Irrigation system repairs can usuallybe kept to a manageable level if youfollow a few simple but orderly steps.

The first is to do what John Wayne did inhis low-budget cowboy movies of the early1930s—head them off at the pass.

We spoke to some experts on thesubject—real experts, in that they eitherspend their days repairing systems or havegone on to become consultants based ontheir years of experience in the field. Theyagree that a regular maintenance sched-ule to avoid repairs should be first on any-one's list of things to do.

In order to make such a schedule mosteffective, however, you first need to knowwhich components in a system are mostlikely to need periodic maintenance—and,should the varmints still get through thatpass, which are most likely to need repairs.

You also have to know how to detectproblems when they occur—hopefully beforethey become serious, though this isn't alwayspossible.

These three stratagems have beenapplied by each of our experts to some orall of the following elements, depending ontheir particular expertise and interests: elec-trical, hydraulics, pressure, flow, controls,sensors, valves, and pump systems.

Bill Derryberry spoke to us from his officein Scottsdale, AZ, where he has a thrivingpractice as an irrigation consultant and haswritten and published a book, "Troubleshoot-ing Irrigation Control Systems," which hesells by mail.

Derryberry began very modestly by say-ing, "People often ask me what kind of main-tenance I recommend for avoiding problemsin irrigation systems. And, frankly, I don'tsee a lot that you can do! It's not like chang-ing the oil regularly in an automobile engine."Then he proceeded to tell us plenty that youcan do. . . .

"Check to spot solenoids that are aboutto fail. Make sure your splices are correct.Keep your clocks clean, dry, and bug-free.Adjust and set all heads to their correctheight to avoid their being broken off by amower. Seek out broken heads frequentlyand repair them promptly. When you dorepair them, install flexible swing joints inorder to head off future damage. And, ofcourse, use swing joints on all new heads.

"Most problems involve breakage causedby incorrect installation. Ninety percent ofthat involves failure to use swing joints, orfailure to use them properly, plus settingthe heads improperly. Few people appreci-ate how critical it is to set a head within ahalf-inch of level, and flush with the finishedgrade."

Getting down to details, Derryberry hadthis to say about the various elements ofan irrigation system and what can go wrongwith them:

"Electrically, probably the biggest andleast-understood failing is deteriorating sole-noids. Most of the time you can anticipateearly failure of solenoids by a simple ohm-meter test at the clock, instead of walking

continued on page 30

A Guide toIrrigation Repairs

Technician checks resistance for each valve at controller.

May, 1988 29

Sprinkler heads should be flush with the surface to avoid damage by maintenance equipment.

Irrigation System Repairscontinued from page 29all over to check the whole system per-sonally. Ohmmeters directly measure elec-trical resistance in ohms, so you can seeat a glance if something's wrong."

Simply comparing the resistance in var-ious stations will disclose which solenoidsare shorted or partially shorted, Derryberryexplained. When you do find a solenoid ineither condition, "Change it now," he urged,"to avoid a future service call. Don't try totalk yourself out of it. Don't let it go!"

Turning his attention to components mostlikely to fail, he said, "Aside from ordinarypipe breakage and vandalism, the singlegreatest cause of service calls—perhaps90 percent of the remainder—is for remote-control valves, or RCVs."

His maintenance advice in this regard:"Ohmmeter readings every six months wouldprobably be the most important thing youcould do. Inspect all valve pigtail splices,and replace those which are not properlywaterproofed. If you have just inherited alarge project, don't fail to go through andcheck all those RCV pigtail splices—because electrical shorts cause confusingsymptoms and misdirect repair efforts.Therefore you should at least eliminate suchsymptom confusion by seeing to it that youhave good splices first.

"On the ohmmeters, you'll get differentcontinued on page 32

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Irrigation System Repairscontinued from page 30resistance readings at different places,depending on the distance from valves.Without going into all the details, let me justsay that the greater the distance from thevalve, the greater the resistance will be."

For hydraulics, 90 percent of callbacksare for remote-control valves. And I wouldsay that 50 to 75 percent of those RCV call-backs are due to contamination in the valve."This can be prevented by usingcontamination-proof valves. They have beenaround for more than 25 years . . . eventhough they have only become fashiona-ble in the last four or five years."

Derryberry then confided, "We are so con-cerned in our industry about running outof pressure, that we overlook the ramifica-tions of excess pressure. Yet it will consume

more excess water if it's not controlled thanmost people realize!

"That's the reason why so many manufac-turers, recognizing this fact, have recentlybegun to provide pressure-regulating RCVs.I feel that their additional cost generally paysback within one or two years," Derryberrydeclared.

In discussing flow, he observed, "Thereis a trend to low-precipitation sprinklers, withshorter radiuses and spaced closer together.Low-precipitation heads do an excellent jobof compensating for site conditions, soil,slope, and sun exposure.

"However, another cardinal sin which wetoo often commit in this industry is not con-sidering the poor devil who must managethis system for the next 30 years," Derryberrywarned.

"When the Little League lights go out at

Swing joints and waterproof electrical connections assure proper operation of sprinkler heads.

32 sportsTURF

ten o'clock at night, and the joggers startusing the park at five o'clock in the morn-ing, we have only seven hours in which toget the entire site watered. And if these low-precipitation heads don't truly give us con-siderable reduction in flow, then we can-not increase the size of the valve sectionsufficiently. Consequently our total run timemay still exceed the seven hours allotted."

Moving on to the subject of controllers,he observed, "Solid-state controllers are get-ting quite foolproof. And, as a result, there'snot much maintenance to be done there.Keep them clean and keep the bugs out ofthem, as I said before—and put them in theshade if possible. Heat deteriorates solid-state circuitry quickly."

Derryberry has mixed feelings about sen-sors. "Most sensors are relatively new, andrelatively unproven," Derryberry noted."When they are proven, then we will havethe most important tool that the irrigationindustry has seen in many, many years."

The reason, he explained, is simple:"Regardless of how many multi-thousand-dollar computerized control systems,weather stations, and peripheral equipmentwe might want to throw at our turf, that turfcould care less how we get the water to it—so long as we can provide a soil structurewhich is 50 percent solids, 25 percent oxy-gen, and 25 percent water.

"When we can avoid feast-or-faminewatering schedules, our turf will thrive. Andthat's all that a moisture sensor has to do,"Derryberry concluded.

John Skidgell, marketing manager for golfat The Toro Company Irrigation Division inRiverside, CA, has been with the companyfor 26 years. He began his discussion byfocusing on inspection. "Take a look at yourpump stations, controllers, and sprinklerheads at least twice a month, at the veryoutside. You never know when you're goingto spring a leak in a pump house, or somecontrol valve is not working properly, or astrainer may be clogged up and getting falsereadings.

"So inspect the pump station for leaks.In most irrigation systems, the pump is theheart of the whole system, and it needs tobe well taken care of.

"Make sure the contacts are not burned.These are the starters for the pumps. Ifthey're arcing, they cause burn spots, andthe pump doesn't operate properly if thereis a high degree of heat. You need to havea good inspection of the pump station twicea month—the pump panels, regulatingvalves, and low-level sensors especially.There are a great many things in the pumpstations that always need to be checked."

Skidgell continued, "On the electrical end,you should make sure that all the connec-tions are made up properly and nobody hasloosened any wires from the controllers andforgotten to replace them. Also look for cor-rosion. If controllers are in very wet areas,corrosion can cause problems in not mak-ing good connections. Therefore you're notgetting the power you need to make thingswork. You should also look for any kind of

debris that might be getting into the con-troller unit."

It's difficult to tell whether a hydraulic sys-tem is functioning well unless you go througha total irrigation cycle, Skidgell cautioned.Only then can you see how everythingworks, and that the sprinklers have the cor-rect pressures for proper operation.

In regard to pressure, he added, "Thesesystems are all designed to operate in a cer-tain manner. If someone should decide tochange that program and load one side ofthe system with all the sprinklers he wantsto run, he may overload it from a hydraulicstandpoint, and cause heavy friction losseson the line from the high velocities. This inturn would reduce the pressure, and thesprinklers would not function properly."

He pointed out, "The question of flow isalso included in that last statement. If some-one has a six-inch line and tries to flow 800gallons through it, he loses a lot of pres-sure and he's in trouble!

"The best way to check out both con-trollers and sprinklers is to go to eachindividual satellite controller and step itthrough each station. That way you can tellwhether or not the controller is actually turn-ing the sprinklers on properly. And then youcan watch each sprinkler to make sure it'srotating correctly," Skidgell explained.

If someone has a rain sensor on his sys-tem, he should keep it clean and make sureit does indeed trip and cause the properalarm to go off. Debris can keep the sen-sor from tripping properly, and when it doesring it won't shut the system down.

Turning to valves and sprinklers, headvised, "Check the system for low sprin-klers that cause improper coverage becausethey're too low to perform in the manner theyshould. These sprinklers are on swing joints.If you happen to have the sprinklers in rela-tively soft soil, and if you're running overthem constantly with tractors, this slowlypounds them down into the ground. So theywind up being an inch or two too low. Thisblocks the spray coming from them, andthat in turn destroys the pattern of thesprinklers."

Skidgell concluded his remarks by stress-ing the importance of checking the entiresprinkler system on a periodic preventive-maintenance basis. "The irrigation systemis a maintenance tool that must be kept ingood condition to do the job it was assignedto do," he emphasized.

David Ferron, field product applicationengineer for Rain Bird's golf division in Glen-dora, CA, is always on the move, going outon product problems and fixing them.However, he found time recently at his officein Seattle, WA, to review some of the high-lights of irrigation system repairs for us.

"For general troubleshooting," he said,"here is how to detect problems: First, iso-late the problem. Then look for informationleading to the source of the problem. Findthe point where good information ends andbad information begins. The industry callsthis the Good In-Bad Out Method of

continued on page 34

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Irrigation System Repairscontinued from page 33

troubleshooting and repair, or GIBO."Ferron explained how to recognize that

point "where good information ends and badinformation begins." His advice: "Maintaina thorough knowledge of the irrigation equip-ment at your park or golf course. Read repairmanuals put out by the manufacturers toassist in your repairs. And attend schoolsor seminars to stay up-to-date on any newdevelopments."

In other words, it takes instinct based onsound training and thorough information.When you add experience in the field toinformation and training, you can tell atexactly what point the system goes wrongand the trouble s igna ls- the "badinformation"—begin.

Once in possession of the proper data,Ferron discourages delay. He urges, "Repairthe problem quickly and effectively. Do notlet it go unrepaired for a very long time. Ifyou do, the problem can only get worse;it may very well escalate."

To avoid such problems in the first placeif possible, Ferron agrees with our otherexperts on the necessity for periodic inspec-tion and maintenance. Specifically, headvised, "Inspect your complete irrigationsystem each spring and make the neces-sary repairs at that time."

He recommended these specific thingsbe done during spring inspection: "Turn eachvalve on and inspect the rotors on the heads.Inspect each controller for any winterdamage. Clean the insects from the motors,gears, or printed circuit boards."

In regard to that last item, Ferron warned,"When handling a printed circuit board, besure the power is off." He also advised usinga spray-type contact cleaner to clean thecontroller.

"Repair any wire problems immediately,"he stressed. "Do not let power leak toground, because this may cause the con-

troller to overheat and develop into otherproblems."

In closing, he repeated the need forpreventive maintenance: "Keep to a regu-lar schedule to avoid repair. Spring and fallis the best time to do the system inspec-tion. If you have not done all repairs immedi-ately as I have recommended, or if newproblems should arise after spring inspec-tion, then summer is the time to repair theirrigation system and keep it operable. Don'tput it off any longer than that."

Tom Lockwood, vice-president of salesand marketing for Valcon Automatic Irriga-tion Company, headquartered in El Monte,CA, advised that the controller can be usefulin handling some problems. Some con-trollers are specifically designed to detectsuch irrigation system problems as electricalfaults, downstream pressure losses, andexcess moisture. Aside from this, he madethe following inspection-and-repair recom-mendations:

To detect electrical problems, check thecircuit-breaker lights; the station outputs;the voltage at the valve; and the solenoidcoil (for continuity).

In regard to hydraulics, check the remote-control valves for full opening; check forclosed gate valves and for plugged sprin-kler heads; and be sure to check the back-flow device. The same procedures applyfor pressure and flow inspection.

On the controls, check the 115 VACsource and the low-voltage output. Checkto see if the controller is keeping the cor-rect time of day or is in the backup program.Also check the ground.

On the remote-control valves, check formanual operation; flow control; voltage atvalve; and the solenoid coil.

In discussing what is most likely to needregular maintenance to avoid potentialproblems, Lockwood briefly covered the fol-lowing system components, the likelytroublemakers for each, and some recom-

Pump life can be extended by proper staging and regular care.

34 sportsTURF

mended preventatives:Electrical—provide good grounding at the

controls and good waterproof connections;hydraulics—backflow device; flow—backflowdevice and gate valves; controls—checkcontrol cabinet for moistureproof integrity;check grounding; check for insect or rodentencroachment; valves—check waterproofelectrical connections; check for leaks atfittings and around diaphragms.

"Do not let powerleak to ground

because this maycause the controller

to overheat anddevelop into other

problems."Lockwood recommended the following

maintenance "musts": Check controls ona monthly basis. Check remote-controlvalves on an every-other-month basis.

He added a tip on how to achieve elec-trical savings: "The most costly item in anylandscape, as far as electrical consumption,are the booster pumps. Use controls thatwill selectively utilize the pumps only whenthey are absolutely needed. Use offlow/pressure sensors on the pump stationis very necessary."

Lockwood concluded with a useful list ofrecommendations for saving irrigation waterin today's water-conscious environment,based on his experience in building, main-taining and repairing irrigation systems:

Use anti-drain valves on all heads thatare lower in elevation than the remote-controlvalve.

Program controls so that only enoughwater is applied at any one time withoutrunoff. Try to water during a time of day whenwind or evaporation is minimal.

Use rain sensors to shut off irrigation con-trols when sufficient rain has fallen and usesoil-moisture sensors whenever possible.On slopes, design the irrigation system sothat the top, middle and toe of the slopecan be irrigated on separate valves.

Use controls that can be programmed forindividual stations, so that shade and sunareas can be valved separately. Choose con-trols that have easy-to-use water-budgetingfeatures, so water reduction can be easilyperformed.

Each in his own way, on the basis of hisown hard-won experience, these irrigationexperts have shared their knowledge withus—not only on how to repair irrigation sys-tems, but how to make them work betterin a time of growing water shortages. If selec-tively applied to your own situation, thesetips can be true lifesavers—not only for yoursystem, but for your prize turf as well. $