Pressure Regulator Question

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Gary Swart

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Maybe in Northfork everyone still waters their lawns with sprinklers attached to hoses, but some of us use underground automatic systems that are not attached to faucets aka hose bibs. In our case, the water is turn on/off by electrically operated solenoids controlled by a timer. These do not use hose bibs either with or without BFP. For us, we are required to use a BFP that is in our water supply line that will isolate the sprinkler system and prevent contaminate from entering our house supply and/or the city water main. I acknowledge that in the "good old days" we didn't worry about such things, and it's probably true not too many of us died from the affects of contaminated water, but the risk was there and it is still is there. Now I could care less if you want to take the risk and ignore the laws designed to protect you and your family, but I do care that you are will to suggest that others do the same. Finally, FWIW, I have two hose bibs coming from my house water supply and both of them have BFP.
 

Ballvalve

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Odd answer. You dont click on links? 99.9999% of sprinkler solenoid valves are BFP'd [which is really a NON B-f'n deal - BFD]
Go back one post and click on that funny blue script. Youll see my point that agrees with yours.
 

Gary Swart

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I belatedly did follow the link, and see your point. However, I fail to see how the requirement that BFPs be inspected and certified annually, so I doubt that these would meet the EPA requirement. BFP do wear and occasionally have to be repaired. As I recall, my BFP has had to be repaired twice in 27 years. Something like new seals or O rings. Not expensive and the inspector has had the parts necessary and did it in just a few minutes during the inspection. I don't think there was even a labor charge added to the inspection fee. ($35)
 

Ballvalve

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Do you really live in a locale that charges you 35 bucks a year to come check on your residential sprinklers BFP? If you have a commercial vineyard on city water, it makes a bit of sense, and then yes your BFP is a big check valve of sorts prior to you irrigation system. If you have a private well, its just a heist from the county mafia.

Otherwise, I dare anyone to show me a municipality that has a system to force you to pay money each year to look at your lawn sprinkler valves. Truly unheard of outside of some sci-fi fright flic of our future as zombies to the robot master.

California has more sprinkler valves than Wa. has apples. And the inspectors can't keep up with basic new construction, much less rooting around in the muck in everyones yard and getting bitten on the butt by the owners dogs.

I think 40 people just died from colorado cantelopes and 12 or so from California romaine lettuce. How many died from sucking up dirt from reverse flow sprinkler valves this year? Do a looooong google and report back. Seems like we've got our priorities screwed way up.

35 bucks for your sprinkler inspection while your kid dies from a cantelope? Maybe paying 2 cents more for the cantelope would save your kid - money much better spent.

My 6 year old mucks about in chicken crap, eats dirt in the garden like spice on his unwashed carrots, and gets a facial tongue bathe from a huge dog that just pulled his head out of a long dead deer. He doesnt need a BFP - he's inoculated. But that cantelope from Colorado probably would kill him.
 

Themp

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I agree with ballvalve on this for one reason. In Raleigh North Carolina they require that your BFP be inspected every 3 years at a cost of around 70 dollars. The BFP also has to be installed 1 foot above grade and because of this it must be removed in the winter for freezing. Now when everyone takes theirs out for the winter, some put duck tape on the two pipes, others just leave them exposed. Now you have a pipe that is exposed to the elements and can become contaminated during the winter. So, in the spring the homeover re-attaches the BFP and this contaminated water can now get into the system. Usually the homeowner runs the sprinklers after attaching the BFP, but they might not.

Anyway, I call the city BFP police about this who love to send me my 3 year inspection notice and ask about this contanimation possibility. There answer was you are right but nothing we can do about it other than we do say to used duck tape or other means to seal the two pipe openings during the winter.

So, basically they have no desire to close this possibility of contamination so I think there other rules are just rules since they are unwilling to go 100%.
 

Gary Swart

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There are several varieties of BFP. Some must be above the highest sprinkler, but other can be installed in a meter box below grade. The procedure used here is the city inspects the first installation. After that, each spring we are sent a list of certified inspectors in the area that we can arrange for our inspection. These inspectors set their own fees. When they make the inspection, we pay him and he gives us a copy of the certificate and sends the original to the city. I am aware that some cities do not follow the EPA guidelines, but that doesn't make it right. If Ballvalve chooses to ignore rules he doesn't agree with, that is his right, but that doesn't make him right. Anyway, I've had enough of this nonsense.
 

Ballvalve

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Me too. The government has no business in our yards. The moral of the story is don't live in cities with such idotic rules that fleece you.

I know most cities in california dont care a whit about your residential irrigation. The three counties around me have NO interest in such reg's.
 

JK60

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To put a final touch to this thread, I've installed a pressure regulator outside, covered it with a Foam Rock valve cover, and replaced the damaged sprinklers. Banging of pipes during cycling of sprinklers has been eliminated, and everything seems to be working without any problems. I would like to thank everyone for their advice in helping me resolve this issue.
 

Ballvalve

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To really finalize it, are you under a mandate to have this installation inspected by the powers of SF on a certain time frame for back flow prevention?
 

JK60

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That is a good question to which I don't have an answer. Suffice it to say, that I am happy with the way things are and in no hurry to bring in inspectors for this installation. To the best of my knowledge most of the homes on my block have sprinkler systems without a BFP. Nobody in SF wants to bring in an inspector to their house unless it is absolutely necessary for fear that bringing an inspector could end up being an expensive proposition and in many cases his/her decisions may be questionable. I know that from first hand experience. I am not going to elaborate any more then this and simply add that inspections and city politics in SF go hand in hand, and that is too long of a story to discuss in a post.
 

Ballvalve

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I know SF is nuts with permits, so very good idea not to disturb your life. Somehow I doubt they have such a regulation, though. I wonder why smaller towns get involved with that.
 
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