Greetings yawl,

The place we are renting has a below ground sprinkler system. The system is controlled by a Hunter SRC i901 (inside) control panel. For grins, my wife thought that I was enjoying too much football instead of being busy with stuff. Any way, she was curious to know if I could get the sprinkler system working.

Sure enough, the panel was electricall dead. I replaced the b/u battery, and the 26VAC 750 m amp transformer and got the panel working again. I also verified that each of the 8 of the 9 stations that are being used are getting 26 VAC when they are selected. Only stations are being used. There is no wire attached to thee Master Valve terminal.

Now comes the major problem. No water. I did some research on the system and it seems that it is connected in-line with the main water, usually near the meter. Well I have searched every inch of ground between the meter and the house and I cannot find any other housing for the sprinkler system.

The house is on a crawl space and all of the wiring goes under the house. Is it possible (logical) that the plumbing for the sprinkler system starts under the house? Why you you put a cutoff valve under the house?

Hi Don:

In my area they require that a vacuum breaker be installed above the ground for all underground sprinkler systems... see picture below. Most likely the shutoff at the vacuum breaker has been shut down and just needs to be opened once found (maybe? ).

They should also have something like this in your area... I think? Anyway, if not outside then may be inside under crawl space and only reason I would figure it would be there is to keep it from being stolen or cut off? Can you tell I'm from Boston on that note... ;)

I'm also asumming that a sprinkler company would need to be able to winterize this system so there should be an area where they can disconnect the vacuum breaker or work from the vacuum breaker and then attach hoses and blow the lines down if freezing weather developed... course, all depends on where you live.

Otherwise, they don't require these vacuum breakers in your area and you may actually need to find an inground distribution box out in the field somewhere...

Let me know what you think here...

MARK

Don, does your landlord have clue? Most sprinklers are added to a home long after building construction ended. It is possible for the installers to have tapped into a supply line anywhere they found convenient including under the house.