When Would I Add A Rotor Or Spray Head?

So you want to increase the size of your garden. But that also means increasing the size of your sprinkler system. That’s doable. You can add new rotors or spray heads to an irrigation zone as long as you haven’t maxed out the zone. If the existing zones cannot handle more output or the devices you want to add do not have the same flow rates as those already installed, you will need to add a new zone to the system.

Adding Irrigation / Sprinkler Risers: You can add new risers to an existing zone in two ways: either along an existing line of PVC pipe or on a new line you branch off of from an old line. The steps below will show how to add risers to an existing line.

How To Add An Irrigation Sprinkler To Your System

1. Cut Pipe: Locate the spot where you want to add a sprinkler head. Dig very carefully down to the pipe, making sure to not damage the pipe with the shovel. Excavate enough dirt that the pipe will not be in danger of getting dirt or debris into it. Using PVC ratcheting cutters or a saw, cut out a section of the PVC pipe wide enough to insert an adjustable slip-fix coupling and a tee fitting with a threaded outlet for the riser.
2. Install Fittings: Cement the slip-fix to one cut end of the pipe and the tee to the other. Adjust the fittings to fit the space as necessary. Make sure to plan ahead so that the tee is facing straight up; remember that solvent cement dries very fast.
3. Attach The Riser: Using the appropriate height and type of riser for the location (here we use a Hunter Swing Joint Riser), wrap the riser threads with pipe-thread tape and screw the riser into the tee fitting.