What do I need to check when a closed valve continuously leaks water?
• The most common reason is called “low head drainage” this is when the lowest head on the zone drains the water from the lateral piping out through the sprinkler. This is actually not a leaking valve, but the effect of gravity on the water in the piping system. If you are experiencing low head drainage, it will stop after all the water has drained out of the pipes. A solution would be to install check valves, such as the HCV, in the sprinklers. • If water is leaking through the valve, there is most likely debris in the valve that will not allow it fully close. To fix this, you’ll need to disassemble the valve, rinse all the parts with clean water and re-assemble the valve. (A check valve in the sprinkler will not fix this type of leak.) Q: Why do some valves close so slowly? A: Most irrigation valves are designed to close within 10 to 20 seconds of the solenoid deactivating. The most common reason why a valve would close slower is that there is a restriction in the valve metering port
