We have tried cleaning, replacing valves three times, and nothing has worked. We have 7stations. Number one stays on unless we shut off the main water line. We finally canceled it and hooked up an irrigation timer (that usually connects to a faucet.) We turn it on manually and the pipe jerks so we know it is working properly. When we turn it off, the pipe jerks so we know water is on and off but Number one is still running. We are at our wits end. Anyone out there who can give us an answer?????

Hi, Sorry! I've been laying out my tubing, and figuring out 1/2" tubes also come in 1/2" ID sizes. Back & forth to the store for different sized adaptors ... I have a 25 psi regulator on the water source set-up. I'll also get a pressure gauge, you're right, it would be good to know the pressure to the house anyway. I never thought about the flow rate ... I'll measure it all in a bucket before I start actually watering - jeez! Sort of important - thank you. :) I have 4 - 1/2" hoses, with no more than 40' or so of each. They will each have varying lengths of 1/4" hose running off them, no more than 10-12'. I have several 1 GPH heads along each hose, most at least 18" or so. Only one 1/2" hose station, the one for the shaded bed where the valves are located, will have heads running directly off of it, but only 8 or so; it's not a long line. So, just to be clear - I add the # of GPH's, and they need to be under 80% of hose bib total ... I've got some calculating to do! I'll be running each station for a different length of time, for a different # of days (vines vs. succulents vs. shade, etc). I have 153 plants so far, so I've already exceeded that, right? I'll have to water on different days. I'm not setting up the anti-syphon valve system, including attaching my hose to a separate valve, until I have the irrigation hoses all laid out and working, and the watering timed right, just to be safe. The current manual set-up is cheap enough, although not very sturdy, and my kitchen timer goes up to 9 hours. I don't even have my shaded bed planted yet; I'll wait for the permanent valve set-up (so I know what I have to hide). When I do get it set up, then I'll add the multi-station timer to work with the solenoid/anti-syphon valves, and the kitchen timer won't be used any more. It'll work for this manual system for now, so when 1 station is done being watered, I can turn off that valve, and then the next valve can be shut off when that's done and so on - that is if they're all being watered at the same time, which I don't think I can do with the pressure issue. OK, I'm off to finish the hoses and do some math - I always liked a good word problem! Thank you!

My Automatic Watering and Feeding System by Henry Kuska, zone 5 northern Ohio For a number of years (about 10), I have been utilizing an automatic watering and feeding system based on the use of recycled rubber soaker hose, automatic battery operated timers, and water filter cartridge holders. Starting from the garden water faucet, the system consists of the following: 1) An anti-siphon device protected by filters on both the inlet and outlet side. The function of the anti-siphon device is to prevent water from backing up into the house water system if the house water pressure would suddenly drop from something like flushing a toilet. The reason I use filters on both the inlet and outlet side is to prevent particles from entering the anti-siphon check valve chamber. Particle contamination could prevent the valve from completely closing. I replace the anti-siphon devices each season (since mineral buildup could also hinder complete sealing of the valve). 2) The distribution system. After the water leaves the anti-siphon device it is divided into four branches. Each branch has its own battery operated timer and directs the water to a separate set of beds. Each branch also has its own manual on-off valve. I have used both regular PVC plastic pipe and cheap plastic garden hose for the under lawn piping. I used a semicircular edger tool to lift one side of the sod and then I pushed the hose (pipe) under the sod. In the spring the ground is relatively soft and this part of the installation is not as hard as one may think. 3) Battery operated automatic timers. The most important feature to look for is that the unit will automatically shut off when the batteries are weak. Also look for timers with a battery life longer than one season (the first timers that I purchased needed new batteries every couple of weeks). My present timers are good for the season. My timers have a manual on-off feature that does not disturb the automatic settings. I find this feature very useful. Ease of programming is also very desirable (some of my previous timers were not easy to program). I especially like a preview feature that allows me to check and see if the times that I think are entered are actually what are entered. I used to water at night, but I found that "critters of the night" would chew the soaker hoses. I now set the 4 timers to water daily for one hour the first starting at 11 am the next at 1, then at 3 and the last timer to start at 5. 4) Water filter cartridges holders. I use 4 household water filter cartridge holders (one after each timer) to hold whatever chemicals I want to deliver to the rose beds. To save money, I purchased these either at Goodwill type stores or at garage sales. I recommend that you look for units with a clear lower unit and with a pressure release button. I install them backwards to the suggested direction when used as filters. As I install them the water enters from the center of the cover and then exits from the side of the cover. I epoxy a small section of plastic pipe to the center top inlet so that the water goes to the bottom of the cartridge holder (this is not necessary, but it does promote more rapid mixing of the fertilizer and the water). To use a household filter cartridge holder with a garden hose, one should utilize adapters to change from water pipe thread to garden house thread. The adaptors are not expensive, and they are normally available at large hardware stores. The two threads are almost the same; but if you try to force the one on the other , you will cross thread the fitting and probably have slow leakage at the joint. 5) The soaker hoses. Once in the individual bed the water is split into two paths by the use of inexpensive "Y" connectors (with shut off valves in each arm). The soaker hoses are connected at this point. In my most recent beds I use two hoses that run parallel to each other 1/3 and 2/3 of the way from one side of the bed (my beds are about 5 feet wide). In the older beds I snaked the two hoses in and out from bush to bush (the hoses were installed after the bushes were in place so a straight line installation was not possible). I install a manual on-off valve at the termination end of each hose so that I can periodically flush the hose. The first year I buried the soaker hoses. However, the second year I found that the hoses appeared to have lost most of their porosity (presumably due to mineral build up). I now put the hose under the mulch. Each spring I take the hose up and flex it and then flush it. This seems to restore the porosity. Some years I also added enzyme drain cleaner to the water filter cartridges one day before shutting down the system for the season. Sometimes (especially when I am able to purchase them deeply discounted at end-of-year sales), I simply replace the soaker hoses with new ones. I should point out that the water used is untreated well water so the mineral buildup problem may not be typical.

interesting. Lehua, thanks for that. around here, we use the large backflow preventers for larger multi housing complexes or commercial irrigation, but it is typically located either inside, in the "mechanical" room, or set below ground in an irrigation box. the duel checks for smaller residential we use these: ...Perhaps the reason I don't see anti-siphon valves around here maybe just local preference to having "invisible" irrigation? It's considered unprofessional to have a lot of above-surface parts. valves, filters, ball valves, blow out ports, even hose bibs are usually put below grade in an irrigation box. Still curious if anyone has a theory why anti-siphon valves don't exist in interior BC, and also, wondering if that leaking around the "anti-siphon part" is normal?