How to Replace a Lawn Sprinkler Head
Locate and turn off the power supply to your lawn sprinklers., Locate and turn off the water supply., Locate the broken head., Unscrew the wire nuts connecting the head's solenoid to the leads., Examine the underground water piping to see if any...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Locate and turn off the power supply to your lawn sprinklers.
Often, this is found in a breaker box inside your house, but could be connected to an outlet powered timer.
Make sure the breaker is switched to the OFF position. , This can be done by switching off the water pump's breaker, turning its power off at the pump box, or closing the valve manually.
Doing so will stop the supply of water to the underground pipes, making for a clean repair with lower chance of self harm.
If your water pump starts running during repairs, it will create quite a mess. , Carefully dig the patch of grass in a circular motion with a spade shovel around the sprinkler head, being careful to not sever electrical lines or water lines underground.
Doing so will leave with with large chunks of sod.
Remove the circular patch of grass and set it aside for when you fill in the hole.
Keep digging by hand until you reveal the piping and wires for your system so you can observe what may have broken. , Unscrew the head from the water supply.
If head is on too tight, grab head with tongue and groove pliers and turn counterclockwise to loosen.
Examine the head to identify the cause of the problem.
Abrasions on the top of the head due to mower blades hitting it may be prevalent.
The center part of the head may be completely clipped off by a mower as well.
Your solenoid (the part with the wires coming out that opens the valve of the head) may be burnt up.
You can determine if the solenoid is burnt up by examining the wires running into it for any burnt marks, examining the solenoid itself by testing the leads with a multi-meter, or seeing if there are any scorch marks on it followed by a burnt smell.
Replacing just a solenoid on an automatic sprinkler head can be much cheaper than replacing the whole head. , Often times a mower may have driven over the head and snapped the piping below it.
The head may still be reusable.
If no damage to piping has occurred, you can skip the repairing steps. , Remove the piping with the elbow as a unit.
Bring old piping and fittings to your nearest hardware store.
They will be able to tell you what size they are and provide you with the same parts. , Sand the edges of the PVC pipe where you cut the elbow from to ensure no debris gets into the new head.
Make sure no dirt is inside the piping, it could clog the new head. , Apply PVC primer in a circular motion around the piping where the new elbow will be glued.
Cement the outer edges of the water supply pipe where the new elbow will be placed.
Fit the new elbow on the freshly glued surface and make sure it is pointing 90 degrees to the ground (so the sprinkler head is flush with the ground). , Add the threaded fitting for the sprinkler head.
Put on your protective eye gear so debris from cutting PVC does not damage your sight.
Cut the new assembly with the head on it to the same length as the old.
This will assure that your sprinkler head is the same level above ground as the old one.
If the old head was too far above the ground causing it to be hit, trim down the new assembly slightly shorter to your desired height. , Apply PVC cement on the new assembly.
Glue the new assembly into the newly glued on elbow.
Adjust the assembly so the head will sit flush with the grass surface.
Allow proper time for PVC cement to cure.
Curing times are listed on the bottle and differ with temperature. , Apply thread sealing tape to threads of assembly.
Often times thread sealing tape will include instructions, but if yours does not, stretch the new tape while applying around the threads and overlap the previous wrap by 50%.
Screw on the new sprinkler head.
Connect the new head to the underground leads.
Apply new wire nuts to ensure proper connection. , Let the system run for 5 minutes to ensure proper connections.
Fill in the hole created for the fix.
Add nicely cut patch of grass on top for nice finished look. -
Step 2: Locate and turn off the water supply.
-
Step 3: Locate the broken head.
-
Step 4: Unscrew the wire nuts connecting the head's solenoid to the leads.
-
Step 5: Examine the underground water piping to see if any damage has occurred.
-
Step 6: Remove the damaged piping by using a PVC saw to remove the 90 degree elbow that causes water to run from horizontal to vertical.
-
Step 7: Prepare surface of undamaged piping for new fittings.
-
Step 8: Put on protective gloves so you cannot get the PCV cement on your hands.
-
Step 9: Measure old piping assembly (the piece of PVC
-
Step 10: connected to the threaded fitting and elbow).
-
Step 11: With your safety gloves on
-
Step 12: prime the edges of your new assembly for gluing with the PVC primer.
-
Step 13: Remove the old thread sealing tape from the threaded piece that you attach the new head to.
-
Step 14: Turn the power back on to the water supply and electrical supply.
Detailed Guide
Often, this is found in a breaker box inside your house, but could be connected to an outlet powered timer.
Make sure the breaker is switched to the OFF position. , This can be done by switching off the water pump's breaker, turning its power off at the pump box, or closing the valve manually.
Doing so will stop the supply of water to the underground pipes, making for a clean repair with lower chance of self harm.
If your water pump starts running during repairs, it will create quite a mess. , Carefully dig the patch of grass in a circular motion with a spade shovel around the sprinkler head, being careful to not sever electrical lines or water lines underground.
Doing so will leave with with large chunks of sod.
Remove the circular patch of grass and set it aside for when you fill in the hole.
Keep digging by hand until you reveal the piping and wires for your system so you can observe what may have broken. , Unscrew the head from the water supply.
If head is on too tight, grab head with tongue and groove pliers and turn counterclockwise to loosen.
Examine the head to identify the cause of the problem.
Abrasions on the top of the head due to mower blades hitting it may be prevalent.
The center part of the head may be completely clipped off by a mower as well.
Your solenoid (the part with the wires coming out that opens the valve of the head) may be burnt up.
You can determine if the solenoid is burnt up by examining the wires running into it for any burnt marks, examining the solenoid itself by testing the leads with a multi-meter, or seeing if there are any scorch marks on it followed by a burnt smell.
Replacing just a solenoid on an automatic sprinkler head can be much cheaper than replacing the whole head. , Often times a mower may have driven over the head and snapped the piping below it.
The head may still be reusable.
If no damage to piping has occurred, you can skip the repairing steps. , Remove the piping with the elbow as a unit.
Bring old piping and fittings to your nearest hardware store.
They will be able to tell you what size they are and provide you with the same parts. , Sand the edges of the PVC pipe where you cut the elbow from to ensure no debris gets into the new head.
Make sure no dirt is inside the piping, it could clog the new head. , Apply PVC primer in a circular motion around the piping where the new elbow will be glued.
Cement the outer edges of the water supply pipe where the new elbow will be placed.
Fit the new elbow on the freshly glued surface and make sure it is pointing 90 degrees to the ground (so the sprinkler head is flush with the ground). , Add the threaded fitting for the sprinkler head.
Put on your protective eye gear so debris from cutting PVC does not damage your sight.
Cut the new assembly with the head on it to the same length as the old.
This will assure that your sprinkler head is the same level above ground as the old one.
If the old head was too far above the ground causing it to be hit, trim down the new assembly slightly shorter to your desired height. , Apply PVC cement on the new assembly.
Glue the new assembly into the newly glued on elbow.
Adjust the assembly so the head will sit flush with the grass surface.
Allow proper time for PVC cement to cure.
Curing times are listed on the bottle and differ with temperature. , Apply thread sealing tape to threads of assembly.
Often times thread sealing tape will include instructions, but if yours does not, stretch the new tape while applying around the threads and overlap the previous wrap by 50%.
Screw on the new sprinkler head.
Connect the new head to the underground leads.
Apply new wire nuts to ensure proper connection. , Let the system run for 5 minutes to ensure proper connections.
Fill in the hole created for the fix.
Add nicely cut patch of grass on top for nice finished look.
About the Author
Susan Kelly
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in organization and beyond.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: