OldSalt
Member
I'm preparing to install irrigation at my Northern Idaho home this spring. I'm sort of stumped. I'd installed several residential irrigation systems over the past 30 years, so none of the requirements are new to me, but things are ~~ just a bit different ~~ in Idaho, versus Southern California. I'm aware of the basic requirements, and know what I want to do, but I have yet to find a youtube channel or comprehensive guide on specifics, as far as building in ports and valves for draining, and blowing out the system for 4-season winter preparation. I feel like I'm reinventing the wheel, trying to find the components I think I need.
Does anyone have links to web sites which might provide what I need. Hunter for example, has a huge library of information, including residential, but it's mostly orientates towards commercial applications, and what they do provide, misses the mark. I've scanned for youtube channels, browsed the web, but lots of dry holes.
My home is on a relatively steep slope, so winter draining is relatively easy. My rough plan is (short version, ha!! just skip to the bottom for the summary):
* Plumb the manifold from the main where it enters the house at my water heater closet, inside the closet.
* Add a shut off valve at the start of the irrigation supply line, plus drain valve in the and the valve control box, all in the closet.
* Route the new irrigation supply line to the back of the house, which is at the top of our hillside, core through the foundation, and drop the PVC line down into the dirt to supply a new 6-valve irrigation manifold, perhaps 12" to 18" in the ground.
* From the manifold, six lines extend to both sides of the house, and then run down the hill. There's only a 10' strip of land on either side of the house, so I'll be using drip lines to planters, almost exclusively. At the bottom (lower most) point of each line, I'll add a simple sump (hole, with enclosure for a drain valve, with gravel beneath to sink the water drained).
* The manifold will include a backflow preventer valve, followed by 1 valve (for one conventional sprinkler line), followed by a pressure controller/reducer valve and a spin-down-filter (100 mesh?). The 5 valves for the drip system follow that. Each valve-leg of the manifold will include a shutoff valve, threaded an air hose connector (the component, TBD). Plus, there will be a drain valve at the end of the manifold, to drain water into gravel in the manifold compartment. (Note: The irrigation valves themselves will not be the anti-siphon type, since the backflow check valve will handle that for the entire manifold.)
* Since I'm managed to find one of the few areas in Idaho with water nearly as hard as in Southern California, I intend to use mostly plastic valves and components, since hard water scale eats brass valves. (Love brass, but been there, done that, rebuilding the suckers every 2 years. Would rather just pull the plastic valve and replace it when it fails - usually while open.)
* The winter clean out plan is to shut off the water in the closet, and open the drain valves at the start of the line, and at the end of the manifold. The irrigation supply line will travel first up a few feet, with the drain valve above the shutoff valve, and then down thru the floor into the crawl space. So gravity drainage should work well. (After the procedure is done, the open drain valve will pick up any residual water that might leak past the shutoff valve, and drop it into the water heater drain, ensuring this line and the manifold don't refill with water.)
* Open the six drain/air valves on the manifold, as well as the drains in the end of line sumps. Let gravity do it's thing, removing most of the water.
* Close all the drain valves, except the one in the closet, and end of manifold. Attach an air hose to the drain valve in the closet, blow out the line (clearing the backflow preventer). Close both.
* Open each valve line's drain valve, attach an air hose, open the irrigation valve, and blow pneumatic air (maybe limited to 50 PSI) until the line, and all of it's drip emitters or sprinkler heads are clear. That clears the irrigation valve, the down line emitters/sprinklers of any remaining water. Close the drain valves; we're done.
Summary:
All of the above is "easy" (and maybe, a little bit overkill). Finding the components, valves and manifold components, again, seems like reinventing the wheel. I've seen the shutoff valves with bleeders, but I just hate those things (and likewise, with the bleeders on irrigation valves). They always seem to destroy the o-rings the first time they're used, and then leak forever. Plus, I need a drain-valves with threads to add the pneumatic air hose nipples, to blow out the lines. It's that kind of thing that's got me stumped. It seems like there's be a video or simple step-by-step instruction manual on building a 4-season irrigation manifold, the sumps, and so forth.
I'm looking for the 4-season residential irrigation design "easy" button.
Thanks.
Does anyone have links to web sites which might provide what I need. Hunter for example, has a huge library of information, including residential, but it's mostly orientates towards commercial applications, and what they do provide, misses the mark. I've scanned for youtube channels, browsed the web, but lots of dry holes.
My home is on a relatively steep slope, so winter draining is relatively easy. My rough plan is (short version, ha!! just skip to the bottom for the summary):
* Plumb the manifold from the main where it enters the house at my water heater closet, inside the closet.
* Add a shut off valve at the start of the irrigation supply line, plus drain valve in the and the valve control box, all in the closet.
* Route the new irrigation supply line to the back of the house, which is at the top of our hillside, core through the foundation, and drop the PVC line down into the dirt to supply a new 6-valve irrigation manifold, perhaps 12" to 18" in the ground.
* From the manifold, six lines extend to both sides of the house, and then run down the hill. There's only a 10' strip of land on either side of the house, so I'll be using drip lines to planters, almost exclusively. At the bottom (lower most) point of each line, I'll add a simple sump (hole, with enclosure for a drain valve, with gravel beneath to sink the water drained).
* The manifold will include a backflow preventer valve, followed by 1 valve (for one conventional sprinkler line), followed by a pressure controller/reducer valve and a spin-down-filter (100 mesh?). The 5 valves for the drip system follow that. Each valve-leg of the manifold will include a shutoff valve, threaded an air hose connector (the component, TBD). Plus, there will be a drain valve at the end of the manifold, to drain water into gravel in the manifold compartment. (Note: The irrigation valves themselves will not be the anti-siphon type, since the backflow check valve will handle that for the entire manifold.)
* Since I'm managed to find one of the few areas in Idaho with water nearly as hard as in Southern California, I intend to use mostly plastic valves and components, since hard water scale eats brass valves. (Love brass, but been there, done that, rebuilding the suckers every 2 years. Would rather just pull the plastic valve and replace it when it fails - usually while open.)
* The winter clean out plan is to shut off the water in the closet, and open the drain valves at the start of the line, and at the end of the manifold. The irrigation supply line will travel first up a few feet, with the drain valve above the shutoff valve, and then down thru the floor into the crawl space. So gravity drainage should work well. (After the procedure is done, the open drain valve will pick up any residual water that might leak past the shutoff valve, and drop it into the water heater drain, ensuring this line and the manifold don't refill with water.)
* Open the six drain/air valves on the manifold, as well as the drains in the end of line sumps. Let gravity do it's thing, removing most of the water.
* Close all the drain valves, except the one in the closet, and end of manifold. Attach an air hose to the drain valve in the closet, blow out the line (clearing the backflow preventer). Close both.
* Open each valve line's drain valve, attach an air hose, open the irrigation valve, and blow pneumatic air (maybe limited to 50 PSI) until the line, and all of it's drip emitters or sprinkler heads are clear. That clears the irrigation valve, the down line emitters/sprinklers of any remaining water. Close the drain valves; we're done.
Summary:
All of the above is "easy" (and maybe, a little bit overkill). Finding the components, valves and manifold components, again, seems like reinventing the wheel. I've seen the shutoff valves with bleeders, but I just hate those things (and likewise, with the bleeders on irrigation valves). They always seem to destroy the o-rings the first time they're used, and then leak forever. Plus, I need a drain-valves with threads to add the pneumatic air hose nipples, to blow out the lines. It's that kind of thing that's got me stumped. It seems like there's be a video or simple step-by-step instruction manual on building a 4-season irrigation manifold, the sumps, and so forth.
I'm looking for the 4-season residential irrigation design "easy" button.
Thanks.
