Front yard water shut off valve.

[Irving]

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.

[Irving]

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.

[fairrpe86]

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.

[SideShow Bob]

PM sent to you Stuvig.

[Irving]

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.

[Irving]

PM sent to you Stuvig.

Returned.

[Irving]

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

[ChickNorris]

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,

[Irving]

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.

[fairrpe86]

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.