pasadena_commut
Well-Known Member
Hi all.
Can somebody please recommend new and reliable sprinkler valves which fit into brass Champion bodies?
Background...
My house originally had solenoid controlled sprinkler valves all around by Champion, which looked like this:
https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/...18d1232ff9a8c8f1e4514b5ae/c/l/cl466-100-c.jpg
When some of the valves failed I could not find replacement parts in the big box stores, all they had was Orbit 57030, so those valves were used instead. There are 7 zones and so far 3 have failed and converted. The others are still running well with their original Champion valves. The 57030 fit without its supplied adapter, so I guess that makes it a 3/4" valve.
https://www.amazon.com/Orbit-57030P...a-935092859644&ref=&adgrpid=101305226135&th=1
These held up pretty well, but today one installed 11 years ago failed. There is a sturdy brass nut on the bottom which screws into the Champion body, but the valve attaches to it by a threaded extension of the green case onto which a sort of plastic nut has been tightened from below, with an O ring in between the two. Somehow or other that plastic nut unscrewed itself over the years, the valve body jumped up about an inch before it hung up on that nut in its new position. The sprinkler zone turned on and water was shooting out all over the place from the valve. I didn't see any mechanical failure to explain this, it was possible to screw the nut in tightly by hand. I happened to have a spare 57030 (of the same era, stored in the house so that the plastic wouldn't cook in the garage), and that was put on.
The 57030 has been discontinued (apparently), replaced by the 57029 and 57030P, and there were an awful lot of complaints about the new ones suffering a similar sort of failure. Not after 11 years, but in days. These are rated for 80 PSI but apparently they fail sometimes on pressure spikes, and fail always for houses with too much pressure. I measured ours today and saw 81 PSI, the highest I have ever seen was 83 PSI (not that I measure this very often), but we might have had a small pressure spike.
Long story short, I always keep one spare for emergencies. The Orbit replacement model for the 57030 doesn't sound great, and want to find some other more reliable brand to use instead.
Can somebody please recommend new and reliable sprinkler valves which fit into brass Champion bodies?
Background...
My house originally had solenoid controlled sprinkler valves all around by Champion, which looked like this:
https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/...18d1232ff9a8c8f1e4514b5ae/c/l/cl466-100-c.jpg
When some of the valves failed I could not find replacement parts in the big box stores, all they had was Orbit 57030, so those valves were used instead. There are 7 zones and so far 3 have failed and converted. The others are still running well with their original Champion valves. The 57030 fit without its supplied adapter, so I guess that makes it a 3/4" valve.
https://www.amazon.com/Orbit-57030P...a-935092859644&ref=&adgrpid=101305226135&th=1
These held up pretty well, but today one installed 11 years ago failed. There is a sturdy brass nut on the bottom which screws into the Champion body, but the valve attaches to it by a threaded extension of the green case onto which a sort of plastic nut has been tightened from below, with an O ring in between the two. Somehow or other that plastic nut unscrewed itself over the years, the valve body jumped up about an inch before it hung up on that nut in its new position. The sprinkler zone turned on and water was shooting out all over the place from the valve. I didn't see any mechanical failure to explain this, it was possible to screw the nut in tightly by hand. I happened to have a spare 57030 (of the same era, stored in the house so that the plastic wouldn't cook in the garage), and that was put on.
The 57030 has been discontinued (apparently), replaced by the 57029 and 57030P, and there were an awful lot of complaints about the new ones suffering a similar sort of failure. Not after 11 years, but in days. These are rated for 80 PSI but apparently they fail sometimes on pressure spikes, and fail always for houses with too much pressure. I measured ours today and saw 81 PSI, the highest I have ever seen was 83 PSI (not that I measure this very often), but we might have had a small pressure spike.
Long story short, I always keep one spare for emergencies. The Orbit replacement model for the 57030 doesn't sound great, and want to find some other more reliable brand to use instead.
