Today we’re talking about repairing rotors. One of our local contractors generously allowed us to video their technician doing some sprinkler system repairs. Let’s get started!

How To Replace A Rotor

As you can see this rotor head is sticking up above the soil level. In addition to being a trip hazard, this situation puts it in danger of being hit by a lawnmower. The rotor is also missing a rubber cap. So we’ll replace the rotor while we’re at it. Our sprinkler technician Caleb is gently digging around the head. Now he’s in screwing the body from the fitting coming off the lateral. A lateral pipe here is a poly pipe you can see it’s pretty flexible but it’s not deep enough in the soil to get the height of the rotor correct. So, he’s adding a swing joint to lower the head.

Hand-tight only. No need for pliers. Now that it’s at the correct height he’s backfilling the hole. The next step is to adjust the rotor. First set the left stop. And turn the rotor all the way to the left until you reach the left stop. Point the left stop to the leftmost direction that you want your rotor to spray. Now, turn the rotor all the way to the right. And turn the arc adjustment screw. Plus or minus to set the width of the pattern or arc. Let the rotor run through its pattern to verify that you’ve got the arc where you want it. Which would be watering the grass and avoiding it as much as possible on the sidewalk.

Then adjust the distance of the throw or radius. The adjustment screw for the throw moves down into the path of the water coming out of the nozzle. The more it blocks the path of the water, the shorter the throw.

Aim For Head-To-Head Coverage For Your Irrigation System

You’re aiming for head-to-head coverage. That is water should reach the next closest head. Here we’ve got a rotor with a leaking seal. We’ll replace the rotor. The rotor was loose so Caleb didn’t have to dig around it. If you can’t get a good grip on the rotor you can use a set of channel locks or a Head Wrench to unscrew it. Make sure there’s no mud or significant debris over the riser. Now he’s screwing in the new rotor. He’s using the head wrench to screw the head down. At this point be careful not to break the riser or cross-thread the riser and rotor. And adjust the rotor.

The More You Learn, The More You Grow At Sprinkler Warehouse

Remember Sprinkler Warehouse has everything for your irrigation needs. So, your trees lawn flowerbeds, and gardens are lush and beautiful. And if you have any questions about our products chat with one of our superb customer service agents on Sprinkler Warehouse.com. They really know their stuff and they’ll get you squared away. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for helpful tips tutorials, and general sprinkler instruction. Sprinkler Warehouse. Professional quality. Rock bottom prices!