Impact sprinkler heads won't reverse.

[HammerSlammer]

It seems my impact sprinkler heads stop reversing after a a year or so. Some I've had for five years and work great but most of them go after about a year. I've tried a few different brands . I run an irrigation pump with pressure tanks so I have tried changing the pressure. No luck. Changing to pop ups would be a major job but I've been thinking about it. Any ideas?? Thanks for all the help on this forum.

 

[Verdeboy]

Check out this link to the Rainbird website.

http://www.rainbird.com/diy/faqs/faq_impacts.htm

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Mr_Pike]

You can try nozzling down the heads, be sure to do the entire zone.

Most likely you are on a lower pressure system, where we see the most trouble with impact stops. You don't have to dig up all the heads to replace them, Hunter makes a gear rotor that screws right into the housing after you unscrew the guts of the Maxi.

You can tinker on your own system and get these things to work. When I am charging a customer by the hour, we dig, and replace with new equipment most of the time, because I trust the new gear rotors to work. I would never put anything back in the ground that will get me a return call to fix the same problem over again. Makes for a Bad business practice.

If it were my system, I would replace them with good gear rotor, You will see less trouble in the long run.

 

[HammerSlammer]

Thanks for the replys.
Mr. Pike, What should I be looking for in a good "gear rotor"??

Next time I'll post in the correct section.

 

[Mr_Pike]

You can find them at most large box hardware stores.

I would look for something that comes with a warranty, pops up at least 3" preferably 4", and is simple to adjust the swing.

I personally would not install a toro, or nelson part in my yard. I have had much better experiences with Weathermatic, Rainbird, K-Rain, and Hunter. Some of those brands are only available at Sprinkler Supply houses or online.

 

[SteveW]

I personally really like Toro rotors and have seen great reliability from them, at least historically. I prefer some of the commercial models, like the "Super 800," which are available online - they pop up 5", have a higher trajectory, and are easy to adjust.

 

[Verdeboy]

I've always been a Maxi-paw person. I've replaced literally hundreds of hard-to-adjust gear drivens with Maxi-paws. You can adjust 10 of them in the time it takes to adjust 1 gear-driven, and you don't need any special "keys" to do it. Did you know there's a little spring in the Maxi's that can also be adjusted for changes in water pressure?

I'm not sure what you mean by changing to "pop-ups". All of these sprinkler heads are pop-ups.

 

[Mr_Pike]

I've always been a Maxi-paw person. I've replaced literally hundreds of hard-to-adjust gear drivens with Maxi-paws. You can adjust 10 of them in the time it takes to adjust 1 gear-driven, and you don't need any special "keys" to do it. Did you know there's a little spring in the Maxi's that can also be adjusted for changes in water pressure?

I'm not sure what you mean by changing to "pop-ups". All of these sprinkler heads are pop-ups.

I can relate to your situation, it seems like the guys who have been doing this for 15+ years share the same opinion as yourself. The early versions are very hard to adjust the with the early Toros being some of the worst. This is probably why I have such a low opinion of the Toro brand in general, well that and the worst bargain basement corner cutting company in this area installs nothing but Toro. I ran into some Nelson heads this week, that were confoundingly confusing as well, gave the poor gal a discount on new ones, just because it would have taken all day to get these right.

The ease of adjustment differs greatly between head brands and models. In my opinion, (I install literally hundreds myself every year) the Weathermatic T-3 is the best overall between ease of adjustment (all you do is turn a collar to the right shape, and ratchet to the left stop). The next on my list is the K-Rain Pro-Plus, (which is almost identical to a Toro Rotor, and what I use when replacing Toros) followed by Rainbirds rotor, and then Hunters. The Hunter requires you to turn the entire body to adjust the left stop, and I don't like that near as much as the Weathermatics.

There is really no comparison to the flexibility offered by the nozzles and throws of todays gear rotors to the Maxipaw. There is a place in irrigation sytems for the Maxi, but you won't see many new systems these days with them. I don't replace them with a maxi unless I absolutely have to, because the cups fill up with grass, mud, and crud. They also don't pop up high enough to clear the grass and you get a crater caused by the stream of water laying over the grass.

I would bet a free hat, that you would be neck and neck with me with Maxis vs Weathermatics on a 1 to 1, not 10 to 1 for sure

 

[Verdeboy]

I've been out of the irrigation game for a few years, so I haven't had the opportunity to try the new gear-drivens. I'll have to take your word for it. We definitely agree that the old Toros were the worst.