Automatic Sprinkler System recommendations?

[UteStar]

I know that CJF had a similar thread, but it was more geared toward trenching and setting up a sprinkler system. I have it all set up and currently have an automatic system set up. But, it is old and I am looking to replace the old automatic system with a new one. Any recommendations on the best auto system to have installed? Obviously rainbird is a big deal in the industry...is there a model that you would recommend or another brand to look at?

[bluegoose]

I know that CJF had a similar thread, but it was more geared toward trenching and setting up a sprinkler system. I have it all set up and currently have an automatic system set up. But, it is old and I am looking to replace the old automatic system with a new one. Any recommendations on the best auto system to have installed? Obviously rainbird is a big deal in the industry...is there a model that you would recommend or another brand to look at?

Rainbird is good. I put in Lawn Genie about 8 years ago and haven't had a single problem.

[mtnbiker]

A guy I used to work with and who has installed sprinklers professionally always recommended Hunter.

[UteStar]

A guy I used to work with and who has installed sprinklers professionally always recommended Hunter.

I ended up going this route and I will be installing it over the weekend. It should be pretty exciting.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Does anyone have any experience fixing an automatic sprinkler valve? I replaced one one time and I don't ever want to do it again. Additionally the one that needs fixing (or replacement) is attached to my drip system and there's a pressure regulator attached to valve (it's on an attachment that is on the outflowing pipe from the valve, but it looks like the pressure regulator and the outflowing pipe are all one attachment).

Here are the symptoms/related issues:

1. I have a pipe loop where all my water runs through that goes to all my outside water. On the loop is a valve that prevents the water from backing up into my general water line coming in from the street -- it prevents the mixing of water that's in my sprinkler system into the water going into my house. The male adapter that screwed into this valve had a hairline crack and I noticed the leak yesterday. My neighbor was outside, I asked him if he'd ever had problems with this pipe loop (which is required by the city code apparently) and he'd had multiple problems. Anyway, the box for my two front lawn sprinklers and my drip system are close to this loop and this neighbor just started turning the levers every which way and I think he may have damaged the valve connected to the drip system in the process --- or it could have been something else, see directly below.

2. Due to the location of the leak on the pipe loop, the only way to stop the leak before fixing it was turning off the water at the street which meant no water in my house. I tried to fix the male adapter by putting on more teflon tape and screwing it in farther into the valve (this is before I realized there was a hairline crack) which didn't work and in fact made the problem worse. Well, we needed water in the house, so I turned the water back on for about an hour while we ran our dishwasher and I took a shower. In the process of turning the water back on in the house, the leak outside flooded my sprinkler box, so the valve is either broken due to my neighbor turning the lever every which way or because of this flooding which may have shorted the wires on the sprinkler valve.

3. I fixed the pipe loop this morning. But now when I turn the water on to the outside lines, the drip system runs constantly. I tried switching it off both manually and through the control box, nothing worked. Also a small trickle of water comes out of the valve. So, I can't figure out whether there is something physically cracked or wrong with the valve or if there's a short in the wiring that engages and shuts down whatever that physically blocks the water from going through the line.