I'm converting some sprinkler zones to drip converted setups, and replacing the old risers with shorter ones with a cap. They all seem to come off the 3/4" line and have 2-3 elbows before the riser. And they've all been left pretty loose on those elbow connections - not even hand-tight or with teflon tape. Is that standard? And what's the reasoning behind it?
I would guess that makes it easier to run the lines, and then adjust for the final height later?
And it might also help them flex better if roots are in the area?
But it seems like that could also be an attraction to roots with some water leaking there whenever on?
I've not found any kind of back flow preventer (central or on individual valves.) And some of the valves are definitely below sprinkler heads by a couple feet.
So maybe the loose fittings was also a way to help in some way with that without putting a back flow preventer on?
As I convert zones, would it make sense to put a back flow preventer on each valve, and then when capping off each riser, also tighten up and seal those elbows so they don't leak at all there? I'm leaving a 4" riser (capped) at each one, which will be covered with mulch, but easy to find in case a future person ever wants to make use of those risers again in some way.
I'm in Southern California, so air temperature rarely gets below freezing, and when it does it's maybe 28-29 at the least. So freezing pipes shouldn't be a problem if that's the reasoning for keeping those elbows a bit loose. Or at least I don't think so.
There were some things done that seem very strange to me on other sprinkler lines here - the lines that run down the fence line for me and my neighbor were run right under the fence line. So when that fence was later replaced, and the posts were put in different places, looks like they re-routed around the posts, but 1/2 of them they re-routed both lines on my side, the other half on the neighbor's side. So when neighbor put in a concrete slab at some point, my line was cut on that side, and never fixed, so the whole rest of that section quit working at that point. Nor could I fix it on the other side of the fence. Oh well... capped it off anyway also and converted to drip there too. Just seemed very odd the way it was done.
I would guess that makes it easier to run the lines, and then adjust for the final height later?
And it might also help them flex better if roots are in the area?
But it seems like that could also be an attraction to roots with some water leaking there whenever on?
I've not found any kind of back flow preventer (central or on individual valves.) And some of the valves are definitely below sprinkler heads by a couple feet.
So maybe the loose fittings was also a way to help in some way with that without putting a back flow preventer on?
As I convert zones, would it make sense to put a back flow preventer on each valve, and then when capping off each riser, also tighten up and seal those elbows so they don't leak at all there? I'm leaving a 4" riser (capped) at each one, which will be covered with mulch, but easy to find in case a future person ever wants to make use of those risers again in some way.
I'm in Southern California, so air temperature rarely gets below freezing, and when it does it's maybe 28-29 at the least. So freezing pipes shouldn't be a problem if that's the reasoning for keeping those elbows a bit loose. Or at least I don't think so.
There were some things done that seem very strange to me on other sprinkler lines here - the lines that run down the fence line for me and my neighbor were run right under the fence line. So when that fence was later replaced, and the posts were put in different places, looks like they re-routed around the posts, but 1/2 of them they re-routed both lines on my side, the other half on the neighbor's side. So when neighbor put in a concrete slab at some point, my line was cut on that side, and never fixed, so the whole rest of that section quit working at that point. Nor could I fix it on the other side of the fence. Oh well... capped it off anyway also and converted to drip there too. Just seemed very odd the way it was done.
