If you have exceptionally bad retic flow and pressure then it could be that you have a restrictor fitted to your water meter.
This can limit the flow to 9l/min and mean that it’s very difficult to get an efficient system up and running.
If you aren’t sure then check with your plumber. You may go from 9l to 30l overnight!
This is a common question.
And the answer is usually very simple. Generally speaking this happens when more than one start time is set.
Unless there is a watering exemption in place you are only allowed to water once a day which means you only need one start time.
Often people get ‘start times’ and ‘run times’ mixed up. So get this :
YOU ONLY NEED 1 START TIME!
Most errors are made when people set 5.00am as a start time, then 5.15, 5.30 and so on.
So when you set your controller make note of which function you are operating in the dial and just set the one start time.
If you get stuck then just give me a call!
I have had a call each year for the last two years to come and replace the turf at this small backyard in Butler. A combination of young dogs and a shaded area means it has been tough for the lawn to survive.
It starts with a dig out of the old turf. Only 12m so not too much hard work. You can see the patchy old lawn below.
Then it’s time to screed and update the sprinklers with some mp rotators. The regular Toro nozzles were getting blown around in the wind and dirtying the pool fence.
And from here it was a case of laying the Sir Walter slabs and making it look good again.
Hopefully he won’t need to call next year!
It’s pretty miserable outside today but Sunday and Monday are looking very nice!
Call us to ensure you’re retic Controller is working and set correctly.
A common misconception is that retic should run for 10 minutes.
NOT SO!
You are allowed to apply 10mls of water on your watering day. This is where the confusion comes from.
10ml not 10min!
So different nozzles require different run times.
Normal Toro – 10-15 minutes
MP Rotators – 45-60 minutes
Gear drives – 20-40 minutes
(The difference is related to the spacing between the sprinklers.)
But don’t buy the 10 minutes thing!
Nope…
If your reticulation isn’t working then changing the battery will just be $9 down the drain.
The battery is not responsible for the operation of the sprinklers. It simply helps to retain the settings when the power goes off.
Your retic needs 24v if power to open the solenoids so changing a battery wont do the job.
If it’s not working then it could be any one of a number of issues – but it won’t be the battery!
If you see water running down your street like this from the sprinkler at the bottom of the hill then it means you have at least one leaky solenoid.
The next step is to locate the correct solenoid and change it over. We can do this quickly with our solenoid detector and we can generally get the location perfect which minimises the digging in your lawn.
Here you can see we have been able to pinpoint the faulty valve.
Then once the valve is exchanges we test it and make sure all is working as it should be.
And just for good measure we go back to the sprinkler that was causing the problem and ensure it is no longer weeping.
Problem solved!
If you ever find yourself in a situation where one of the wires to your solenoids has broken and you either can’t be bothered or are unable to find the break then ‘add a station’ is your friend!
By using this device you can make one power wire serve two solenoids, meaning you can either add a solenoid in a space where there is no access for new wires, or you can keep a solenoid operational by using the add a station on the functioning wire.
It’s saved a lot of people over the years and is one of the most useful retic devices I have come across.
I often get called to go in and fix the retic after the bobcat has been thru and done his work.
Today I was in Butler and the bobcat had smashed thru the main line, broken the wiring as well as ripping up most of the pipe down one side of the rear. It didn’t help that the area was full of roots and that the client wasn’t completely sure on where he wanted things to go… Add to that a 3 hour deadline and intermittent rain and it was potentially a difficult day.
But we got the main line repaired and wires reconnected. Then we worked together on the sprinklers to the rear and by 10.50am we were done.
It’s impossible to quote a job like this as you simply can’t estimate a cost when you don’t know how much damage is done. Fortunately it wasn’t too bad today and with two of us going hard we managed to get it ready for turf in a couple of days time.
Everything is fixable! It just takes time and patience as you track down the breaks and leaks.
I’d been using a very old Hydrawise controller for around 6 years when it suddenly decided to stop connecting to my wifi.
It was one of the original indoor models and it did the job fine, but when Hunter bought Hydrawise they did some work speccing up the controller to make it more user and contractor friendly.
By comparison with the old controller the new controllers have:
1. A designated master valve terminal
2. Larger and more accessible terminals making installing easier.
3. A sturdier outdoor casing.
4. An easier to read display
5. A stronger wifi connection.
All of these are significant improvements on the original model and as a result when I had the choice of any controller I chose to stay with the Hydrawise.
The app works really well and once installed the controller itself is pretty much set and forget.