Front yard water shut off valve.

I have a broken feed pipe in my front yard. It's always been ugly the way it is just a bare pipe sticking up out of the ground. Now that I've had to dig it out and replace it anyway, I figured I'd look around and see if I can locate everything under ground and just put a flat cap over the top like you see at the park. I plan on getting onto the phone with both Thornton Building Dept and DBC Irrigation Supply tomorrow to get an idea of how I can best make the switch. In the mean time, anyone familiar with this or can point me in the right direction? Everything is PVC so it should be simple enough. I assume I'll need to build some sort of box, or sleeve around the valve and freeze valve, then insulate the top so it doesn't freeze every winter.

Water comes from the valve under the thicker grey pipe on the left, comes up the grey thinner grey pipe (broken), through the freeze valve, then back down into the white pipe to go to the sprinklers. Appreciate any input.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9u...=w1619-h910-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Kr...=w1035-h582-no

Basically this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/DURA-12-...FYq_wAodz24H4g.

Then I just need to know what I should buy for the freeze plug thing. Looks like it is a back flow preventer.

3/4" 765 Febco PVB (backflow) with unions on either end for easy off-season removal would be the way to go if that is indeed your backflow prevention device right now. You will need a few other pvc fillings to modify your current setup, but that is more than likely what they will tell you at DBC. Turn off water, blow out system, remove backflow and store somewhere that you won't lose it over the winter. I prefer to remove the device rather than insulate it during the winter.

PM sent to you Stuvig.

I can't blow out my system that I know of. I just open the valves in the sprinkler boxes each year. I've never removed or insulated that preventer before, but that sure sounds safer. Thanks for the tip on the preventer. Depot doesn't carry them in store anyway, so I'll be going to DBC at some point tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by SideShow Bob

PM sent to you Stuvig.

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Returned.

Says Febco on the top, but pipes appears to be 1 1/2".

If I understand correctly, you want to put your backflow preventer below grade. That is a no can do unless something has changed in the industry that I'm not familiar with because it needs to be at minimum 12" above the highest point of irrigation discharge on the property. In the City & County of Denver it is illegal to have it at or below grade & imagine that's the case for most municipalities. What you've seen are indeed valve boxes for valves but if you've seen a commercial backflow in one I'd be really surprised. There are industrial enclosures that are steel tube & perforated sheet, powder coated forest green that stand between 24" & 36" & those cover freestanding backflows for larger commerical properties & parks. If you'd like I can send a pm with my contact information, :)

Hmmm, that's a bummer, but makes sense with the setup. I'm not sure I remember anything sticking it if the ground like this at any of the houses I lived in as a kid. Guess I'll still be calling Thornton building Dept to check for sure.

I've been wanting to build a decorative well around this for a while, but that's so low priority. Had I done so already, ole Danika Patrick wouldn't have been able to run it over in the first place.

I'd prefer going flush if possible though.

Below grade is not legal anymore, but I also do not believe that it is required to be above your highest sprinkler head anymore. I could be wrong, but last I knew that was the case. I assumed on the 3/4" size, I didn't look very closely either. Al though 1.5" seems quite large for a residential sprinkler system. Most of the time, the backflow is the same size as the lines in the house and the water tap. Most common size I have seen for residential is 3/4", that may not be the case for your house. Like ChickNorris mentioned. they do make enclosures such as the Gaurdshack brand, but they also tend to be a bit on the expensive side.

My house is 60 years old. Sprinkler system is newer, but not sure how new. It is the discontinued brand with non-standard sizes. Rainbird? Rainguard?

Checked out the Guardshack. I don't need to make my front yard look like a city park.

Yep, 1.5" is really unusual for a residential system. I wonder if that line is so large because it's a direct tap & you have a separate metered line to the house. Do you turn off the irrigation from inside after the meter or do you have two independent shut offs, with one in the house before the meter with maybe a curb stop for the irri-line?

Suppose I'm just speculating as I don't have enough info from the two photos alone. Kinda interesting though. It's not necessary for your repair but would you post a photo of your manifold & valves? Just curious.

There is a main shut off at the street for the entire house. In the picture, the thick gray pipe is the access to shut off the irrigation.

The rest of the house hose bibs are 3/4" like one would suspect.

Thornton Building Department confirmed that the backflow preventer needs to remain 12" above grade. At this point, it's just a quick PVC pipe repair, since there is nothing wrong with the preventer itself. I called DBC and they said to bring it in to find a match. I'll do that, but unless there is a reason to upgrade to a new one, I'm not sure that I will upgrade at all, especially if this one is rebuildable. It usually seeps for the first few days every year when I turn on the valve, but other than that, I've had no problems. I think I'll just build the well and insulate the whole thing and through a flower pot on top. If I feel real crazy I'll put a roof on the well with a solar panel to power some decorative accent yard lighting or something.

Depending on the model, you can buy a bonnet & poppet kit from Febco online (local -probably HD, Ace,True etc., definitely at Horizon or CPS wholesale) and replace the internal parts. But before you spend $ you could try to reseat & grease the orings under the bell & this should remedy the leak. Use the same directions as a replacement while servicing the parts you have as long as they are undamaged & serviceable. Try to find a manufacturer video because its likely the best source for the correct procedure, even if it's not the same model. Removing the works can be a little tricky & there is a spring under pressure.

It's just a lose poppet inside. I just ponied up for a current and up to code model. Now I can blow it out if I ever wanted to.

Yep :)

New one is a lot bigger. The extra size of the new valve means that the pipes are crooked now. As long as it doesn't leak, I don't really care. It's going to get covered up anyway. As suggested in here, at Home Depot, and at DBC Irrigation, I installed with some unions so I can take the entire affair off if I need to.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4f...=w1619-h910-no

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Originally Posted by Irving

...It's going to get covered up anyway. ...

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Too pretty to cover up!

Yes it is.
Can appreciate the patina on the old one too.

What are you going to do with the old one? I might have another use for it instead if its going to end as penny scrap.

What the?? I swear the previous didnt post... refreshed 3 times.

The old one is going to join the bucket full of used and additional sprinkler gear in case I ever need it.

And then the bucket starts growing!

Attachment 75811

Scrap art was the plan if Irving was done with it.

My wife is always telling me to learn to weld so I can make scrap art. I want to learn to weld, but not for that reason.