I have an irrigation manifold that is leaking due to a plastic nut that cracked probably due to being over-tightened.



The system was made by Orbit and the manifold needs to be replaced. However Orbit has discontinued that part so the closest thing I found is another 1" 3 port manifold.



However this manifold is slightly different in dimensions. I am able to get the three valves to the right to line up, and I need to adjust the valve to the east. Not a problem. The problem is the incoming water pipe is now off by about a 3/4" offset. Here is a picture with the new manifold.







If I were to remove all the fittings to the right of the ball valve, I have about 6.5" to offset 3/4". Is there a way to make that work?

I looked at two 1" 45 degrees elbows and that's too much of an offset. I can't find a street 45 elbow at the local big box stores to try. I know there are some "flex" pipes I can use but I would prefer not to. Digging down 12" to the three valves to the south to extend each by 3/4" is possible but I would rather avoid this if possible. I thought of using four 90 elbows but that's not appealing at all.

Ideas?

Sum,

easy-peasy

watch the video - same principle - [youtu.be]

make the offset in the middle of a 'long piece', cut to length desired

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

bernabeu, I have done that before - with a bigger offset, on a 3/4" SCH 80 PVC conduit. It worked but it was only 3/4" and it was thicker SCH 80, and I noticed the gray color conduit kind of discolored and was mildly burnt, which for my purpose it was just a raceway underground for wiring and not under any kind of pressure.

I wonder if I do this to SCH 40 and 1" pipe with such a short length, the two bends of the offset would have to be back to back, would this process weaken the PVC enough to withstand constant water pressure...that's my worry. I will try it but don't know if I can pull it off.

SLOWLY - PAINSTAKINGLY - it WILL work - make a slight bend, stop and let it cool - make another 'opposite' - i would use a hair dryer

good luck

if it becomes a total SNAFU, use a piece of 'flex' pvc as the pipe is exposed and visible

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Didn't work. I tried twice and slowly, got it to soften but when I bent it gently, it didn't kink but the middle of the bend is "flattens", and then opposite bend I couldn't get it to happen within the 6.5" I have to work with. I am not sure I like the slightly flattened bend. I worry about having weakened the pipe.

Anyways I have removed the rest of the fittings all the way back to the 3/4" brass male adapter coming out of the exterior wall. Will try again tomorrow after work.

a couple of adapters with a copper sweat ball valve and make it out of copper.
pack the copper with fine sand before heating it and it will make a nice offset.
the big box stores near me sell 2 foot long pieces of copper tubing.

ccording to your ruler it is about 1 1/2", not 3/4". Remove the piece at the valve, install a male adapter, then used two street 45s to make the offset.

hj, my apologies but it is a bad picture. The tape was "tilted" and possibly the phone as well, it's not 1.5" but 3/4". What's more the manifold is not entirely parallel to the wall either, so there is a bit of a misalignment there.

In any event I gave up on trying to do the offset by heating and bending. Like I said I was able to do it before with SCH80 3/4" PVC electrical conduit but this 1" seems to bend and "flatten".

I end up removing all the PVC fittings and found that I have a 3/4" copper male adapter at the wall.





I should have known there is a 3/4" somewhere since the sprinklers are on city water and the pipe after the shutoff going into the house is 3/4" copper. I also found that whoever made the connection to the male adapter used a 3/4"X1" PVC bushing. I don't like plastic female fitting connecting to metal male fittings so I put in a 3/4" brass coupling, into that a 3/4" X 1" male adapter. then a 1" street 90 degree elbow. That gives me the distance away from the wall to make the connection on the other side without the need to offset. Then I put in the ball valve and the rest of the needed fittings to connect to the manifold.

I haven't tested it yet since I want to give the PVC connections some time before I pressurize. Hopefully it will be leak proof when I test it tomorrow.

By the way, when I put the coupling onto the male adapter on the wall, it is recessed so that I can't put a wrench on the hex portion of the male adapter while I turn the coupling, I have no choice but to just crank on the coupling hard hoping that I won't end up twisting or breaking the copper pipe inside the wall. Is there any pro trick in this situation to minimize the stress to the joint?

Those valves do not have integral vacuum breakers so I hope you have an "approved" pressure type backflow/vacuum breaker before the manifold somewhere.

hj, I do not have a vacuum breaker upstream of the controller, I guess I need to insert one upstream of valves and downstream of the ball valve?

Right now this is what I just completed.







You mean I need to take it apart again?

yes

vacuum breaker / backflow preventer between ball valve and manifold to prevent:


'possible' scenario: irrigation on, water main break, back siphonage of ground water into potable water supply


this is actually a code requirement because of the public safety issues

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

That's about it, but the good thing is that since it has to be a "pressure type BFP, it will have its own ball valves and you will have a lot more room to revise it since the BFP has to be at least 12" above the highest irrigation head.



Edited 1 times.

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

do I need to put in this big device? Why can't I just put a simple inline 1" check valve after the ball valve?

they are very strict about this code.
need an air gap and under some codes the device needs to be testable.

Quote

do I need to put in this big device? Why can't I just put a simple inline 1" check valve after the ball valve?

yes, you do, as per Federal Law and ALL local code requirements

(the fact that it was not done before makes-no-never-mind)


a simple swing check can NOT be depended upon to prevent ALL back-flow

ALL backflow MUST be prevented to protect the public health and welfare


[www.bing.com]

a typical installation:


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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Well then I am going redo everything completely.

I will probably replace those sprinkler controller solenoids, re-position the electric box and manifold lower and put them in a buried valve box so dogs can't damage them and chew them up.



Edited 1 times.

the original installer did not have time or money to do it right


YOU will have time and money to do it again




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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

You may be lucky. In some areas they require a "reduced pressure principle backflow preventer", (RPPBFP), which is not only BIGGER, but much more expensive, and DOES require yearly testing. Check valves are notoriously unreliable, and even "double checks" can fail.



Edited 1 times.

well, since the fitting at the wall coming from the house is 3/4", and the only reason it goes to 1" is due to the sprinkler manifolds are 1" connections, I think I am just going to go with 3/4".

Coming out of the wall I have a 3/4". The BFP has an integrated shutoff so the existing 1" shutoff valve can be eliminated? or do I still need a shutoff ball valve? I think I will come out the wall with a 3/4" brass nipple, then an elbow pointing up, connecting to a 3/4" BFP, assume these are FPT threaded on the BFP most of the time? If so then it will be difficult to swing these things around close to the wall, so the piping needs to be threaded into the BFP's inlet and outlet first, then a brass union on each end for easy removal?

After the outlet union then I switch to 1" and PVC to connect to the irrigation manifold.

Is this BFP heavy? Can a 3/4" coming out of the wall with a brass nipple support it's weight? Or do I need some sort of a support or strapping?