great video! I am irrigating off a municipal water source and they require me to bleed pressure of the vacuum breaker when the system is not running. So essentially I need a master valve before my vacuum breaker. Will the master valve be closed when the system is not running and them open for each of my zones and then close again when the 4 zones have cycled? This way I can have a sprinkler head after the vacuum breaker but before my zone control vales to bleed pressure off vacuum breaker after each watering. Im not sure exactly how the master valve feature works.
A master valve is exactly as you said, when wired properly the controller will open the master valve first and then cycle through your zones. Once you zones are done cycling the master valve shuts off too. Are they requiring a reduced pressure backflow device? Or just a basic vacuum breaker on the mainline? I'm always curious.
To help answer correctly. I would typically put them where they fit. Where I live there is no rule if it must be upstream or downstream of the backflow device. In my personal home I have a master valve before the backflow device.
I run my system manually when it's dry outside so i prefer to have a manual shutoff (ball valve) near the control box so that I can just turn on water to the system just before inititating a program cycle. When complete, I turn off the ball valve.
i WOULD LIKE TO INSTALL A MASTER VALVE because to many times my system was leaking and I didn't know it until I got the water bill, I have about 2' of copper pipe outside the house before it goes into the ground, my plan is to put it in that section, I'm at work don't know if I have a master control on my controller, if not can I just use one of the extra unused zones 5mins before on and off?
Your controller most certainly should have a "Pump" or "MV" terminal which should run the entire time the system cycles. I should say most good controllers will have them.. one wire into the common, the other into MV or Pump
Hello, hoping you can give me some direction. My sprinkler system in in error mode (Master Valve Circuit Short). I close the shut off valve and took the top half of the master valve off. I has water in it. I decide to turn on the shut off valve expecting water to spray like a fountain but to my surprise they was zero water flow. I know that there is no leave before the master valve because the meter is not running. What am i missing? Do i have a water flow problem?
So after the water meter the water line Tee's off with a shut off valve, and just down stream there is the master valve (standard irrigation globe valve?) ? Nothing in between? Without seeing it myself I would guess there is another valve turned off upstream, possibly the main to the whole home? Otherwise before your explanation of taking the top off the valve I would simply suggest getting new solenoid. When there is a small drop in voltage some controllers recognize that at sends a fault. Let me know how it goes
@@addleyscanada thanks from you response. there are no other visible valve. Could the Back Flow Valve have anything to do with it. I changed Solenoid and still nothing. If I turn the solenoid to open. I don't even hear any water flow. I tried manually turning on the other valves and nothing. Could it be an air lock between the T and master valve?
@@ajaysunker3855 not sure if it's air lock as any air may just cause water hammer or sputtering operation. Does the backflow have shut offs (Dual check, or DCVA)? Anyway to upload a video and tag Addleys in it?
There is many instances where a master valve will be put in the remedy some sort of leak. In my experience only when a leak appeared under a parking lot is when we installed a master valve until excavation can be done. Sometimes gravity can drain out your water lines after watering - which can very much seem like a leaking valve. Is your yard sloped?
It appears master valves are placed inside the house so that would be before the backflow, correct? My parents where told they either need to replace the valves in the system or get a master valve as the system is not holding pressure, does that make sense? Would love to see an install video. Great video, loved the drawing. Got a new subscriber.
You should be able to place the master valve anywhere on the line (mainline) before the irrigation valves. If your mainline is leaking, not holding pressure, the master valve will shut down the mainline to now allow water to leak so much. Ideally the mainline leak should be repaired. I'll make a video on how to wire up a timer soon
You probably can. I have used globe valves as regular shut off's before. In my experience with pump systems - bypassing a pump relay won't turn on your system. Kind of like trying to start a vehicle with the starter bypassed.
nice vid, straight to the point, thanks
I could only dream to be as wise about plumbing as you. One of the very important skills I missed in this life😢
great video! I am irrigating off a municipal water source and they require me to bleed pressure of the vacuum breaker when the system is not running. So essentially I need a master valve before my vacuum breaker. Will the master valve be closed when the system is not running and them open for each of my zones and then close again when the 4 zones have cycled? This way I can have a sprinkler head after the vacuum breaker but before my zone control vales to bleed pressure off vacuum breaker after each watering. Im not sure exactly how the master valve feature works.
A master valve is exactly as you said, when wired properly the controller will open the master valve first and then cycle through your zones. Once you zones are done cycling the master valve shuts off too.
Are they requiring a reduced pressure backflow device? Or just a basic vacuum breaker on the mainline?
I'm always curious.
are master valves typically installed before or after the backflow device?
To help answer correctly. I would typically put them where they fit. Where I live there is no rule if it must be upstream or downstream of the backflow device.
In my personal home I have a master valve before the backflow device.
I run my system manually when it's dry outside so i prefer to have a manual shutoff (ball valve) near the control box so that I can just turn on water to the system just before inititating a program cycle. When complete, I turn off the ball valve.
i WOULD LIKE TO INSTALL A MASTER VALVE because to many times my system was leaking and I didn't know it until I got the water bill, I have about 2' of copper pipe outside the house before it goes into the ground, my plan is to put it in that section, I'm at work don't know if I have a master control on my controller, if not can I just use one of the extra unused zones 5mins before on and off?
Your controller most certainly should have a "Pump" or "MV" terminal which should run the entire time the system cycles.
I should say most good controllers will have them.. one wire into the common, the other into MV or Pump
Hello, hoping you can give me some direction. My sprinkler system in in error mode (Master Valve Circuit Short). I close the shut off valve and took the top half of the master valve off. I has water in it. I decide to turn on the shut off valve expecting water to spray like a fountain but to my surprise they was zero water flow. I know that there is no leave before the master valve because the meter is not running. What am i missing? Do i have a water flow problem?
So after the water meter the water line Tee's off with a shut off valve, and just down stream there is the master valve (standard irrigation globe valve?) ?
Nothing in between? Without seeing it myself I would guess there is another valve turned off upstream, possibly the main to the whole home?
Otherwise before your explanation of taking the top off the valve I would simply suggest getting new solenoid.
When there is a small drop in voltage some controllers recognize that at sends a fault.
Let me know how it goes
@@addleyscanada thanks from you response. there are no other visible valve. Could the Back Flow Valve have anything to do with it. I changed Solenoid and still nothing. If I turn the solenoid to open. I don't even hear any water flow. I tried manually turning on the other valves and nothing. Could it be an air lock between the T and master valve?
@@ajaysunker3855 not sure if it's air lock as any air may just cause water hammer or sputtering operation.
Does the backflow have shut offs (Dual check, or DCVA)?
Anyway to upload a video and tag Addleys in it?
Don’t they also protect again a single valve having a slow leak in your lawn?
There is many instances where a master valve will be put in the remedy some sort of leak.
In my experience only when a leak appeared under a parking lot is when we installed a master valve until excavation can be done.
Sometimes gravity can drain out your water lines after watering - which can very much seem like a leaking valve. Is your yard sloped?
It appears master valves are placed inside the house so that would be before the backflow, correct? My parents where told they either need to replace the valves in the system or get a master valve as the system is not holding pressure, does that make sense? Would love to see an install video. Great video, loved the drawing. Got a new subscriber.
You should be able to place the master valve anywhere on the line (mainline) before the irrigation valves. If your mainline is leaking, not holding pressure, the master valve will shut down the mainline to now allow water to leak so much. Ideally the mainline leak should be repaired.
I'll make a video on how to wire up a timer soon
th-cam.com/video/fDvCppiP4Gg/w-d-xo.html
I wonder if i can use the master valve to
Open & closed the main water line without starting the pomp start relay
You probably can. I have used globe valves as regular shut off's before.
In my experience with pump systems - bypassing a pump relay won't turn on your system.
Kind of like trying to start a vehicle with the starter bypassed.