Quite a while ago I went with the Rachio controller system, I have about 7 valves alive and well, who suddenly…
An Orbit 3/4" valve leaked, OK, replaced to, kind of ignored it, then saw it was leaking on the back flow side, replaced it again, local hardware was sold out of the 3/4" RainBirds, so I tried again.
Today, I see it leaking again! OK made a trip to Lowes up the road a bit, they had RainBird Heavy duty 3/4" valves, snagged one, put it on, and so far it isn’t leaking…
It’s the black & gray one, the greenies are the other Orbits, no problems, bottom left is an older Rainbird, no problem…
No idea why the NEW Orbits are giving me trouble, took one apart, see nothing wrong, but it just leaks from the outlet side, so it has to be seeping past the inlet diaphragm… Grrr, made my day!
Recently did a lot of landscape cleanup (hired help), so I had to pinch off some outputs, but that’s all far from the inlet side…
Biggest problem I had with those was at the diaphragm, a small piece of grit would get lodged at the rim. About half the time I could fix it just by wiping my finger around the perimeter of the diaphragm and/or where it seats (both sides) and put it back together. Kind of like the “constantly running toilet” problem with the flapper.
I thought that, but found nothing when I opened it up, so far the RainBird is leakless… It was also frustrating the new one(s) acted the same… Being stubborn, maybe it’s fixed… Luckily only one valve…
Orbits were cheaper, @ $17 each, the Rainbird rang up @ $30…
FWIW, I use professional grade valves (Irritrol 2500). They just last. I’ve had to replace a few over the years, always the solenoid. They are designed so you can take the top half off, and put a new one on, leaving the bottom half in-place. No need to mess with PVC or other fittings. The upper half has all the bits (solenoid, diaphragm, adjustment screws). One time I did get a small 1mm pebble in a diaphragm, so the sprinklers were leaking enough that I noticed the puddles. Removed it, put it back together, works fine.
Looks like this is the 3/4" equivalent in the Irritrol lineup…
Similar pricing, not sure why the pic seems upside down…
Rainbirds have been fin, it’s the Orbits that messed me up… I’ve tossed the failed Orbits, if I have any further failures, I’ll find a Rainbird replacement… Or the one above…
We had a crew in to clean up the yard, so several drip lines were messed up, just had to pinch 'em off or reconnect… Still sorting out what we want to replant… And when…
It’s easy enough to step-down to 3/4". Just a fitting. And for drips you need a pressure regulator so you don’t blow the drip emitters out. Don’t skimp on those. The HD ones are cheap, and only last a few years. Get good ones that will last a couple of decades. Saving a few bucks isn’t worth the aggravation of swapping out regulators, especially if they’re buried (ours are).
Never had a problem, I use a regulator on the trailer hookup as some campgrounds don’t control their pressures…
Only one of my valves are at ground level, but all the others are up so I can see, work on 'em, made up the manifolds of 3/4" copper, last addition, I didn’t bother soldering, used shark bite fittings instead… Today’s plumbers rarely solder any more, they gone to crimpers, PEX, copper… I have pipe wrenches, threaders that will likely never be used again… Tried giving them to my regular plumber, he just laughed, no thanks…
Some are old, wood handles, were my Dad’s, but all the others I think are RIGID, from little 6" to 24", from back when steel, galvanized pipe was all we used… Hooked on tools, I guess… Can’t have too many Crescent wrenches either… There’s more… Need to weed out some, I guess…
Using a pipe wrench on a pipe has always been more the exception than the rule for me. Lots of things have needed a good twisting over the years and a pipe wrench is often another version of ‘getting a bigger hammer’.
If they’ll never be used again, I recommend selling them. Good tools are valuable. Find them a good home that will appreciate them. Some stuff is made to last.
Aye, I know, at one time I considered eBay, but it’s a hassle, packing, shipping, yard/garage sales is an invasion problem, flea market means a ton of work, ties up the day… Also, that’s where I bought a lot of 'em, so a lot are worth more than I paid, so I should go into eBay… For now, they don’t eat much, other than space… Old tools have a lot of quality built in… A feel… A history…
