Is there an adjustable shrub sprinkler that really adjusts?

13 years ago

Hi all,

Renee here, first time poster, from the CA Gardening Forum.

DH has just attached all my crazy above-ground PVC sprinkler systems to auto timers to make my life much easier. I have the shrub sprinklers and PVC above ground because I change my cottage-style garden constantly, and we'd have the Panama Canal in back if I made DH dig up all of those sprinkler lines every other month or so when I move things around. I have some drip, but I get tired of losing plants when I forget (or get too lazy) to remove all the drippers and soak in LimeAway twice a year.

My question: I would like to buy some very high-quality shrub sprinkler heads that I can adjust the flow on. My current brass-heads from Orbit can be turned down with a tiny screwdriver, but over the course of a few weeks they turn themselves off. I do not want to water the concrete. My water bill is too high as it is. Can anyone recommend a sprinkler nozzle that does not do this?

Thank you.

Renee

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Comments (9)

lehua49
13 years ago
Hi HN,

Have you taken off the shrub head and investigated what made them stop working. You might try unscrewing the center screw all the way without taking it out. Run the heads to flush them out and re-screw them down again. If that helps then somethings is clogging them at the smaller opening settings. Hopes this helps. JMHO Aloha.
hosenemesis
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you so much for your reply. We have indeed flushed out the whole system, and replaced the nozzles with new ones. The new ones are just as difficult to adjust to a lower flow. Perhaps it is because some of them are on tall risers?

What kind of sprinkler heads do you use, lehua?

Renee
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lehua49
13 years ago
Renee,

When you replaced the heads, did you look inside to see if there was something inside causing the clogging? Sometimes I get small slugs or other bugs crawling in the head for moisture or protection. They all have filter inserts inside the head. What brand and type were the new ones. Being on a tall riser does not affect the flow. The screw reduces the coverage distance and flow by acting as a pressure reducer which greatly restricts the sprinklers opening.

I have the fixed shrub heads with center screw and pop ups on risers with adjustable coverage. All kinds of brands. JMHO Aloha
hosenemesis
Original Author
13 years ago
We get earwigs. Lots of earwigs. Ick. Why do they crawl in there to suffer and die? So sad.

We tried the Orbit brand again, since that was the only one with the brass nozzles instead of plastic. One is now working well, even at a low adjustment, but four others are dribbling out of one side when turned down, and if I just move the screw one one-thousandth of a centimeter up, the water comes out at full force, spraying past the bed and up my shorts and down into my shoes. Maybe I just picked a up a few lemons, but I was just wondering if there are any better machined products out there.

I suppose I could just go buy fifty of them, try each one, and return all of the ones that don't adjust well. My shorts and shoes will be extremely clean by then, huh?

Thanks again, lehua.
Renee
lehua49
13 years ago
Renee,

Your name is apropos and you are very funny indeed. Glad to read you are looking at the humorous side of adjusting sprinkler heads. My suggestion is that you buy several different brands and see which one is easier to adjust and which one has a more fine control. All the brands will not be found at only one store though. Try a landscaping or nursery outlet store and talk to the people who work there. There are several top-of-the-line brands that are not readily available in the hardware stores. JMHO Aloha
hosenemesis
Original Author
13 years ago
The plants of the world thank you, lehua, for your sage advice on how to get them sufficient water.
I thank you too. You're a star.
I will continue my war against all water delivery systems, but in a cheerful way.
Renee
zeuspaul
13 years ago
I have a small collection of sprinkler heads and none of them work in all conditions.

The ones I like the best are the ones I make myself. I have a collection of spray nozzles that I get from Mcmaster Carr linked below. I like the quarter inch flat spray nozzles which are available with various spray angles and a range of orifice sizes. To change the flow or spray pattern I just change the nozzle.

I use a pair of threaded half inc PVC nineties which allows for any vertical or horizontal angle adjustment. I thread them into a half X quarter threaded bushing.

Zeuspaul

Here is a link that might be useful: Spray Nozzles
hosenemesis
Original Author
13 years ago
Now those are some nice nozzles.
Smart use of PVC, Zeuspaul. It always amazes me how ingenious people are. Thanks for the link.

Renee
zeuspaul
13 years ago
Renee

I use McMaster Carr for specialty items that are hard to find anywhere else. Normally I don't buy from venders that don't quote shipping costs. However they are an exception. They ship very quickly and the shipping costs seem to be at or below actual shipping costs.

I bought nozzles for my external water spray system that I use to protect my house from wildfire. I found I could use many of the same nozzles for the gardens.

I buy brass fittings from Plumbing Fittings Direct. You will pay about half what you pay from your local improvement center if you meet the fifty dollar minimum for free shipping. And the selection is much better. A brass 1/2 x 1/4 inch threaded brass reducing bushing is only about fifty cents more than the same thing in PVC.

They have a good selection of bushings, threaded nineties and forty fives, tees and reducing tees.

Your gardens are beautiful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brass Fittings

Is there an adjustable shrub sprinkler that really adjusts?

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Is there an adjustable shrub sprinkler that really adjusts?

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