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Tuesday, December 18, 2018

"How to Fix a Sprinker" by Ivan L


            Have you ever been mowing your lawn when suddenly you hear a large crack? You then proceed to turn off your lawn mower and investigate what has occurred. To your surprise, you just hit a sprinkler and now you must fix it before the scheduled sprinkler activation. Do not fear, these instructions will teach you how to repair any sprinkler regardless of where it is located on the lawn.
           
            First, you must isolate your house from the water supply that runs underground. To do this, simply locate a green plastic cover on your lawn labeled “irrigation control valve” or something similar to “master valve.” Pull off the cover and there should be a red lever. Turn the lever counter-clockwise until it stops. Congratulations! You have successfully cut water flow to the sprinkler system. (Bonus: you now know what one of the underground boxes at your house does, even though it has been there the whole time you have occupied the house.)



           
Now it is time to remove the broken sprinkler. Grab some garden gloves or other thick gloves that provide both protection while still allowing enough mobility of your hand. If the cap of the sprinkler is still in one piece, unscrew it. The nozzle spring and check valve should all come out with the cap if they are still there. If the cap is not present, remove any of the parts inside the body and then proceed to the next instruction.  Now, grasp the body of the sprinkler and twist counter-clockwise until the entire unit comes out. (Warning: If you do not have gloves, you risk cutting your palms on the threads of the top of the body. This step can be done without gloves, but any cuts received will be like long papercuts.) (Note: It helps to squeeze the sprinkler while you twist as this deforms the sprinkler giving you more grip, so your hand does not slide around the sprinkler.) (Note:  If you are unable to grasp the sprinkler firmly, try using a small shovel to remove dirt from around the sprinkler. This allows you to grab more of the sprinkler. Feel free to dig as far as you want keeping in mind that any mess you make, you need to clean up.)

After you pull the sprinkler unit out, check around the body to see if the label is still in one piece. If you are still able to read the label, it should tell you the height of the sprinkler and the angle of the spray. Now you just need to go to your nearest home improvement store and purchase a sprinkler that matches these dimensions. If the label is not legible, because the sprinkler is old or because you chopped it off, you must take extra steps to ensure you purchase or have the right replacement. To determine the height of the replacement, simply compare your broken sprinkler to potential replacements. To determine the angle of the spray, look on the top of the nozzle of the sprinkler. There should be indents along the circumference of the nozzle indicating where the water comes out. (Example: If the indents are formed so that they cover half of the circumference, this represents a 180-degree spray angle.) It helps to take the sprinkler with you before throwing it away so that you do not need to memorize its dimensions when you shop for the replacement.

After you successfully purchase or find a replacement, it is time to put the sprinkler back in its place. This part will be easier if two people are present. (Note: At least one of you must know how to manually turn on the specific sprinkler zone that the broken sprinkler was in.) (Warning: The person who does not know how to activate the sprinkler manually will most likely get very, very wet in this next step.) First turn the irrigation control valve back on so that the sprinklers can turn on. The person who is activating the sprinklers must be on stand-by while the other mentally prepares themselves to get hit in the face with the pressurized water. (Optional: Wear a bathing suit.) The person who is screwing the sprinkler back into place must signal the other to activate the sprinklers. This will send a jet of water into the air. The sprinkler must be screwed in while the water is running. (Note: Be sure to screw clockwise as you can get disoriented when getting hit in the face with an unrelenting stream of water) This may take a few tries but eventually you will be able to screw the sprinkler back on. The purpose of this step is to flush out any dirt or contaminants out of the piping so that no clogging occurs in the future. (Note: If only one person will perform this step, they must both activate the sprinkler and replace the broken one.)

When you are sure the sprinkler is attached correctly, turn the water off. Remember the indents on the cap must be aimed in the proper direction so the water hits the lawn. (Note: Unless of course, the angle is 360 degrees. If so, skip this step) To reorient the sprinkler so it is aimed in the correct direction, get a flat head screwdriver (Note: it looks like a minus sign, not a plus sign), wedge it in between the nozzle and the cap and push on the handle of the screwdriver so that it lifts the nozzle up, grasp the nozzle with your hand and turn it so that the indents are pointed in the direction you wish the water to go. When you have finished, activate the sprinklers to check the functionality of everything. Now you can go do whatever else is on your agenda.

32 comments:

  1. What an extremely emotional stories. You brought me to tears. Your command of the English language is astounding and I cannot wait until you publish your latest novel. Such evocative words such as "twist counter-clockwise" and "flat screwdriver" were knives of emotions just gutting my heart out. I can easily say that in such a short article, you have changed my life and way of thinking forever Ivan Larrando. Thank You.

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  2. This is a well organized post on how to fix a sprinkler. I loved how specific the instructions are such as "the indents are formed so that they cover half of the circumference" and "wedge it in between so that the indents are pointed in the direction you wish the water to go." Thanks to the little comments, notes, and warnings that you added, the posts is much more informative. I will make sure to follow your every directions when I somehow get a broken sprinkler. I loved this highly informative and specific this post was. - Jacob Ramirez

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  3. I like this instructional tutorial because it is not only unique but very useful and thorough in a time of crisis involving a broken sprinkler (with my luck, I would probably break one eventually). My favorite part are the notes because they give very useful recommended information that no other tutorial about this situation would probably give.

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  4. I have never had the opportunity of needing to fix a lawn sprinkler but if I ever needed to, I now know how. Thank you for the step by step instructions and I will definitely keep this blog on hand in case of an emergency.

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  5. i never knew how to fix a sprinkler so thank you for doing this one lol but i love you are able to go into detail with this to make it as easy as possible to understand. 10/10 Good job

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  6. I had no idea that fixing a sprinkler was so complicated, I was also unaware of the comedy aspects that came with fixing a sprinkler such as "Optional: wear a bathing suit" and "you can get disoriented when getting hit in the face with an unrelenting stream of water". I love how descriptive your directions are and the sense of comedic relief throughout.
    -Kailee Hinds

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  7. Even though I don't have any sprinklers, this was a very insightful post. Your occasional humor (specifically the way you nonchalantly mention how you'll be hit with a stream of water when fixing the sprinkler) throughout this informational post kept me very refreshed (puns) and maintained my interest. I've learned a lot and will probably ending up using this information in the future! Great job Ivan!

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  8. What an informative tutorial. The side notes are really easy to follow and understand. Ill keep this saver if I ever need it.(Lets hope not)
    -Grecia Sepulveda

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  9. I really appreciate the fact that you brushed on an issue that a typical American household faces hoewver people tend to not know how to solve this problem! This guide is especially useful and I really appreciate how specific you were. The notes are very useful to those who aren't very familiar to doing such home improvement projects. Thank you so much for your input!

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  10. you did a really good job explaining everything super thoroughly and made it super easy to understand. the warnings were also very cool especially the getting sprayed by water part. As well as the specific screwdriver we needed to get in order to fix out sprinkler.

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  11. Thank you Ivan for such an informative piece. If I ever break my sprinkler, I now have the ideas and instructions on how to do it. The details and the preciseness of the sentences truly do help. -Paul Aureus

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  12. This was extremely informative and easy to read; I was able to follow along without any difficulty despite not knowing the anatomy of a sprinkler prior to reading this. I thought fixing a sprinkler would be a much more complicated process, but you have managed to dwindle it down to nice and simple steps while adding bits of humor here and there to keep it entertaining. Great job!

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  13. Wow Ivan, this is a very unique piece , this the first time in this blog that I read an instructional article. I really like the step by step detailed you include, for example you explain in great detail on the removing the nozzle, I appreciate it. I really like how you included a picture, it really helps a lot in understanding the instruction and whats parts of the sprinkler your were explaining about. Furthermore I really like on you used additional notes and warning, it gave us further guidances in the instructions, and help us prevent to make common mistakes. Also thank you for explaining on how to fix a sprinkler, it might come in handy one day.
    -Jean Andre Molina Period 4

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  14. I'm not going to lie I had a nice laugh when I read the title but it was actually informative with a tad bit of humor which I enjoyed. I never thought I'd learn how to fix a sprinkler and understand so easily but here I am. Thank you ! Now I'll never have to go without a proper functioning sprinkler ever again!

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  15. I love this guide because not only was I educated on something new, the guide was very understandable and easy to follow. Good job!

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  16. I personally relate to this because I have to cut the grass EVERY weekend. This was so informative and very useful because it is something we always see but know so little about. Now if I ever need to fix one I will know how to because of your very useful an specific instructions. Thanks!!
    Ivan Mejia
    (Per.5)

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  17. What an easy tutorial to understand. The side notes were really helpful too. It made it really simple to follow.
    -Grecia Sepulveda

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  18. Ivan I havent needed to fix a sprinkler yet, but thanks to you I will be prepared if I ever need to. Your instructions were very clear and thorough and your notes make it even easier to understand. Thanks for the life skills and great job!

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  19. Ivan, I have never known how to fix a sprinkler, until today when you bestowed upon me these words that may reverberate in the sprinkler-repair community for generations. For many a fortnight, my neighborhood has been plagued by people's broken sprinklers that serve no other purpose but to splurge water into the street drains. I hope to one day ride my bicycle, air dropping a link to this post, similarly to how Paul Reverre warned the American people about the British. All joking aside, I really find this piece instructive and intuitive, as it provides extra clarifications, in case someone clumsy like me gets lost on any steps.
    -Lance Anthony Aquino

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  20. I like the quirks you added in between the text like the optional wearing of a bathing suit, getting sprayed in the face with pressurized water, the condescending "Congratulations!" or the do whatever else is on your agenda. this is a real twist to the normal stories on here, usually emotional heartfelt stories, you decided to tell me instructions on something i will probably never do, and i was enticed to read it. - Adam Huizar

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  21. Wow I never had thought that there was so much work that goes into fixing a sprinkler. This tutorial will definitely help me out in the future, because the sprinklers at my house keep breaking. The instructions are very simple and easy to follow. Thank you for sharing this.

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  22. Ivan, this was very instructional as well as easy to read. Thank you, this will come in use if I ever need to change a sprinkler.

    -Julissa Saenz

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  23. Ivan, I really enjoyed the way that you explained each step it was very detailed! I never thought that I would want to fix a sprinkler so bad but after reading your piece I’m so ready. I like the way that you incorporated some jokes in it because it kept me interested the entire time while informing me on how to changing a sprinkler.

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  24. How you executed this blog was very clear and easy to understand. I never knew how to fix a sprinkler, but if I ever needed to, this blog is definitely a useful and helpful resource. Not only was your work very comedic, but also very informative, Good Job!

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  25. Great post, I love how the topic is seemingly so arbitrary, yet when you think about it, most houses have many sprinklers and it’s logical to assume that one day all of us are probably going to have to fix one. Your writing is great, informative, humorous and honestly will probably one day be very useful, if all instruction manuals were written like this maybe I’d actually be willing to read them.

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  26. For the most part, I am quite familiar with the steps of fixing a sprinkler. But your instructions were so detailed and well constructed that not only did I learn more, but there is simply no way I can ever mess up now! Thank you and good job!

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  27. Well thanks for this; usually when I get into a "broken appliance" situation I just sort of wing-it and hope that I figure how to fix something. It's been a while since I've really changed a sprinkler head, but now I know the first person to come to if need be.

    -Ethan Ford

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  28. Ivan, your instructions were very thorough and detailed. I know that broken sprinklers are a suburban issue that is pretty common and costly when not handled in time. Thanks for the advice.

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  29. I am now prepared to repair a sprinkler if it ever comes up. Awesome tutorial and really informative and engaging with the reader rather than a typical boring tutorial. Awesome piece!
    -Alyssa Nelson

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  30. I was intrigued by the title of this piece when I was scrolling down the list of December writers, but this piece caught my attention! Your explanation of how to fix a sprinkler is very detailed and easy to comprehend. I have never encountered a situation where I have to fix a sprinkler, but this piece will definitely come into handy when that happens. I am truly impressed by how much you know as a 17 (or 18) year old teenager!

    Xiaoqing Zhong P4

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  31. I read your informative guide on how to fix a sprinkler, and I really enjoyed it. Because of your work, I became a sprinkler repair technician, and have hired three Mexicans to help me with my work. I make over 585K a year fixing sprinklers, and am currently working on how to break up the union that formed among my workers.

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  32. I don't think I will ever have to fix a sprinkler in my entire life, but I could not stop reading this. I am so impressed that you know so much about sprinklers, and I now have nothing but absolute respect for you. On top of that, I was impressed the most by the absolute clarity of the piece; it is important to have clear instructions when writing a tutorial and I think you accomplished that goal very well. Great work!

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