None of My Retic Works

Posted on 16th December 2011 in General, Repairs

If nothing comes on whatsoever then chances are you may have a broken common wire.

We were at a job today where the back came on, but the front didn’t. The fact that the back came on eliminated the possibility of it being the master solenoid.

It had to be a common wire (or all 3 solenoids had died at the same time).

As is often the case a brief search revealed a wire sticking out of the ground that shouldn’t have been there. A dig in the area revealed its other half and when they were re-joined ‘voila’ the whole system kicked into gear.

Sometimes its a simple solution, but you need to know where to look.

This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
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My Reticulation has Lost Pressure

Posted on 11th October 2011 in bore, Repairs

Ok so you have noticed a drop in pressure on your sprinklers.

Believe it or not the first place to check is your water meter. Make sure someone hasn’t turned the pressure down here. It happens… I have no idea why people do it but that’s the first test.

Then check and see if it is on just one station or on all.

If its ‘all’ then you have a break in your mainline – that’s the 25ml or 40ml main pipe that feeds to the solenoids. This should show up in a large puddle of water somewhere.  You may need to leave it on for a while if its just a small crack as it will take a while for it to show through.

If its just one station then you will have either a broken pipe in the line or a broken riser.

 

Check for pooling around the sprinklers as that will indicate a riser problem. If you can move the sprinkler then its likely the riser is broken. If not then you will need to check the line for cracks and breaks. This can be a long tedious process as you will need to locate the break and sometimes its not obvious.

A small crack can result in a significant pressure drop but can be a pain to find.

Here’s one my father worked on recently. His pressure on this one station dropped significantly and he ended up having to trace the line until he found the problem – a joint that had cracked.

 

If you have a drop in pressure then the only solution is to keep looking till you find it – or call us and we will look for you!

 

 

This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
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Locating Solenoids

Posted on 31st August 2011 in Repairs

This can be very easy or long and complicated.

If you don’t know where your solenoids are then you will either need to dig around in the more obvious places (garden beds, start of lawn etc) or you will need to use a solenoid detector.

Sometimes this is the only way to find that missing item. When a house has been remodelled and the yard redone it can become even harder and the solenoid detector is not foolproof.

Today I found myself hunting for a hidden solenoid and without the detector it would have been a complete waste of time. However with it I was able to trace the wires, dig a hole 600 ml deep and find the offending valve.

If you need to locate a solenoid then I don’t promise we will get it, but in 4 years only one has beaten me, so its a fair chance we will be able to locate it!

 

This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
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Annual Sprinkler Service

Posted on 24th August 2011 in Repairs

 

Believe it or not winter is almost over!

And with that you will be able to turn your sprinklers back on. As the warmer weather approaches its imperative that your sprinklers are working correctly and that they are covering the areas they are intended to.

Brighton Retic and Turf has an Annual Sprinkler Service for only $79.00-$99.00 inc GST

For that price we will check all stations and replace up to 3 regular pop-up nozzles and 3 microsprays or drippers (5 & 5 on 7-9 station properties). We will set your controller and ensure the battery is replaced. This service includes up to 30 mins of labour. For properties with 6 stations or less the charge is $79.00 and for those with 7-9 stations the $99.00 charge applies. if you live in the northern suburbs then just call us on 0400044236 to make an appointment.

If more work is required or nozzles other than regular pop-ups then extra charges will be applied as appropriate at the regular rate.

Call now and avoid the spring rush!

 

 

This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
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Fixing a Leaky Solenoid

Posted on 18th June 2011 in Repairs, solenoids

If you have a station that stays running then you have a leaky solenoid. Simple as that.

You can fix it by removing the whole solenoid and replacing it, or if you are lucky you may just be able to unscrew the top, take out the ‘guts’ (diaphragm, spring etc) and replace them.

If that’s the case then its a much simpler operation even if it isn’t a whole lot cheaper.

For that reason I try to use ‘jartop’ valves rather than the ‘screwed’ valves as they are much easier to service. With lots of dirt all around its a pain trying to unscrew the screws, not lose them and then get the gasket back in place.

But if you can do a ‘guts exchange’ then its a five minute operation and a whole heap easier.

Just make sure you clear enough space around the valve to minimise the dirt factor and then cut the wires, change the parts over, rejoin the wires and you should be all good

 

 

This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
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Retic and Turf in Merriwa

Posted on 10th June 2011 in Local Knowledge, Repairs, sprinklers

If you live in Merriwa and need some repairs done then give us a call. We are nearby in Butler and should be able to get there quickly.

We garauntee excellent, friendly service, punctuality and reasonable prices.

Look forward to hearing from you

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Reticulation When Moving House

Posted on 10th June 2011 in Local Knowledge, Repairs, sprinklers, What's Going on There?

If you are moving house then at your pre-settlement inspection everything should be in working order.

The sprinklers should all be spraying properly and retracting and there shouldnt be any leaks or blocked nozzles.

If you arent happy with the condition of the retic then get your agent to call us and we can arrange to get it all sorted at the current owners expense. If yiu dont sort it now then it will become your problem very soon and it shouldnt be.

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Why You Need a Master Valve on Your Reticulation

Posted on 2nd June 2011 in Installations, Repairs, What's Going on There?

 

Not every reticulation system in Perth has a master valve and that’s not such a good thing.

 

Here’s why it matters:

 

The master valve exists essentially to prevent you from losing water if any of your station solenoids leak. It is screwed directly onto the dual check valve / cut in tap.

 

Each time you run your reticulation you are actually opening 2 solenoid valves – the master AND the station valve.  Should you develop a leak in your solenoid at station 1 (for example) then it will not leak continually so long as your MV is functioning.

 

Occasionally people ring me and tell me that their retic is leaking continually and they can’t locate the cause. The first thing I check is whether there is a master valve installed. The easiest way to check this is to go to the control box and see whether there is a wire in MV/Pump terminal. If there is then you do have a master valve.  If not then you don’t.

 

A lot of older houses bypassed this part and while its not critical it does protect you against unnecessary water loss. It is possible to retrofit a master valve and might even be quite easy depending on the location of your ball valve for isolating your retic (usually by your water meter)

 

Essentially what would need to be done is

a) locate the cut in tap

b) install the MV onto it

c) wire it back to the control box

 

 

 

 

This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
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Reticulation and Turf in Butler

Posted on 28th May 2011 in Ideas, Installations, Installing, Local Knowledge, Repairs, Sir Walter Turf

 

As a local business we can offer great prices on a new Retic system or a backyard Retic and turf package.

If you’ve been living in a sandpit and dreading winter when it will all turn to mud then give us a call and we can come around and discuss what you need.

Winter prices are generally 10-20% cheaper than spring/summer so now is the time to get yourself a bargain.

This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
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Low Voltage Reticulation Wiring

Posted on 27th May 2011 in Repairs, What's Going on There?, wiring

 

Reticulation wiring that leaves the control box is not dangerous.

As a general rule if you feel anything when you touch the wires it will be a light buzzing in your finger tips. That’s because its low voltage – around 24v and it isn’t enough to hurt you.

The Control box has an inbuilt transformer that reduces the current from 240v so that any wires beyond the controller are safe.

NOTE: DO NOT TOUCH THE 240V WIRES INSIDE THE CONTROL BOX!

That’s also why wires usually aren’t laid in conduit.  Most installers will tape the wire to the underside of the main reticulation pipe to protect it, but apart from that it sits free in the ground.

If you happen to chop thru some wires then you can simply rejoin them with insulation tape and all should work again. For some people wiring just isn’t their thing at all and its easier to call someone. If that’s the case then we’d be happy to hear from you.

This is the Brighton Reticulation Blog and our main site can be found here For service or advice with the issues in this post call Andrew on 0400044236, or email us here
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