nervona said:
Is there any way of locating sprinkler control valves in the yard? I have purchased a home with an automatic sprinkler system and didn't think to ask about the locations of the control valves. I have an 8 zone system and have located 5 of the control valves (each are in a different location around the house). One of the zones has a very weak flow and I am wondering if the valve isn't opening all the way. It seems to have the same number of pop-up sprinklers as the other zones and all the other zones have great pressure. I've poked a stick into the ground in places I think the valve box ought to be, but can't seem to find it. Any suggestions?
In my house the water tees in the crawl space. Therefore I have two backflow preventers.
Thus I had a set of six valves on one branch of the tee and three on the other.
Also look for the controller wire. On my house the wire ran along the exterior wall so that it was minimally exposed.
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In terms of weak flow, in my system there were leaks. The HD guy said (for whatever it is worth) that it is unlikely to be a bad valve. Nonetheless, it is easier to replace a vale than to find a leak.
In my case, I replaced the vale and then still had to find the leak. The leak was under a concrete patio. Fixing the leak was definitely not fun.