LANDSCAPE:
1.
My
plants look like their dying WHAT SHOULD I DO?
a.
Modern
West, Inc. warranties all plant material for the first 90 days from installation
(For annuals and perennials please see plant warranty).
If any plant material dies within that timeframe, please contact us
directly. Other plant material may
be covered by additional warranties. These
warranties, if applicable, will be stated directly on your estimate or change
orders.
b.
Consult
your landscape maintenance company. Your
yard may contain annuals, perennials, and other seasonal plant material.
It is common for a variety of plant material to die at the end of a
season or loose their leaves and become dormant for several months.
Your landscape maintenance company should know what to do.
c.
Have
your landscape maintenance company check the watering times, as over or under
watering may damage or kill plant material.
d.
Different
varieties of plant material require specific maintenance needs.
Please consult your landscape maintenance company to verify they are
being fertilized and/or maintained properly.
2.
My
sprinkler heads aren’t spraying properly
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
a.
Sprinklers
heads will require adjustments after initial installation.
As dirt and debris works it way thru the system the heads may get
clogged. Consult your landscape
maintenance company to have your irrigation system checked during standard
maintenance.
3.
HOW DO I CLEAN MY 1800
SERIES POP-UP SPRINKLERS?
a.
One of the many
advantages of the 1800-series sprinkler is that it is easy to flush and clean.
To remove the nozzle simply pull up the pop up part of the sprinkler (the stem)
and the nozzle is on the very top. Holding tightly onto the stem with one hand,
turn the nozzle counterclockwise until it separates from the stem. You do not
need to turn the screw on top to remove the nozzle; it is just for adjusting how
far the stream throws. As you remove the nozzle, you should see a screen inside
the riser. Pull out the screen and rinse both the nozzle and screen in clean
water. Never clean plastic nozzle orifices with wire or a wire brush because
this can deform the interior passages and lower the quality of nozzle
performance. If the nozzle is blocked and cannot be cleaned, you will have to
replace the nozzle with another one of the same type. The type of nozzle is
stamped into the top of the nozzle and is designated by numbers and some
letters. A few examples of this would be "15H", "9SST", or
"10VAN". Before replacing the screen and nozzle, open the valve and
flush out the head. Turn off the station, then put the screen and nozzle back
into place and turn the zone back on. After this cleaning, you may need to
re-adjust the direction of the sprinkler's spray. You can make these adjustments
by grabbing and twisting the stem (the part that pops up) left or right until
the spray of water is confined to the area that needs to be watered. The stem
may be somewhat difficult to turn and will make a ratcheting noise when turned,
which is normal.
4.
HOW DO I ADJUST THE
SPRAY ON MY 1800 SERIES SPRINKLERS?
a.
First look at the
designation on top of the nozzle. Many of the nozzles have certain patterns and
arcs that are non-adjustable. For example a 12Q nozzle will throw a twelve- foot
long quarter of a circle (90 degree) arc spray. The only thing that can be
adjusted on these fixed arc nozzles is the distance. To do this, simply turn the
silver screw on the top of the nozzle to the left to increase the water flow
through the nozzle. Turn it to the right (tighten the screw) to reduce the
throw. The recommended minimum throw distance on the 15-foot nozzle is 10 feet.
If you need to reduce the radius to less than 10 feet, or have any other
questions concerning adjusting or concerning the 1800 series, contact the
5.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I WATER
MY LAWN AND FOR HOW LONG?
a.
Because each lawn is
unique, the answer to this question can vary greatly. The best watering times
and length of watering depends on your climate, the type of grass and soil
conditions. It is generally preferable to water infrequently for a longer period
of time than frequently for short periods. Watering infrequently provides deep
water sources that roots search for. Frequent watering promotes surface root
growth. For specific information, we suggest you contact your nearest nursery,
garden center, or the local horticultural extension office and consult with them
about a watering schedule best suited to your area.
6.
WHAT TIME OF DAY SHOULD
I WATER?
a.
Rain Bird recommends
watering early in the morning, followed by evening watering. Water in the middle
of the day only if it is cool or if you have a new lawn requiring constant
moisture. You only should water more than once per day if evaporation is extreme
or if your soil won’t hold water because of the clay content or the slope of a
hill causes too much runoff.
7.
WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN IT
RAINS?
a.
Most timers have a
button for shutting down for rain. In addition, connecting to a Rain Shutoff
Device (Rain Bird model RS-1
or RSD-BEx)
allows automatic shutdown during rainy weather.
8.
WHAT MAINTENANCE DO I
NEED TO DO ON MY IRRIGATION SYSTEM?
a.
Monthly you should:
Adjust timer settings. 1. Check and adjust sprinkler sprays. 2. Clean mainline
filter (if installed). 3. Once per season you should: Clean filters in all
sprinkler heads. 1. Manually operate each valve. 2. Check wire and wire nuts for
any damage. 3. As needed you should: Unclog sprinkler heads. 1. Adjust
installation levels of heads to ground level.
a.
Some parts of the
10.
WHAT INFORMATION WILL I
NEED TO PROVIDE RAIN BIRD FOR FAST AND ACCURATE TECHNICAL SERVICE?
a.
The more specifics you
have prior to calling the Rain Bird Technical Help Line (800) 724-6247, the more
quickly we'll be able to help you. Gather whatever product information you can.
Sprinklers, valves, controllers and other Rain Bird products usually have a
model designation or number visible on their brass or plastic surfaces. If a
product was sold attached to cardboard or if you have an instruction manual,
that's usually the easiest place to find the product model number. We do keep
track of your phone number and name for our records so we can provide even
faster service the next time you call. Our goal is to provide customer service
that is constantly improving.
11.
WHAT IS A DATE CODE AND
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
a.
The date code indicates
when a product was manufactured. It's another way we can track quality. A date
code includes abbreviations of the day, month and year a product was made. It
looks something like this: 17SE00. On sprinklers, you can usually find the date
code on the sprinkler's top edge, though it may be difficult to see. If you are
unable to see a date code on the sprinkler in question, take a piece of chalk
and rub it around the edge. The code should then be highlighted. On controllers,
the date code label may be in one of several areas. Check the back of the unit,
inside the door, under the outside of the controller where the wires come into
the timer, or on the front panel of the timer near the fuse.
12. MY TDR-2/R-50 SPRINKLERS ARE GETTING STUCK ON THE RIGHT HAND TRIP, ARE ROTATING SLOWLY OR ARE NOT
ROTATING AT ALL. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
a.
Low water pressure or a low
flow rate can lead to slow rotation of the head. Slow rotation can cause a head
to stick. You can speed up the rotation by adjusting the basket on the bottom of
the rotor's internals. Make sure the setting on the bottom of the sprinkler
internals matches the nozzle you are using.
13.
MY SPRINKLER(S) WON'T ROTATE. WHAT CAN I
DO?
a. Often the problem behind many sprinkler rotation problems is that the water pressure is either too low or too high. The first step is to find out your water pressure from your water department or whoever provides your residential water. Then compare this approximate water pressure with the recommended pressure for your rotors. You may need to make adjustments or additions to your system if the pressure is too low or too high. See the section on impacts not rotating for more information.
2045A, AG-5, LG-3 and MG-4)
a.
One of
our first questions is how many years old or how many irrigation seasons have
your sprinklers operated? It is normal for impact sprinklers to require some
maintenance after about 7 to 10 seasons. As with any moving sprinkler, water
pressure and flow volume play an important role in the rotation of the heads.
Here's any easy way to determine if water pressure is the possible cause of the
problem. If the head is not rotating back to the left, go to one of the
correctly operating heads on the same circuit. Using your thumb, seal off the
nozzle where the water is shooting out. If the non-rotating head starts to
rotate, you may need to recalculate the system's optimum flow volume.
15.
WHICH LUBRICANT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR USE WITH YOUR
SPRINKLER HEADS?
a.
The
only lubricant Rain Bird recommends with any of our equipment is water! Any
other lubricant will cause dirt and other debris to attract and stick to the
different parts of the sprinkler. This dirt can become abrasive and wear out
seals causing the sprinkler to loose performance, stop turning, leak, or even
stop functioning completely. If you're having trouble with sprinklers that are
not rotating, please see the solutions related to rotation.
16.
WHEN MY VALVES OPEN AND/OR
CLOSE THERE IS A LOUD THUMPING, BANGING NOISE IN THE PIPES. WHAT IS IT?
a.
The sound you are
hearing is called waterhammer. This is something you will want to correct, as it
can cause damage to your pipes and equipment over a period of time. If the water
velocity in your pipes is too high, the valves may be slamming shut, causing the
waterhammer. If you have flow control valves, turn them down to help to lessen
the problem. Another way to alleviate this problem is to purchase a waterhammer
suppressor at you local plumbing supply house and install it yourself. Using a
larger supply line from the water source to the valves also helps reduce
waterhammer. Another reason is if your sprinkler heads do not have check valves
or the seal-o-matic (SAM) feature and are draining water out of the heads on the
lowest point in the line. When the valve opens and sends water down this pipe,
the water hits the air and crashes into fittings causing waterhammer. If these
solutions don't work, we recommend you consult a professional installer to help
correct the problem.
17.
HOW
CAN I TELL IF MY SOLENOID IS BAD?
a.
Here are a few things to
check in determining if your solenoid is bad. Do you see any visual hints that
the solenoid has failed, such as rust? Are the wire connections in waterproof
connections? You can also remove the solenoid and have it tested at a local
service location. An electrical resistance test should typically indicate a
reading between 20 and 60 ohms for a solenoid that is operating properly.
18.
MY VALVE(S) WON'T CLOSE. WHAT
SHOULD I DO?
a.
Before you worry, try
these simple solutions. Make sure that your valves are clean and that no debris
is blocking them. Also, if the valve was recently installed, make sure that the
flow direction arrows are pointed towards the sprinklers. (This is a common and
sometimes embarrassing mistake that even seasoned installers can make.)
19.
WHAT
IS A "MANIFOLD"?
a. The manifold is where the irrigation valves are located. The manifold protects these valves that operate the individual systems
in your lawn. Generally speaking, you may have one manifold in the front yard
and one in the back yard for the designated areas.
a.
If your sprinkler heads
are leaking water after the system has turned off or are on constantly two
things may be happening. 1) The system may be draining water out of the lowest
head(s). This leakage will last only a few minutes until the higher pipes in the
system are empty of water. (Rain Bird offers the Seal-A-Matic (SAM) check valve
to prevent puddling of water in lower heads if this is a real problem.) 2) The
valves may have debris in them, which is not allowing the valve to shut down
completely. When this happens, water bleeds past the valve. If this is the case,
the valve must be flushed out and cleaned of any debris. This is achieved by
manually opening the valve with the bleeder screw. Often this will flush any
debris out of the valve. If your valve is not equipped with a bleeder screw then
open the valve by turning the solenoid (the black device with two wires coming
out of it) ¼ of a turn.
21.
My
drains don’t seem to be working WHAT SHOULD I DO?
a. Drains can and may get clogged due to dirt and debris that can pass through the drain grates. Please consult your landscape
maintenance company to ensure they are free of debris.
22.
My
lights don’t work WHAT SHOULD I DO?
a. Check the timer. Your lights are equipped with a photocell and timer. The photocell turns your lights on as the sun sets. The
timer turns the lights off so they won’t run all night.
Check the timer to ensure the timer is not turning the lights off
immediately. (Refer to Lighting Timer Instructions)
HARDSCAPE:
1. My concrete has small cracks and/or small holes:
It is common for there to be slight hairline cracking and/or small pop outs in concrete. Please refer to the enclosed Limited
Concrete Warranty
for more information. Refer
serious fractures, cracking and/or buckling to our office.
2. My concrete has discoloration:
Over time your concrete could discolor. It is impossible to ensure your concrete color will not discolor. There are many factors
involved that are beyond our control.
. 3. My concrete has efflorescence:
This is normal for concrete and other materials (stone, brick, tile, etc.). There are many reasons or causes, but the primary cause is water carrying salt deposits from different sources penetrates the concrete and leaves behind salt deposits. As the water
evaporates the salt appears on the surface. There are two commonly used methods to remove efflorescence. You can wash them
off with high pressured water or wet the area and then apply muriatic acid and wash off with water.
4. Should I seal my concrete:
There are different types of concrete sealers for different looks. The option to seal your concrete is your choice depending on the
look of the concrete you desire. Modern West, Inc. accepts no responsibility for discoloration or poor results of sealers applied by
the homeowner or any other contractor.