.

I have had situation where I put these in at full length and also where I made the decision to cut some off. You will get the hang of it after the first couple heads are done.

Based on your post, this would be the easiest and most efficient path to take to raise up your heads. Your goal obviously is to raise them as high as possible without being so high that the mower blade will hit them.

Make sure you pack the soil down real good around each head as needed.

BTW....I like using those concrete donuts sometimes in turf area around my heads so I have a nice spacer to protect the heads when I weed whack around them, which should be done routinely to keep the grass from covering them up.

Some folks like the grass covering them to hide them but the German heritage in me goes with the more practical approach.

Plus the most popular turf species in these parts is St Augustine which is a creeper and has very strong stolons which are capable fo restricting pop ups from popping up!

So - this is a job that you can do just a head at a time....or two or ten - or all 30 - as you desire. Take your time.....if you are careful when you unscrew each head you won't have a bunch of dirt fall back into the opening. If that happens you may need to blow that opening out before re-installing the head. Do this by attaching the extension nipple alone and briefly running that zone...then let the water drain down good....then proceeding.

All of this is common sense so a person like you shouldn't have any problems but if you do or I can help with questions please let me know.

You should be able to buy these extension nipples at your local box store or online or at the local Site One store if there's one nearby.

Good luck!

[Baz]

Now, if your problem is not the height of the head....but the design of the head, you may want to consider changing them out. I don't know the layout of your system and how much radius each head is designed to cover, but if you can switch over to a gear drive, rather than impact, this is the most popular brand/model in the industry - the Hunter PGP:

https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Hunter-Sprinkler-Irrigation-Lawn-Rotor-p/pgp-adj.htm



When I buy these, I try to get them with the nozzle already installed - usually the #7 nozzle, which is adequate for most applications. You still get all the other size nozzles, but it saves a step for me. Sometimes you can't get them this way (nozzle pre-installed) which is OK too.

There are other rotor gear drive brands out there (Rainbird, K-Rain, Toro, Orbit, etc.) but I prefer the Hunter and so that is what I recommend.

Even going to a different brand/model head, you may still need to raise your heads up per my previous post. You may have some heads that are perfect and some that need raising.

[Baz]

One more thing just occurred to me. If you are re-using your existing heads....while they are removed....this is an excellent time to clean them thoroughly before re-installing.

Included in this is cleaning out the filter/screen, if it has one. All gear drives have them in the bottom but not sure about your model impact. Here is an schematic that shows one on this model to give you a general idea, but you'll have to figure it out for your particular model:



Don't forget...YT is an excellent site to understand how things work on any particular device, including sprinkler heads.

[MBAtarga]

In my experience, those impact sprinkler heads require WAY more maintenance than the sealed heads like Baz recommends. My system uses the Rainbird rotor style heads on zoysia grass. I think the heads pop up about 6" or so - the height of the grass is not an issue.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

In my experience, those impact sprinkler heads require WAY more maintenance than the sealed heads like Baz recommends. My system uses the Rainbird rotor style heads on zoysia grass. I think the heads pop up about 6" or so - the height of the grass is not an issue.

Generally Mark - I agree.

You won't find too many contractors using impact heads. We are all using gear drives.

Both are "rotary", BTW.

The thing is....sometimes an impact head will go a little further in radius than a gear drive, so unless I know what the radius requirements are in Scott's application - I have to stop short of recommending a change over.

When I lay out a design with gear drive rotors...I like to space them anywhere between 22'-28' apart with "head to head" coverage so there's complete overlap. They are capable of going up to 30' but when you try to stretch them that far, you just don't get the best volume of water down, in my experience.

Of course...like anything theory is tested on a daily basis and every situation is different so these are just guidelines I like to go by.

[Don Ro]

A crash course in sprinkler heads, Baz. Good job!
I also prefer the Hunter PGP, but the local Home de Pot closed out the Toro so I bought a case of them.
.
I remember those Rainbird impacts, I think they were called "Mini Paw" back in the days.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

A crash course in sprinkler heads, Baz. Good job!
I also prefer the Hunter PGP, but the local Home de Pot closed out the Toro so I bought a case of them.
.
I remember those Rainbird impacts, I think they were called "Mini Paw" back in the days.

Thanks, Don.

That Hunter PGP has always been the gold standard.

I bought some Toro gear drives too last year from my regular irrigation vendor - a new design. So far they seem to work pretty good. They were running a special....

[tabs]

The sprinkler shown is the one invented in 1940

[berettafan]

I am only here to say how weird a thread would this be if you left the 's' off the last word in the thread title.

[LakeCleElum]

Hunter for sure. My system has 46 heads on 6 circuits. Can quickly change nozzles for different spray patterns........I blow out system each winter and have only had one head go bad in the 10 years I've had the system.