When You Break the Tap off the Water Meter

Posted on September 22, 2019 by reticcontrollerman

Have you ever found a water meter that either won’t turn on or off? Like the tap is just stuck?

This week it happened again – about the third time in 11 years but I knew what to expect.

The water meter was on but the tap timer I had installed was leaking a little and I went to turn it off and fix the seal.

But it wouldn’t budge – and I knew that taking the grandpa wrench to it was most likely going to snap it.

So I called the homeowner out, explained the situation (the water had to be turned off) and then began to gently crank the wrench.

And it snapped…

Bugger…

No major drama – just a call to water Corp to come and fix. Meantime I went around the back to try and tighten up the leaking tap timer but as I did it can’t apart and water gushed EVERYWHERE!

Ok ‘call now!’ I said.

After a few minutes I managed to get a poly fitting screwed on and sealed the leak. I headed off to lunch and came back to see Anton changing the tap over. He did it ‘live’ which I thought was pretty clever.

Disconnect the water on the house side, create a way for the water to divert and then remove and replace the tap. Then turn it off…

Fixed… and I can go back this week and carry on!

Why Does My Retic Just Keep on Running?

Posted on September 9, 2019 by reticcontrollerman

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!

Irrigation and Turf Upgrades in Butler

Posted on September 6, 2019 by reticcontrollerman

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!

Time to Turn Your Reticulation Back On?

Posted on September 4, 2019 by reticcontrollerman

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.

Will Changing the Battery Fix My Retic?

Posted on August 31, 2019 by reticcontrollerman

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!

The Purpose of the Common Wire in an Irrigation System

Posted on August 23, 2019 by reticcontrollerman

Every irrigation has a common wire that connects all of the solenoids together and in most cases it is a black wire, as this is the colour most commonly used.

The common wire is found in the ‘c’ terminal and is vital to the systems operation.

If a common wire gets cut then all of the solenoids that it connects together will be out of action.

Its usual to have one strand of multi core wire serving the front of a house and another strand serving the rear, so if you find that all of your rear solenoids have stopped working then chances are your common wire will have been cut or broken.

From there it just a matter of tracking it and repairing it.

Can I Install Reticulation While it is Raining?

Posted on August 14, 2019 by reticcontrollerman

Yeah you can.

But the pipes get crusty with sand and they are harder to cut and keep clean.

The green retic glue will still work even with a little water on it so you don’t need the two surfaces perfectly dry and clean – although that is preferable.

The biggest challenge of rainy days is definitely the sand that sticks to the pipes but just carry a towel and wipe the ends before joining and it should be fine!

Should I Use Netafim Dripline on My Garden?

Posted on August 13, 2019 by reticcontrollerman

If you want to achieve maximum water efficiency then there is no question that Netafim Dripline is your friend!

Here is a job I did recently in Yanchep where new native plants had been installed and the client wanted to ensure minimal wastage of water. Now that the Dripline is in he can mulch the area.

If you are on a bore then you may like to consider ‘bore line ‘, similar but not pressured compensated – which usually isn’t an issue on a bore.

This dripline is extremely effective at dripping water right next to the plants and is designed to resist root invasion of the drip emitters.

While there is no digging involved in a project like this dripline is a more expensive product and generally works out a little more costly than sprays.

Should I Buy a Hydrawise Controller for My Retic?

Posted on August 13, 2019 by reticcontrollerman

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.

What Does the Fuse Message on an Irritrol Kwikdial Controller Mean?

Posted on August 8, 2019 by reticcontrollerman

Ok – possibly the single most common issue I hit each year is this problem.

First up – there is no fuse and no battery in the controller! Silly I know – to have a ‘fuse’ message and a battery symbol at the same time.

The average DIY would look for a dodgy fuse or a faulty battery.

What the message actually means is that there is either a fault in the controller or a fault in a solenoid.

The way to determine the issue is simply to remove wires and keep resetting the controller and testing it. If it operates perfect with one of the wires out then it’s more than likely a solenoid coil sending a ‘fault’ message.

However if the controller display is flickering or if the fuse message only appears intermittently then chances are very high that the box itself is at fault and will need replacing.