Well guy...made my 4 zone sprinkler sys, now a 2 zone???

[iPhoneSRQ]

Does this sound right??

I had a 4" 180' submerse pump well done & the well guy hooked it to my lawn sprinkler system...he changed my zones from 4 to 2 cause he said that there was tons of water being pumped & this will alleviate the pump from running so hard...so now I have to water my small hedges for 25 minutes instead of only 8 minutes, since they are on the same zone.

Does this sound like standard procedure??

thanks!

[Waterwelldude]

Why did he do anything to sprinkler system? Was there a need to lengthen the watering time? Is the well just for the sprinklers.
What was feeding the sprinklers before the new well.
It doesn't sound right to me. Now you may be over watering certain parts of your yard.


Travis

[iPhoneSRQ]

Why did he do anything to sprinkler system? Was there a need to lengthen the watering time? Is the well just for the sprinklers.
What was feeding the sprinklers before the new well.
It doesn't sound right to me. Now you may be over watering certain
parts of your yard.

Travis

Well is only used for watering lawn...no sprinkler lays were made longer & it was previously water by my city water (metered)....so yes parts are being over watered...he said he had to make 2 zones so that more water was being used at one time so the well didn't get over worked since the pump works harder to water one zone with less sprinkler heads so he made thatzone twice as big.

[Gary Slusser]

He probably did it because the pump puts out more gpm than the irrigation on 4 zones was able to use and that would require the pump to be cycled on/off. Now it probably runs until the water use stops. That is best for the motor.

Describe the pressure tank/switch location and how many gpm each zone uses now. Then tell us the gpm and hp rating of the pump and how deep the pump is in the well and what the static water level is in the well.

You could install a timer to turn the irrigation on/off automatically' or adjust the one you may already have.

[Waterwelldude]

You may could even shorten the time the two zones run. Instead of 25 min, you could even cut that in half, and still use the volume of water the pump will deliver so not to short cycle the pump. Running for 12 min and off for 10 and back on for 12 min should not be a problem for the pump.
That would at least help keep the over watering thing to a minimum.

That would be easier than redesigning the sprinkler system.


Travis

[speedbump]

This sounds like a candidate for a Cycle Stop Valve.

I have done the same thing in the past. Anything is better than cycling your pump motor to an early death.

bob...

[iPhoneSRQ]

This sounds like a candidate for a Cycle Stop Valve.

I have done the same thing in the past. Anything is better than cycling your pump motor to an early death.

bob...

I do have a pressure switch....so any other options?

[speedbump]

Yup, get a CSV. Then you can go back to 4 zones if you like and there will be no harm to the pump.

The reason the pump guy turned four zones into two was to use more water when watering and to save the motor from cycling. That's what burns them up before their time.

bob...

[iPhoneSRQ]

ok with a csv can I still attach a hose?

[speedbump]

Why would you want to go back to 4 zones when you can cover everything with 2? You can actually water everything in a shorter period of time. That pump should run the whole time until the system shuts down unless the irrigation isn't taking all the water. If you want to run a garden hose, then i would get the CSV, but i don't understand why you would want to go back to 4 zones.

I fully agree. Get the Cycle Stop Valve and all your troubles will be over.

bob...

[speedbump]

I do have a pressure switch....so any other options?

You might have missed where he made the above statement. He does have a pressure switch and he does need a CSV if the pump is cycling. If changing the timer to two zones instead of four stopped the pump from cycling then the csv is not needed except when he uses his garden hose.

Doubling up zones does not water anything longer than it would with them all on their own zone. It just means two valves are open at a time instead of one.

bob...