Tape on sprinkler heads or no?

[John May]

Hi guys, newbie here hopefully Im not asking a stupid question.

Im in the process of redoing some sprinklers after we had a large renovation done with side walks and patios. I tested the first zone yesterday and noticed that a little bit of water leaks out between the riser and sprinkler head and the riser and the pvc pipe. Not a lot, just a drip.

I don't have great water pressure so every little bit helps, would there be any advantage to sealing those connections with tape or should I just let it drip some? If its not gonna help much Id rather not mess with it, but what do most people do?

 

[Terry]

Normally I would say tape, but then it is a sprinkler head and it's dumping water all over anyway.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[John May]

Thanks Terry! Im not worried so much about the water, but more the water pressure. Do you think I would see a significant gain in pressure if they were sealed or am I over thinking this?

 

[SteveW]

I used to install sprinkler systems for my summer jobs, and still do my own repair work.
Toro and Rainbird for sure, and I think probably others, say no tape and no pipe dope on the connection between riser and head.

Remember that there is really not a lot of pressure on the part of the system downstream from the control valves. If there is water leaking from around the connection between riser and head, you most likely have a break in the riser (e.g. from someone stepping on a head that is too high). It is really rare to have any leakage from that connection if properly hand tightened.

 

[John May]

Thanks for the replies. Ill just skip the tape. Ill be back at it this weekend, maybe I just didnt have it tight enough. The riser was not broke, it was brand new and the hole hasnt been buried so I could see that it was coming out of the joints. The sprinkler itself was old tho, maybe it has a break. Thanks again!

 

[WorthFlorida]

All irrigation systems have those pesky little leaks. Pressure is not affected unless it is really pouring out. These little leaks are from the plastic thread fittings and usually the seal (similar to an ring) at the spray head cover.