Hello everyone!
Was hoping to get some advice. Been in my house for 1 year and i see that my sprinkler heads are in need of some serious upgrades. with several broken/leaking heads i thought it time for a change.
The majority of my heads are Hunter i20s or PGP ultra, as well as a few RICHDEL 100 SERIES - they seem to have been pretty beat up from mowing over the years.
I really like the rain bird rotary (R-VAN line).
i have several dead spots on the lawn from lack of watering and i see that some of the hunter heads dont quite get to the areas needed. Even with adjustments i dont have enough overlap between heads. (may add few)
Also, many times the wind seems to catch the spray and the larger droplets from RVAN stream appeals to me.
Q: Is it crazy to replace the i20’s with rain bird RVANS? just seems like a more even coverage and ill have more control over watering my driveway/sidewalk.
No, it is not crazy to replace the gear drive rotors with Rain Bird rotary nozzles on spray heads. Those Richdel heads are very old. Richdel is now Irritrol, which is part of Toro.
If you have Richdel valves, Irritrol still makes those valves which means you can rebuild them. Sorry for the sidebar.
First things
- What are the dimensions of your lawn?
- Could you add some rotary nozzles. Yes.
- You have a mix of brands and precipitation rates.
PGP ultra and I20 use the same nozzles. I would remove the Richdel rotors and install I20s.
If you have poor coverage, add additional gear drive rotors or rotating nozzles.
Not crazy as Robert has said. Yes, get rid of the old stuff and match all new nozzles.
You will have to do more digging though, if you install the rotary nozzles, because they require a spray head. I20 rotors are 3/4" inlet vs. 1/2" inlet for a spray head. If installing spray heads, you will have to dig all the way down to the fitting to see if the thread is 3/4" or 1/2". If 1/2", then install the right size nipple from fitting to the spray head. If 3/4", then install a 3/4" to 1/2" nipple to the spray head.
Your rotor zones could be a little stretched causing the dead spots from lack of water. The rotors could have been diffused too much which shortens the nozzle stream. They could also have the wrong nozzles installed.
If it was me, I would replace the rotors, because the retrofit would be easier. Then, install the correct nozzles to give you the overlap you need.
I personally use Rain Bird PRS+ rotors. I love the nozzle stream coverage from rotor to end of stream. The rotor is also pressure regulated to 40psi and has a little valve on top that lets you turn the rotor stream on and off if you want to change nozzles.
I’m also curious to your yard dimensions. I’d also like to know what the head lay out is and the distance between rotors.
Looks like a fun project you’re getting into. Good luck and have fun learning!
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This is pretty much what I meant. Just did not explain the digging required. But he must get his pressure under control. Those 5000 PRS heads do a great job at bringing the pressure under control.
Let’s see what he says about the lawn dimensions. I would definitely trash those 32SA rotors. Buy contractor grade heads at a local Rain Bird distributor like Ewing.
