pasadena_commut
Well-Known Member
One of the old Champion brass actuators in the backyard has started to "drip" into its outlet pipe, so there is a slow flow of water through that zone.
Previously in another thread:
https://www.plumbingforums.com/threads/replacement-valve-for-champion-brass-body.21689/
The Superior #800 was suggested as an actuator replacement. So I went into an irrigation store today to get one ($105 with taxes, ouch!), and pulled out one of the old Champion actuators to be sure to get the right size. It screwed into a 1" brass body (verifying that it is actually a 1" actuator). However, they looked at that old actuator like a mechanic might had a Model A come in for service. The people in attendance (a mix of counter guys and irrigation workers) seemed convinced that the Superior would not work with the old (like 60 years old) Champion brass body, that the valve would not open properly. Something about the spacing of the plunger. (Most of this was in Spanish using sprinkler slang I was not at all familiar with.) One of them thought the one I had brought in was a Champion 350 actuator.
They suggested replacing the valve body with the 1" test valve body, which was still on the counter. That looked very hard to do. In this thread:
https://www.plumbingforums.com/threads/leaking-irrigation-valve.12706/
there is a picture of the bottom of one of these Champion valve bodies at my house. It looks a lot like this Champion CL466-100-C
https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/champion-brass-anti-siphon-with-union-valve-1-in-fpt-cl466-100-c
One side is screwed directly onto galvanized pipe. The other attaches through some sort of adapter to the PVC. There is a nut which is part of that adapter that screws onto threads on the outside of the Champion body, on the backflow valve side. I may have the direction of that nut backwards. In any case, the mating surface on the outlet side of the body is flat to flat with that adapter, with a thin rubber washer on the body side. The adapter on the counter just had threads inside on both sides. Just to make matters more interesting, the valve body is very close to the wall of the house. I'm not sure there is space to spin off the Champion valve, and I'm not touching the old galvanized in the ground to try to spin that out of whatever rusty fitting is down there.
So I guess that leaves the poorly rated Orbit 57030P
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-1-in-Automatic-Converter-Valve-57030P/100139952
assuming it works as well as the 57030 (one of which blew up, and various leaks at the mating surfaces on others, but otherwise functions OK in terms of turning on and off and not leaking into the pipe). Orbit in theory makes (or made) a 1" brass version
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-1-in-Brass-Auto-Converter-Valve-57035/100342562
but HD doesn't actually have any, and Orbit's site doesn't list it, suggesting it is discontinued:
https://www.orbitonline.com/products/automatic-converter-valve?variant=43157344878760
Thoughts?
Thanks.
Previously in another thread:
https://www.plumbingforums.com/threads/replacement-valve-for-champion-brass-body.21689/
The Superior #800 was suggested as an actuator replacement. So I went into an irrigation store today to get one ($105 with taxes, ouch!), and pulled out one of the old Champion actuators to be sure to get the right size. It screwed into a 1" brass body (verifying that it is actually a 1" actuator). However, they looked at that old actuator like a mechanic might had a Model A come in for service. The people in attendance (a mix of counter guys and irrigation workers) seemed convinced that the Superior would not work with the old (like 60 years old) Champion brass body, that the valve would not open properly. Something about the spacing of the plunger. (Most of this was in Spanish using sprinkler slang I was not at all familiar with.) One of them thought the one I had brought in was a Champion 350 actuator.
They suggested replacing the valve body with the 1" test valve body, which was still on the counter. That looked very hard to do. In this thread:
https://www.plumbingforums.com/threads/leaking-irrigation-valve.12706/
there is a picture of the bottom of one of these Champion valve bodies at my house. It looks a lot like this Champion CL466-100-C
https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/champion-brass-anti-siphon-with-union-valve-1-in-fpt-cl466-100-c
One side is screwed directly onto galvanized pipe. The other attaches through some sort of adapter to the PVC. There is a nut which is part of that adapter that screws onto threads on the outside of the Champion body, on the backflow valve side. I may have the direction of that nut backwards. In any case, the mating surface on the outlet side of the body is flat to flat with that adapter, with a thin rubber washer on the body side. The adapter on the counter just had threads inside on both sides. Just to make matters more interesting, the valve body is very close to the wall of the house. I'm not sure there is space to spin off the Champion valve, and I'm not touching the old galvanized in the ground to try to spin that out of whatever rusty fitting is down there.
So I guess that leaves the poorly rated Orbit 57030P
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-1-in-Automatic-Converter-Valve-57030P/100139952
assuming it works as well as the 57030 (one of which blew up, and various leaks at the mating surfaces on others, but otherwise functions OK in terms of turning on and off and not leaking into the pipe). Orbit in theory makes (or made) a 1" brass version
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-1-in-Brass-Auto-Converter-Valve-57035/100342562
but HD doesn't actually have any, and Orbit's site doesn't list it, suggesting it is discontinued:
https://www.orbitonline.com/products/automatic-converter-valve?variant=43157344878760
Thoughts?
Thanks.